Six University of Michigan faculty members have been recognized for their outstanding teaching and service with one of U-M’s most prestigious honors: the Distinguished University Professorship.
The Board of Regents approved the appointments July 18 for Roger D. Cone, Deborah Dash Moore, Jeffrey Fessler, Sergey Fomin, Deborah Loewenberg Ball and Robert M. Sellers. They begin Sept. 1, last throughout the recipient’s period of active service at the university and may be retained after retirement.
Each professorship bears a name determined by the appointed professor in consultation with their dean. Newly appointed Distinguished University Professors are invited to give an inaugural lecture.
The Board of Regents established the Distinguished University Professorship in 1947 to recognize senior faculty members with exceptional scholarly or creative achievements, national and international reputations for academic excellence and superior records of teaching, mentoring and service.
Roger D. Cone
Tadataka Yamada Distinguished University Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Cone also is vice provost and director of U-M’s Biosciences Initiative; Asa Gray Collegiate Professor of the Life Sciences; Mary Sue Coleman Director of the Life Sciences Institute; research professor in the Life Sciences Institute; professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology in LSA; and professor of molecular and integrative physiology in the Medical School.
In their recommendation letter, Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Michael Solomon, Rackham Graduate School dean and vice provost for academic affairs, said Cone is an international leader in the field of obesity and metabolic disease research.
He launched Michigan Life Science Fellows to attract top-quality postdoctoral research fellows, and the Michigan Aspirnaut Summer Research Internship Program, a high-school program for students from underresourced communities.
“Professor Cone and his collaborators have changed scientists’ understanding of the biology of appetite and weight regulation,” McCauley and Solomon wrote. “He has been an outstanding leader for a large group of independent scientists who are addressing a broad array of challenges in biomedical research.”
Deborah Dash Moore
Jonathan Freedman Distinguished University Professor of History and Judaic Studies
Dash Moore
Dash Moore also is a Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor, professor of history and professor of Judaic studies in LSA.
A world-renowned scholar of American Jewish history and Jewish women’s history, Dash Moore’s research has made breakthroughs in the fields of urban studies, history, sociology, anthropology and more in examining the diversity and vibrancy of Jewish life and identity in America.
By integrating the study of gender into the study of Jewish life, she has probed how Jewish identity is shaped in domestic spaces. Her look into Jewish street photographers uncovered how Jewish culture has transformed urban spaces in America.
“Professor Dash Moore has been a consummate editor, convener and leader of innovative projects that have shaped the field of Jewish studies,” McCauley and Solomon wrote. “Her work opened the door for further explorations of religious practices, racial conflict and Jewish political radicalism in the United States.”
Jeffrey Fessler
William L. Root Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Fessler also is the William L. Root Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering; and professor of radiology in the Medical School.
Fessler’s research has transformed the process by which physicians, clinicians and researchers can use and interpret information and data from complex medical imaging machines. His work has improved the accuracy of cardiac stress tests, reduced the noise in images from PET scanners and MRI machines, and developed several algorithms for CT imaging.
Fessler’s code repository, the Michigan Image Reconstruction Toolbox, has been downloaded thousands of times by researchers to assist their medical imaging.
“Professor Fessler’s work in the field of image reconstruction for medical imaging impacts millions of patients each year,” McCauley and Solomon wrote. “His work has informed technological improvements in the medical imaging industry and inspired the wider imaging community.”
Sergey Fomin
Richard P. Stanley Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics
Fomin also is the Robert M. Thrall Collegiate Professor of Mathematics and professor of mathematics in LSA.
A groundbreaking researcher, Fomin is known for introducing the field of cluster algebras, a pioneering concept with implications to many structures throughout mathematics and science.
Fomin, associate chair of the Department of Mathematics, also currently serves as the associate chair for graduate studies, where he has overseen the implementation of the “bridge to Ph.D.” master’s degree program, which has successfully increased the diversity of Ph.D. students in mathematics.
“Professor Fomin has been honored for his field-shaping research at the highest levels,” McCauley and Solomon wrote. “His creativity and the warmth and respect he exhibits to colleagues is also evident in his teaching and mentorship.”
Deborah Loewenberg Ball
Jessie Jean Storey-Fry Distinguished University Professor of Education
Loewenberg Ball
Loewenberg Ball also is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; William H. Payne Collegiate Professor of Education and professor of education in the Marsal Family School of Education; and a research professor in the Institute for Social Research’s Survey Research Center.
Her work is grounded in the study of education practice. She pioneered the concept of “public teaching” to expose teaching to rigorous empirical and conceptual study in pursuit of “practice-based theory.”
Her Elementary Mathematics Laboratory has hosted summer math classes for children for more than 20 years. Her theory of “mathematical knowledge for teaching” is now foundational knowledge in the field of mathematics education. Loewenberg Ball is the most highly cited author worldwide in mathematics education research.
“Professor Loewenberg Ball has gained scholarly and professional respect across many fields,” McCauley and Solomon wrote. “Her research has also provided important insights into the ways that inequity and oppression regularly pervade normative teaching practice, and how teacher education and development could help disrupt this.”
Robert M. Sellers
James S. Jackson Distinguished University Professor of Psychology
Sellers also is the Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology and professor of psychology in LSA; professor of education in the Marsal Family School of Education; and a faculty associate in ISR’s Research Center for Group Dynamics.
Sellers’ work is rooted in studying the African American racial identity and the complexity and diversity of the experiences of Black people in the United States. His research has analyzed how racial identity influences aspects of African American life from academic achievement to mental well-being and physical health.
Sellers created Wolverine Pathways to help recruit underrepresented minorities to U-M’s undergraduate student body. He became the university’s first chief diversity officer in 2016 and guided U-M through its first diversity, equity and inclusion strategic plan.
“Professor Sellers’ work on racial identity development has transformed the field of psychology, giving us new tools to understand the experience of race, identity and inequality,” McCauley and Solomon wrote. “His service at the university and national levels has shaped the field of psychology and changed the institution for the better.”
