Named positions are part of a long-standing tradition to celebrate the work of URochester’s faculty as researchers, scholars, and teachers.
Numerous faculty members at the University of Rochester were appointed to named professorships during the first half of 2026. 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 URochester’s faculty as researchers, scholars, and teachers.
Yan Bai, a professor of economics, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural David Zervos PhD ’93 Professor. She retains her appointment as Distinguished Researcher in the Center for Economic Research.
Bai’s research focuses on macroeconomics and international macroeconomics.
The professorship was established with a gift from David Zervos ’93 (PhD). It is part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
Mark Bocko ’84 (PhD), a professor of sound arts and engineering, has been additionally appointed the William F. May Professor of Engineering. He retains his appointment as chair of the newly created Department of Sound Arts and Engineering and as a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Bocko’s research centers on audio and acoustic signal processing—including flat-panel loudspeakers, spatial audio, and room acoustics modeling.
The professorship honors William F. May ’37, former CEO of American Can Company.
Thomas Brown ’87 (PhD), a professor in the Institute of Optics, has been additionally appointed as the Dr. James C. Wyant Professor in Optics. Brown retains his appointment as director in the Institute of Optics and as a distinguished researcher in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
Brown’s research interests include polarization microscopy, freeform optical metrology, and photonic integrated circuits.
The professorship honors the late James Wyant ’69 (PhD), ’21 (Honorary), a pioneer in the field of optics and former URochester trustee
Robert Boyd, a professor in the Institute of Optics, has been additionally appointed the inaugural William F. Krupke Distinguished Professor. He retains his appointment as a professor of physics and astronomy.
Boyd is known for his pioneering work in nonlinear optical interactions and nonlinear optical properties of materials.
The professorship was established with a gift by Bill Krupke, a physicist, laser scientist, technology entrepreneur, and a former program director at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Krupke’s gift was matched as part of the Wyant Challenge.
Carla Casulo, a professor of medicine, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Robert B. Goergen Distinguished Professor in Cancer Care. She retains her joint appointment as a professor of oncology.
Casulo is an international expert and clinician-researcher in all forms of lymphoma, best known for her pivotal work in follicular lymphoma.
The professorship was established by Bob Goergen ’60, chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees, and his wife, Pam. It is part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
Patricia Chess ’91M (Res), ’94M (Flw), ’20W (MS), a professor of pediatrics, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Dr. Paul and Beverly Yudkofsky Distinguished Professor in Pediatrics. Chess retains her joint appointment as a professor of biomedical engineering.
Chess’s research focuses on lung injury and repair in newborns and optimizing the treatment of neonatal respiratory failure.
The professorship was established by Beverly Yudkofsky in memory of her late husband, Paul Yudkofsky ’63M (MD), ’66M (Res).
Manoela Fogaҫa, an assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology, has been jointly appointed as the Paul Stark Professor in Pharmacology. Fogaҫa will retain her joint appointment as an assistant professor of neuroscience.
Research in the Fogaça Lab focuses on understanding the molecular basis of stress-related behaviors and the actions of fast-acting antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs, aiming to identify specific circuits, neuronal subpopulations, and synaptic mechanisms involved in these responses.
The professorship was established by a gift from Paul Stark ’64M (PhD), who led the clinical team at Eli Lilly that developed Prozac.
Maria “Masha” Gordina, a professor of mathematics, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural John F. Randolph Professor in Mathematics. Gordina retains her appointment as chair of the Department of Mathematics.
Gordina is a distinguished mathematician, researcher, and leader who joined the URochester faculty from the University of Connecticut. Her research interests involve heat kernel measures and their properties in the context of infinite-dimensional nonlinear spaces.
Eric Lincke ’54, ’57M (MD) established the professorship, which honors John Randolph, Lincke’s late mentor. It is part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
Michael Jarvis, a professor of history, has been jointly appointed as the Dexter Perkins Professor in History.
His research spans early Atlantic and maritime history using historical archaeology and material culture to study trade, migration, and colonization networks.
The position honors the late Dexter Perkins, a prominent American diplomatic historian who helped establish URochester’s graduate program in history and served as chair of the Department of History for nearly 30 years.
