Named positions are part of a long-standing tradition to celebrate the work of URochester’s faculty as researchers, scholars, and teachers.
Several faculty members at the University of Rochester were appointed to named professorships during the second 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.
Julie Bentley ’90, ’96 (PhD), a professor of instruction in the Institute of Optics, has been jointly appointed as the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor in Optical Engineering Science.
Bentley is an expert in the design and engineering of optical systems.
The professorship honors the late Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake, who both made notable contributions to the field of optics. Rudolf Kingslake was a founding faculty member of URochester’s Institute of Optics.
Regina Demina, a professor of physics and astronomy, has been jointly appointed as the C.E. Kenneth Mees Professor.
Demina’s research interests are in the fields of experimental high-energy physics and cosmology.
The professorship’s namesake is C. E. Kenneth Mees (1882–1960), a longtime director of research at Eastman Kodak, who is recognized for his pioneering work in developing sensitive photographic emulsions for use in astronomy.
Hitesh Deshmukh, a professor of pediatrics, chief of the Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics, and a professor of microbiology and immunology, has been jointly appointed as Dean’s Professor.
Deshmukh’s research examines how conditions before and shortly after a child’s birth can influence health outcomes throughout adulthood.
The Dean’s Professorship recognizes a faculty member’s outstanding research accomplishments.
Thomas Driver, a professor of chemistry, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Robert K. Boeckman, Jr. and Mary H. Delton Family Distinguished Professor in Organic Chemistry.
Driver’s research interests focus on the development of synthetic methodology, mechanism study, and drug discovery and development.
The professorship was established by the late Robert Boeckman, the Marshall D. Gates, Jr. Professor Emeritus, and his wife, Mary Delton, as part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
David Gill ’05M (Res), ’07M (Flw), an associate professor of neurology, has been jointly appointed as the Robert J. Joynt Professor in Neurology. Gill retains his joint appointment as division chief of cognitive behavioral neurology in the Department of Neurology.
Gill’s work supports basic science and clinical research programs in the field of cognitive disorders and advances education for patients and caregivers through community partnerships.
The professorship honors the late neurologist Robert Joynt, one of the most influential neurologists of the last half century and the founder of the Department of Neurology at the Medical Center.
Yu Jung Han ’22W (PhD), a clinical assistant professor in the Warner School’s Center for Learning in the Digital Age, has been appointed as the inaugural Mary Ellen Burris Professor.
Han’s research explores emerging technologies, interest-driven learning, and second language acquisition.
The professorship was established by longtime benefactor Mary Ellen Burris ’68W (EdM) as part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo, a professor of pediatrics, has been jointly appointed the inaugural Dr. Eric M. Dreyfuss Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. Järvinen-Seppo also holds appointments as a professor of medicine, of microbiology and immunology, and as the Founders’ Distinguished Professor of Pediatric Allergy.
A pediatric allergist and immunologist, Järvinen-Seppo focuses her research on the development of the infant microbiome and immune system and how they relate to the development of allergic diseases, particularly food allergies and atopic eczema.
The professorship was established by the late Eric Dreyfuss, who had a distinguished 50-year career in allergy and immunology at the Medical Center, as part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
Marie Laryea, a professor of clinical medicine, has been jointly appointed as the Michael J. Lepore Professor in Gastroenterology. She retains her joint appointment as a professor of clinical surgery.
Laryea’s clinical expertise includes liver transplant (pre- and post-transplant care), cirrhotic and chronic liver disease, viral and autoimmune hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatobiliary malignancies, and other liver diseases.
The professorship is named for the late Michael Lepore ’31 (MS) and ’34M (MD), a pioneer in the field of gastroenterology.
Cynthia Rand, a professor of pediatrics, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Gilbert B. Forbes Professor in Pediatrics.
Rand is a pediatrician and researcher who focuses on providing preventive care to pediatric patients. Her interests include adolescent preventive care and immunization delivery, as well as quality improvement.
The professorship honors the late Gilbert Forbes ’36, ’40M (MD), a longtime member of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical Center, who was internationally recognized for his pioneering work on pediatric body composition and nutrition. The professorship was established as part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester.
Sai Subhodhini Reddy ’96M (Res), ’98M (Flw), a professor of clinical medicine, has been jointly appointed as the John J. Kuiper Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine. Reddy retains her joint appointment as interim division chief of nephrology in the Department of Medicine.
Reddy’s research focuses on chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis, with a particular emphasis on the management and outcomes of pregnancy in patients with chronic kidney disease and those receiving dialysis.
The professorship was established by the late nephrologist John Kuiper ’65M (Res).
Lainie Friedman Ross, a professor of health humanities and bioethics, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Mark & Lois Taubman Distinguished Professor of Health Humanities and Bioethics. Ross retains her joint appointments as Dean’s Professor of Health Humanities and Bioethics; a professor of neurology, of pediatrics, of surgery, and of philosophy; chair of the Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics; and director of the Paul M. Schyve Center for Bioethics.
An internationally renowned bioethicist, she has published five books and more than 225 peer-reviewed articles, and she has lectured nationally and internationally on ethical and policy issues in organ transplantation, pediatrics, genetics, and human subjects protection.
Established during For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester, the professorship is named for Mark Taubman, former Medical Center CEO and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and his wife, Lois.
Nora Rubel, an associate professor of religion, has been jointly appointed as the Elizabeth Denio Professor. Rubel retains her appointment as chair of the Department of Religion and Classics.
Rubel is an expert on American Judaism, as well as food and ethnicity. She’s the coeditor of the 2014 anthology “Religion, Food, and Eating in North America”(Columbia University Press), and is the author of “Doubting the Devout: The Ultra-Orthodox in the Jewish American Imagination” (Columbia University Press).
The professorship is named for Elizabeth Denio, URochester’s first female faculty member, who was appointed to the position of lecturer of art history in 1902.
