Named positions are part of a long-standing tradition to celebrate the work of Rochester’s faculty as researchers, scholars, and teachers.
Several faculty members at the University of Rochester were appointed to named professorships during the first half of 2025. An honor designed to recognize the national stature of a professor’s work, the named positions are part of a long-standing tradition to celebrate the work of Rochester’s faculty as researchers, scholars, and teachers.
Jamie Adams ’11M (MD), an associate professor of neurology, has been jointly appointed as the David M. Levy Professor in Neurology. Adams retains her joint appointment as an associate professor in the Center for Health and Technology.
Adams is a movement disorders specialist whose research focuses on the use and evaluation of digital health technology, such as wearable sensors, smartphone applications, and telemedicine, in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
The position was established with an estate gift from the late Rochester-area attorney David Levy.
Matthew BaileyShea, a professor of music and chair of the Arthur Satz Department of Music, has been appointed as Dean’s Professor of Music. He will retain his joint appointment as a professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music.
He has published on various topics, including form, gesture, agency, chromatic harmony, and recomposition. His most recent book, Lines and Lyrics: An Introduction to Poetry and Song (Yale University Press), won the 2022 Wallace Berry Award from the Society for Music Theory.
The Dean’s Professorship recognizes a faculty member’s outstanding research accomplishments.
Roberto Colangelo, an executive professor of competitive strategy, innovation, global marketing, and entrepreneurship at the Simon Business School, has been jointly appointed as the Robert Sperandio Professor in Entrepreneurship.
Colangelo, an expert in entrepreneurship and economics and management, serves as executive director and faculty advisor of the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The professorship was established by Jackie Sperandio in honor of her late husband, Robert Sperandio, a local entrepreneur.
Christopher Cook, a professor of orthopaedics and chief of the orthopaedic pediatric division, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Agnes E. Griffith Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Mobility.
Cook’s research interests range from pediatric hips, the pediatric athlete, and pediatric fractures, and his clinical specialties include pediatric orthopaedics, hip dysplasia in children and young adults, and complex hips.
The professorship was established by the late scholar and educator Agnes Griffith.
John Covach, a professor of music, has been jointly appointed as Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities. Covach will retain his joint appointment as a professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music.
Covach is a prominent rock and pop music historian and the director of the Institute for Popular Music. He is an expert on the history of popular and rock music, 12-tone music, and the philosophy and aesthetics of music.
The professorship is among several humanities professorships named for the late Arthur Satz ’51, a music major and the late president emeritus at the New York School of Interior Design.
Ryan Fields, a professor of surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery, has been jointly appointed as the Seymour I. Schwartz Professor in Surgery.
Fields is a surgical oncologist and translational scientist who came to Rochester after serving as the Kim and Tim Eberlein Distinguished Professor of Surgery and chief of Surgical Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine. His clinical focus is on the multidisciplinary treatment of solid tumors, including pancreatic, biliary, liver, and gastric malignancies, along with sarcoma, and cutaneous oncology with a focus on melanoma.
The professorship is named for Seymour Schwartz, a longtime faculty member and distinguished surgeon who edited and cowrote the standard textbook for the profession, Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery.
Srihari Govindan, a professor of economics, has been jointly appointed as the Lionel W. McKenzie Professor of Economics.
Govindan’s research interests are game theory and mathematical economics.
Named for the founder of Rochester’s graduate program in economics, the professorship was established with a gift from the late Fred Jensen ’42.
Jennifer Grotz, a professor of English, has been jointly appointed as Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities.
Grotz is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Still Falling (Graywolf Press, 2023). Everything I Don’t Know, which features selected poems by Jerzy Ficowski cotranslated from the Polish by Grotz and Piotr Sommer, received the 2022 PEN Award for Best Book of Poetry.
The professorship is among several humanities professorships named for the late Arthur Satz ’51, a music major and the late president emeritus at the New York School of Interior Design.
Pengfei (Frank) Huo, a professor of chemistry, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Dean and Laura Marvin Endowed Professor in Physical Chemistry.
Huo’s research covers theoretical chemistry, quantum dynamics, quantum optics, cavity quantum electrodynamics, light-matter interactions, and polariton chemistry.
The professorship was established by a gift from Dean Marvin ’73 and his wife, Laura Marvin.
Alayna Loiselle ’09M (PhD), a professor of orthopaedics in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research, has been jointly appointed as the Donald and Mary Clark Distinguished Professor in Orthopaedic Research. Loiselle retains joint appointments as a professor of biomedical engineering and as a professor of pathology and of laboratory medicine.
Loiselle’s lab focuses on research around musculoskeletal and soft tissue fibrosis and regeneration.
The position is named for the late Donald Clark and his late wife, Mary Clark, who were longtime friends and supporters of the University.
Michael Maloney ’97M (Res), a professor of orthopaedics and Dean’s Professor, has been jointly appointed the inaugural E. Philip Saunders Distinguished Professor.
Maloney is a renowned orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. He is the founder and director of the Center for Human Athleticism and Musculoskeletal Performance and Prevention, which offers a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to athletic performance, injury prevention, and wellness.
The professorship was established by a gift from the Saunders Foundation, led by University Trustee Emeritus E. Philip (Phil) Saunders.
Bradley Nilsson, a professor of chemistry, has been jointly appointed as the Andrew S. Kende Professor in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Nilsson retains his appointment as director of the Materials Science Program.
Nilsson’s research interests include peptide self-assembly, amyloid peptides, amyloid-inspired materials, bioorganic chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry.
The professorship was established to support a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry in the field of synthetic organic chemistry to honor the contributions of Professor Andrew S. Kende during his 35-year career as a professor.
Laura Smoller, a professor of history, has been jointly appointed as the Arthur R. Miller Professor of History.
Smoller’s research interests are medieval and Renaissance Europe, medieval Christianity, early science and medicine, and the history of astrology and prophecy.
The professorship was established by noted legal scholar and analyst Arthur Miller ’56, ’08 (Honorary).
Anna Weiss, an associate professor of surgery, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Pluta Professor in Breast Care. Weiss retains her joint appointment as an associate professor of oncology.
Weiss’s research interests focus on breast cancer and benign breast disease, and breast and axillary surgery. She is especially interested in surgery following neoadjuvant systemic therapy and in patients with an inherited risk of developing breast cancer.
The professorship was established in 2024 with a gift from the Pluta Cancer Foundation.