Minsoo Kim, a professor of microbiology and immunology, has been jointly appointed the Albert and Phyllis Ritterson Professor. He retains his joint appointments as a professor of pharmacology and physiology and as vice chair of education in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Kim’s research interests are in innate and adaptive immune responses to infection and cancer immunotherapy.
The late Phyllis Ritterson ’55M (MS) made provisions in her will that helped establish the professorship, which supports a faculty member in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Paige Lawrence, a professor and the chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences, has been jointly appointed as the Albert David Kaiser Chair of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences. Lawrence retains her joint appointment as a professor of microbiology and immunology.
Lawrence, who has a longstanding interest in public outreach and science education, is an expert in immunology and toxicology.
The chair was established in memory of 1909 alumnus Albert Kaiser, who was director of the Monroe County Department of Health and taught at URochester as a full professor.
Darren Lipomi, a professor of chemical and sustainability engineering, has been appointed as the Arthur Gould Yates Professor of Engineering. He retains his appointment as chair of the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering.
Lipomi’s research interests include molecular engineering of electronic and electroactive polymers.
The professorship was established in memory of Arthur Gould Yates, a businessman and president of the Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway Company in the late 19th century.
David McConkey, a professor of urology, has been jointly appointed as professor of oncology, vice chair of research in the Department of Urology, and as the inaugural Susan P. and Edward M. Messing M.D. Professor in Urology.
McConkey is internationally recognized for his leadership in bladder cancer research, with a career focused on understanding the molecular drivers of disease progression and advancing new therapeutic strategies.
The professorship recognizes Edward Messing, former chair of the Department of Urology and an internationally renowned leader in bladder cancer and urologic research, and his late wife, Susan, who was a biostatistician at URochester Medicine.
Christopher Muir, a professor of mechanical engineering, has been appointed as the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor.
Drawing on his years of industry experience, including nearly two decades at Eastman Kodak Co., Muir gives students hands-on, real-world design training. He was a 2022 recipient of URochester’s Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
The University’s Mercer Brugler Distinguished Professorships honor Mercer Brugler, Class of 1925 graduate and former chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees. Demonstrated excellence in teaching is a prerequisite for appointment to the professorship.
Joshua Munger, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics, has been jointly appointed as Dean’s Professor. He retains his joint appointment as a professor of microbiology and immunology.
Munger’s lab focuses on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a herpes virus that is the leading cause of congenital viral infection.
The Dean’s Professorship recognizes a faculty member’s outstanding research accomplishments.
Christian Opp, a professor of finance, has been jointly appointed as the Gleason Professor of Finance.
Opp’s work examines the impacts of financial institutions and markets on allocations, with a particular focus on the role of informational frictions.
The professorship honors the memory of James E. Gleason, president of Gleason Works from 1922 to 1947.
Krishnan Padmanabhan ’25S (MBA), an associate professor of neuroscience, has been jointly appointed as Dean’s Professor. He retains his joint appointments as an associate professor of biomedical engineering and in the Center for Visual Sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Padmanabhan’s research aims to understand principles of neuronal function in the mammalian brain using experimental and computational methods, with a focus on uncovering the biological bases of psychiatric disorders.
The Dean’s Professorship recognizes a faculty member’s outstanding research accomplishments.
Alison Peterman, an associate professor of philosophy, has been jointly appointed as Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities.
Her research interests include early modern philosophy, philosophy of science, and philosophy of perception.
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.
Brianna Theobald, an associate professor of history, has been appointed as the Joseph F. Cunningham Professor.
Theobald is an award-winning teacher and researcher in the fields of US women’s and gender history, Native American history, and the history of reproduction.
The professorship was established by the late Joseph Cunningham ’67 (MA) and his wife, Andrea, to support a scholar in history, particularly modern European and American history.
James Zavislan ’81, ’88 (PhD), a professor in the Institute of Optics, has been appointed as the inaugural Kidger-Moore Distinguished Professor in Optics. He retains his appointments as a professor of biomedical engineering and of ophthalmology.
Zavislan’s research areas include improving the performance of optical imaging systems by modeling and measuring the coherence properties of light returned from objects of interest and adjacent objects not of interest.
Tina E. Kidger and Emery L. Moore established the professorship as part of the Wyant Challenge, which aims to increase faculty at the Institute of Optics by 50 percent.
