Investiture Ceremony To Honor Distinguished Professors, Supporters
By: Office of Media Relations | April 16, 2025
The University of Texas at Dallas will celebrate its newest group of endowed chairs and professors at an investiture ceremony April 17 in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Lecture Hall.
The event will honor faculty members in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology; the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences; the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences; the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science; the Naveen Jindal School of Management; and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
If You Go
What: University Investiture Ceremony
When: 2 p.m. Thursday, April 17
Where: Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Lecture Hall
“The newest honorees exemplify the strong tradition of academic excellence at UT Dallas, and we are proud of their exceptional contributions in research, teaching and mentoring,” said Dr. Inga H. Musselman, provost, vice president for academic affairs and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership. “We are also grateful for the generosity of our donors whose support is essential to attracting and retaining talented scholars and ensuring the advancement of our faculty members’ work.”
Endowed chairs and professorships are the highest academic award the University can bestow on a faculty member. The endowments, funded through philanthropic donations, fund initiatives that advance research and instructional programs.
The ceremony also recognizes donors whose support helped establish the endowed chairs and professorships. UT Dallas has more than 175 chairs and professorships, with several established by or honoring the University’s founders and early leaders.
List of Honorees
Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
| Dr. Paula Cuellar Cuellar Fellow, Jacqueline and Michael Wald Professor |
School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
| Dr. Gregory Dussor James Bartlett Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences |
Dr. Kendra Seaman Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
| Dr. Adrianna Shembel Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
Dr. Catherine Thorn Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
| Dr. Adam J. Woods Aage and Margareta Møller Distinguished Professor in Behavioral and Brain Sciences |
School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
| Dr. Elizabeth Searing Fellow, Venise Stuart Professor in Nonprofit Management and Leadership |
Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
| Dr. Kanad Basu Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
Dr. Shuang Cui Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
| Dr. Xianming Dai Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
Dr. Yichen Ding Fellow, Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor in Systems Biology Science |
| Dr. Edward White Jonsson School Chair |
Naveen Jindal School of Management
| Dr. Huseyin Cavusoglu Ashbel Smith Professor |
Dr. Seung-Hyun Lee Ashbel Smith Professor |
| Dr. Cuili Qian Ashbel Smith Professor |
Dr. Srinivasan Raghunathan Mike Brodie Family Distinguished Professor |
| Dr. Huibing Zhang Ashbel Smith Professor |
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
| Dr. Nicole De Nisco Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
Dr. Sheel Dodani Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
| Dr. Faruck Morcos Fellow, Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor in Systems Biology Science |
Dr. Xiaojia Zhang Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor |
Also appointed to endowed positions but deferring to a future ceremony:
| Dr. Benedict Kolber Dean Bert Moore Distinguished Professor |
Dr. Zhiqiang Zheng George and Fonsa Brody Distinguished Professor in Management |
Media Contact:
Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, 972-883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu, or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu.
