Campus Life

21 Texas A&M University Scholars Named 2018 Presidential Impact Fellows

October 25, 2018

Arial view of the academic building.

By Texas A&M University Office of the Provost Staff

Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young and Provost and Executive Vice President Carol Fierke have announced the second class of Presidential Impact Fellows, which are among the most prestigious recognitions for scholarly impact presented to Texas A&M faculty.

The 2018 class of Presidential Impact Fellows includes 21 faculty members across Texas A&M’s 16 colleges and schools, two branch campuses and comprehensive University Libraries. Each recipient will receive an annual stipend of $25,000 for the next three fiscal years to accelerate their teaching, research and service efforts. The honorarium helps foster opportunities to dialogue and collaborate with other leading scholars and create new partnerships. The award also confers the lifetime title of Presidential Impact Fellow.

“Texas A&M University is proud to invest in our amazing faculty who continue to make significant impacts through teaching, research and service efforts,” Young said. “These rising stars are meeting the challenges in their field and demonstrating what influence they have toward creating a better world.”

Young initiated the concept of the new titles and their strategic imperative at his 2017 “State of the University” address, calling on the students, faculty, staff, former students and partners of Texas A&M to embrace grand challenges, commit to core values and embody the unique “can-do” spirit that distinguishes Texas Aggies in service through education.

The award winners were identified by their college and dean and confirmed by the academic leadership. Each is considered to be a candidate for continued, or new, national and international acclaim.

“This honor is clear recognition of the excellence of these faculty in their scholarly endeavors,” Fierke said. “They are among the nation’s very best and will continue for many years to make transformational impacts that reach far beyond the walls of Texas A&M.”

The 2018 Presidential Impact Fellows will be formally recognized in a ceremony Oct. 25. Ceremony invitees and attendees will include many of the Fellows’ senior mentors, the 2017 inaugural class of Presidential Impact Fellows, University Distinguished Professors and members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

The 2018 honorees are:

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences:

  • Zach N. Adelman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Entomology
  • Kerri Gehring, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Animal Science

College of Architecture:

  • Ann McNamara, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Associate Department Head, Department of Visualization

Mays Business School:

  • Nathan Y. Sharp, Ph.D., Associate Professor and PwC Professor, Department of Accounting
  • Shrihari (Hari) Sridhar, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, Center for Executive Development Professor, and Research Director, Professional Selling Initiative

College of Education & Human Development:

  • Jamilia Blake, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology

College of Engineering:

  • Diego Donzis, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering
  • Jodie L. Lutkenhaus, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering

College of Geosciences:

  • Kathleen O’Reilly, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Geography

The Bush School of Government & Public Service:

  • Raymond Robertson, Ph.D., Roy and Helen Ryu Professor of Economics and Government, Department of International Affairs

School of Law:

  • Lisa T. Alexander, J.D., Professor of Law and Co-Director, Program in Real Estate and Community Development Law

College of Liberal Arts:

  • Heidi A. Campbell, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Communication
  • Matthew Fuhrmann, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Political Science

University Libraries:

  • Margaret Foster, MPH, MS, Associate Professor, Medical Sciences Library

College of Medicine:

  • Helene Andrews-Polymenis, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology

School of Public Health:

  • Hye-Chung Kum, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy & Management

College of Science:

  • Wenshe Liu, Ph.D., Professor and Holder of Gradipore Chair in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry
  • Saskia Mioduszewski, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy
  • Eric Rowell, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Mathematics

College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences:

  • Michael Criscitiello, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Research and GraduateStudies, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology
  • Albert Mulenga, Ph.D., Professor & Associate Department Head for Research & Graduate Studies, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology

Media contact: Brandon V. Webb, (979) 845-4016, brandon.webb@tamu.edu.

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