NIU Presidential Research Professorships were established in the spring of 1982 in recognition and support of the research and artistic mission of the university. Recipients of this award were selected based on significant and sustained scholarly or creative work, including the achievement of national or international reputation for making a significant positive impact in their fields. After four years as a Presidential Research Professor, each of these eminent faculty members was designated a Distinguished Research Professor. The name of this award was changed in 2016 to Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professorship, with the recipients, after four years, designated as Distinguished Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professors.
Abu Bakarr Bah, Department of Sociology
Evgueni Nesterov, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Mark Schuller, Department of Anthropology and the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies
Walker Ashley, Department of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences
David Gunkel, Department of Communication
Michael Barnes, School of Art and Design
Michael E. Papka, Department of Computer Science
Jeffrey Einboden, Department of English
Tao Xu, Department of Chemistry
Liam Teague, School of Music
Vishnu Zutshi, Department of Physics
Michelle Demaray, Psychology
Douglas Klumpp, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Swapan Chattopadhyay, Physics
Omar Chmaissem, Physics
Sanjib Basu, Statistics
Anne Britt, Psychology
Aaron Fogleman, History
Giovanni Bennardo, Anthropology
Ana Calvo-Byrd, Biological Sciences
Nancy Wingfield, History
Elizabeth Gaillard, Department of Biological Sciences
Wei Luo, Department of Geography
Philippe Piot, Department of Physics
Joseph Magliano, Department of Psychology
Dhiman Chakraborty, Department of Physics
Richard King, Department of Biological Sciences
Jeff Kowalski, Division of Art History, School of Art and Design
Amy Newman, Department of English
Zhili Xiao, Department of Physics
Reed Scherer, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences
Larry Arnhart, Department of Political Science
Michel van Veenendaal, Department of Physics
Mohsen Pourahmadi, Division of Statistics, Department of Mathematical Sciences
John Skowronski, Department of Psychology
Winifred Creamer, Department of Anthropology
Nader Ebrahimi, Division of Statistics, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Heide Fehrenbach, Department of History
Courtlandt Bohn, Department of Physics
David Buller, Department of Philosophy
Kenton Clymer, Department of History
James Corwin, Department of Psychology
Stephen Martin, Department of Physics
Donald Richgels, Department of Literacy Education
Andrea Bonnicksen, Department of Political Science
Michael Gonzales, Department of History
Chhiu-Tsu “C.T.” Lin, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
William Baker, University Libraries and Department of English
Christine Worobec, Department of History
J. Michael Parrish, Department of Biological Sciences
Rangaswamy "Nathan" Meganathan, Department of Biological Sciences
Frederick Bloom, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Paul Loubere, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences
Biswa Nath Datta, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Narayan Hosmane, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Gerald Blazey, Department of Physics
David Kyvig, Department of History
Susan Vogel, Department of Literacy Education
Stephen Duke, School of Music
Peter Meserve, Department of Biological Sciences
Bogdan Dabrowski, Department of Physics
Daniel Gebo, Department of Anthropology
Theodore Kisiel, Department of Philosophy
David Hedin, Department of Physics
Lee Barnes Peck, School of Art
Jozef Bujarski, Department of Biological Sciences
Marilyn Frank-Stromborg, School of Nursing
Jindrich Necas, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Harold I. Brown, Department of Philosophy
Stephen Haliczer, Department of History
Sylvia Huot, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Robin D. Rogers, Department of Chemistry
Anton Zettl, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Cecil H. Brown, Department of Anthropology
Samuel Kinser, Department of History
Ross D. Powell, Department of Geology
Stephen Foster, Department of History
Michael Gelven, Department of Philosophy
Fred H. Smith, Department of Anthropology
Joel S. Milner, Department of Psychology
Sean Shesgreen, Department of English
James F. Willott, Department of Psychology
Jonathan H. Berg, Department of Geology
Marvin A. Powell, Jr., Department of History
Patricia S. Vary, Department of Biological Sciences
Martin Lorenz, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Alan C. Repp, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education
Charles W. Spangler, Department of Chemistry
Hsin Yi Ling, Department of Geology
Benjamin L. Mahmoud, School of Art
Bruce White, School of Art
James E. Erman, Department of Chemistry
Stephen R. Kern, Department of History
Thomas C. Wiegele, Department of Political Science
John L.A. Mitchell, Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry
Thomas D. Rossing, Department of Physics
Jordan A. Schwarz, Department of History
Martin F. Kaplan, Department of Psychology
Dennis N. Kevill, Department of Chemistry
Zdenek Hurych, Department of Physics
Lucien H. Stryk, Department of English
Carl H. Albright, Department of Physics
Jan M. Bach, School of Music
David F. Driesbach, Department of Art
Arnold E. Hampel, Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry
Clyde W. Kimball, Department of Physics
Paul J. Kleppner, Departments of History and Political Science
W. Bruce Lincoln, Department of History
Wallace R. McAllister, Department of Psychology