Past Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professors

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.

2022-2026

• 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

2021-2025

• Walker Ashley, Department of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences
• David Gunkel, Department of Communication

2020-2024

• Michael Barnes, School of Art and Design
• Michael E. Papka, Department of Computer Science

2019-2023

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2023

• Jeffrey Einboden, Department of English
• Tao Xu, Department of Chemistry

2018-2022

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2022

• Liam Teague, School of Music
• Vishnu Zutshi, Department of Physics

2017-2021

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2021

• Michelle Demaray, Psychology
• Douglas Klumpp, Chemistry and Biochemistry

2016-2020

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2020

• Swapan Chattopadhyay, Physics
• Omar Chmaissem, Physics

2015-2019

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2019

• Sanjib Basu, Statistics
• Anne Britt, Psychology
• Aaron Fogleman, History

2014-2018

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2018

• Giovanni Bennardo, Anthropology
• Ana Calvo-Byrd, Biological Sciences
• Nancy Wingfield, History

2013-2017

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2017

• Elizabeth Gaillard, Department of Biological Sciences
• Wei Luo, Department of Geography
• Philippe Piot, Department of Physics

2012-2016

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2016

Joseph Magliano, Department of Psychology

2011-2015

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2015

• Dhiman Chakraborty, Department of Physics
• Richard King, Department of Biological Sciences

2010-2014

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2014

• Jeff Kowalski, Division of Art History, School of Art and Design
• Amy Newman, Department of English
• Zhili Xiao, Department of Physics

2009-2013

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2013

• Reed Scherer, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences
  
• Larry Arnhart, Department of Political Science
• Michel van Veenendaal, Department of Physics

2008-2012

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2012

• Mohsen Pourahmadi, Division of Statistics, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• John Skowronski, Department of Psychology

2007-2011

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2011

• Winifred Creamer, Department of Anthropology
• Nader Ebrahimi, Division of Statistics, Department of Mathematical Sciences
  
• Heide Fehrenbach, Department of History

2006-2010

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2010

• Courtlandt Bohn, Department of Physics
• David Buller, Department of Philosophy
• Kenton Clymer, Department of History

2005-2009

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2009

• James Corwin, Department of Psychology
• Stephen Martin, Department of Physics
• Donald Richgels, Department of Literacy Education

2004-2008

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2008

• Andrea Bonnicksen, Department of Political Science
• Michael Gonzales, Department of History
• Chhiu-Tsu “C.T.” Lin, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

2003-2007

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2007

• William Baker, University Libraries and Department of English
• Christine Worobec, Department of History

2002-2006

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2006

• J. Michael Parrish, Department of Biological Sciences
• Rangaswamy "Nathan" Meganathan, Department of Biological Sciences
• Frederick Bloom, Department of Mathematical Sciences

2001-2005

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2005

• Paul Loubere, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences
• Biswa Nath Datta, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Narayan Hosmane, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

2000-2004

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2004

• Gerald Blazey, Department of Physics
• David Kyvig, Department of History
• Susan Vogel, Department of Literacy Education

1999-2003

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2003

• Stephen Duke, School of Music
• Peter Meserve, Department of Biological Sciences
• Bogdan Dabrowski, Department of Physics

1998-2002

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2002

• Daniel Gebo, Department of Anthropology
• Theodore Kisiel, Department of Philosophy
• David Hedin, Department of Physics
• Lee Barnes Peck, School of Art

1997-2001

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2001

• Jozef Bujarski, Department of Biological Sciences
• Marilyn Frank-Stromborg, School of Nursing
• Jindrich Necas, Department of Mathematical Sciences

1996-2000

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 2000

• Harold I. Brown, Department of Philosophy
• Stephen Haliczer, Department of History

1995-1999

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1999

• Sylvia Huot, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Robin D. Rogers, Department of Chemistry
• Anton Zettl, Department of Mathematical Sciences

1994-1998

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1998

• Cecil H. Brown, Department of Anthropology
• Samuel Kinser, Department of History
• Ross D. Powell, Department of Geology

1993-1997

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1997

• Stephen Foster, Department of History
• Michael Gelven, Department of Philosophy
• Fred H. Smith, Department of Anthropology

1992-1996

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1996

• Joel S. Milner, Department of Psychology
• Sean Shesgreen, Department of English
• James F. Willott, Department of Psychology

1991-1995

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1995

• Jonathan H. Berg, Department of Geology
• Marvin A. Powell, Jr., Department of History
• Patricia S. Vary, Department of Biological Sciences

1990-1994

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1994

• Martin Lorenz, Department of Mathematical Sciences
  Alan C. Repp, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education
  Charles W. Spangler, Department of Chemistry

1989-1993

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1993

• Hsin Yi Ling, Department of Geology
• Benjamin L. Mahmoud, School of Art
• Bruce White, School of Art

1988-1992

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1992

• James E. Erman, Department of Chemistry
• Stephen R. Kern, Department of History

1987-1991

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1991

• Thomas C. Wiegele, Department of Political Science
• John L.A. Mitchell, Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

1986-1990

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1990

• Thomas D. Rossing, Department of Physics
• Jordan A. Schwarz, Department of History

1985-1989

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1989

• Martin F. Kaplan, Department of Psychology
• Dennis N. Kevill, Department of Chemistry

1983-1987

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1987

• Zdenek Hurych, Department of Physics
• Lucien H. Stryk, Department of English

1982-1986

Elevated to Distinguished Research Professor, 1986

• 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