Named positions celebrate the contributions of professors as researchers, scholars, and teachers.
Several faculty members at the University of Rochester were appointed to named professorships in the first half of 2022. 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. Appointments included:
Natalya Antonova
Natalya Antonova, a professor of piano at the Eastman School of Music, jointly appointed as the Wentworth Family Professor.
Antonova has performed in cities across Europe and Asia and given hundreds of master classes and lectures throughout the world including at the Moscow Academy of Music, Paris Conservatory, Budapest Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Seoul National University. She has participated in many international festivals and judged numerous competitions across the country.
The professorship was established by University Trustee Tim Wentworth, and his wife, Robin Wentworth, University parents and supporters, to recognize a dedicated piano faculty member at Eastman.
Danielle Benoit
Danielle Benoit, a professor of biomedical engineering, jointly appointed as the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor. Benoit retains her joint appointment as chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
A member of the faculty since 2010, Benoit develops therapeutic biomaterials for tissue regeneration and the targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs.
The Kenan professorship, which was established in 1966 by the William R. Kenan, Jr., Charitable Trust, is awarded to a distinguished professor who is particularly effective in the teaching of undergraduates.
William Bridges
William Bridges, an associate professor of Japanese in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, jointly appointed as Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities.
Bridges’s research focuses on the intersection of modern Japanese literature, African American literature, and comparative literature.
The professorship recognizes Arthur Satz ’51, who bequeathed the largest endowed gift ever in support of the humanities at the School of Arts & Sciences.
Peter Christensen
Peter Christensen, a professor of art and art history and of visual and cultural studies, jointly appointed as the Ani and Mark Gabrellian Director of the Humanities Center.
Christensen, an internationally recognized scholar of architectural history and design, specializes in modern architectural and environmental history of Europe and the Middle East.
The directorship is named in recognition of the support of Life Trustee Ani Gabrellian ’84 and her husband, Mark Gabrellian ’79.
Marvin Doyley
Marvin Doyley, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, jointly appointed as the Wilson Professor of Electronic Imaging.
Doyley’s research interests include cardiovascular imaging, breast cancer imaging, ultrasound beamforming, contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, ultrasound elastography, magnetic resonance elastography, and pancreatic cancer imaging.
The Wilson professorship was established by Marie and Joseph Wilson. Joseph Wilson, former chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation, was a graduate of the University who served as chair of the Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1967.
John Duggan
John Duggan, a professor of political science, appointed as the Don Alonzo Watson Professor of Political Science.
Duggan’s research focuses on dynamic models of bargaining and elections, multidimensional spatial models of political competition, informational aspects of voting and elections, and incentives in social planning problems.
The professorship was established by Don Alonzo Watson, a Rochester businessman and cofounder with Hiram Sibley of Western Union, to acknowledge achievements in the study of political science and history.
David Figlio
David Figlio, appointed as the University’s provost and chief academic officer, the Gordon Fyfe Professor in the Department of Economics, and a professor of education at the Warner School of Education.
Figlio is an internationally recognized economist and educational leader whose interdisciplinary research spans educational, public, and social policy, including the link between health and education. He previously served as the Orrington Lunt Professor of Education and Social Policy and dean of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.
The professorship was named for the late Gordon Fyfe ’46, who taught economics and marketing at Lehigh University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and California State University, Fullerton.
Gretchen Helmke
Gretchen Helmke, a professor of political science, appointed as Thomas H. Jackson Distinguished University Professor.
Helmke studies political institutions, judicial politics and the rule of law, informal institutions and norms, and democratic erosion in Latin America and the United States. She is one of the cofounders of Bright Line Watch, a nonprofit that brings together leading political scientists to monitor democratic practices in the US from a comparative perspective.
The professorship honors Thomas Jackson, who served as University president from 1994 to 2005.
Lisa Kahn
Lisa Kahn, a professor of economics, jointly appointed as the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences.
Kahn’s research focuses primarily on labor economics, with interests in organizations and education.
The Board of Trustees established the professorship in honor of longtime supporters Fred Gowen ’32, who served as a University trustee from 1968 until his death in 1978, and his wife, Helen Gowen.
John Michael
John Michael, a professor of English, appointed as the John Hall Deane Professor. Michael retains his joint appointment as a professor of visual and cultural studies.
Michael’s research interests include US and diasporic literatures and cultures, academic intellectuals and popular politics, national literatures in global contexts, translation studies, and the institutional and theoretical implications of the contemporary humanities.
The professorship was established in 1880 through a gift from John Hall Deane, a member of the Class of 1866 and a member of the Board of Trustees from 1879 to 1923.
Joseph Nicholas
Joseph Nicholas, an associate professor of medicine, jointly appointed as the William and Sheila Konar Family Professor in Geriatrics, Palliative Medicine, and Person-Centered Care.
Nicholas is board certified in internal medicine and hospice and palliative medicine. He is an attending physician on the inpatient geriatrics service as part of the Highland Hospital Geriatrics Group.
Over the last few decades, the Konar Foundation has established several professorships along with research and program funds to support literacy and urban education initiatives at the Warner School of Education, patient-centered care in geriatrics and palliative medicine, and Alzheimer’s disease research at the Medical Center.
M. Patricia Rivera
M. Patricia Rivera, a professor of medicine, jointly appointed as a professor of oncology and as the C. Jane Davis and C. Robert Davis Distinguished Professor in Pulmonary Medicine.
Rivera’s areas of clinical expertise include lung cancer screening, diagnosis, staging, and management of treatment complications in patients with lung cancer. Her research focuses on lung cancer screening, disparities across the continuum of lung cancer care, and immunotherapy-related lung diseases.
The position was established to recognize, Paul Levy, a professor of medicine, by the late physician Jane Davis for her and in memory of her late brother, Bob Davis.
Sharon Willis
Sharon Willis, a professor of art and art history, appointed as the Fanny Knapp Allen Professor of Fine Arts. Willis retains her joint appointment as a professor of visual and cultural studies.
Willis’s research interests include film history and theory, visual and cultural studies, feminist theory, comparative literature and critical theory, as well as US and French cinema.
The Allen professorship honors the memory of Fanny Knapp Allen, whose family supported the University by establishing a scholarship fund and professorship.
