Current University Distinguished Professors

The next expected call for nominations will be Fall 2024.

Kenan Distinguished Professors

“…it shall be perpetually used by said University for the purpose of paying salaries of professors thereof, upon the condition that each of the professorships, the salary of which is thus paid, shall be known as a Kenan Professorships….”  It is noted that Kenan Professorships may be awarded to outstanding professors already on the faculty.

Academic Affairs

NameDepartment / School
Howard E. AldrichSociology
James AndersonComputer Science
Roberto CamassaMathematics
Louise DolanPhysics & Astronomy
Barbara EntwisleCarolina Population Center
Barbara FredricksonPsychology & Neuroscience
James HirschfieldArt
Arne KallebergSociology
Joseph KieberBiology
Joel G. KingsolverBiology
Donald T. LyslePsychology & Neuroscience
Jodi MagnessReligious Studies
William MarshallSchool of Law
Hans PaerlEarth, Marine and Environmental Sciences
Gary PielakChemistry
Stephen M. PizerComputer Science
Martin B. “Bland” Simpson, IIIEnglish & Comparative Literature
Kevin M. WeeksChemistry
Yue WuPhysics & Astronomy
Sheryl ZimmermanSchool of Social Work

 

Health Affairs

NameDepartment / School
Giselle Corbie-SmithSocial Medicine
Jack GriffithMicrobiology & Immunology
William MarzluffBiochemistry & Biophysics
Benjamin PhilpotCell Biology & Physiology

William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professors

“…in accordance with Article Nine of the Last Will and Testament of William R. Kenan, Jr….The addition to the Chapel Hill faculty of 25 William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professors drawn from the academic leaders of America…..”

NameDepartment/School
Albert BaldwinLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ralph S. BaricEpidemiology
Martin BrinkleySchool of Law
Kim BrouwerEshelman School of Pharmacy
Samarjit ChakrabortyComputer Science
Greg CharacklisGillings School of Global Public Health
John ConleySchool of Law
Paul A. DaytonBiomedical Engineering
Michael EmchGeography
Penny Gordon-LarsenGillings School of Global Public Health
Liesbet HooghePolitical Science
James H. Johnson, Jr.Kenan-Flagler Business School
Michael KosorokBiostatistics
Herbert PetersonMaternal & Child Health
Barry M. PopkinNutrition
Matthew RedinboChemistry
Jessica SmithSchool of Government
Koji SodeBiomedical Engineering
Jenny TingLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mark ZylkaCell Biology & Physiology

Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professors

To support professorships, no particular criteria are specified.

NameDepartment/School
Jianwen CaiBiostatistics
Blossom DamaniaMicrobiology & Immunology
Elizabeth Frankenberg Sociology
Thomas L. HazenSchool of Law
Gary MarchioniniSchool of Information & Library Science
Elizabeth Mayer-DavisNutrition

Burton Craige Distinguished Professors in Jurisprudence

“To support salary stipends and research grants in constitutional history and jurisprudence.  Professors honored for entire UNC career.”

NameDepartment/School
Lissa BroomeSchool of Law
Pamela ConoverPolitical Science
Michael J. GerhardtSchool of Law
Gary MarksPolitical Science
Donald SearingPolitical Science

Alumni Distinguished Professors

The Alumni Distinguished Professorships were made possible by unrestricted gifts from the University’s alumni. Established in 1961, the Alumni Distinguished Professorships are designed to supplement the salaries of professors whose outstanding teaching and research activities ameliorate the quality and the stature of the University. They are available for appointment in any academic area or discipline of the University.

NameNameDepartment/School
Fouad Abd-El-KhalickSchool of Education
Joseph G. IbrahimBiostatistics
Richard A. LuettichInstitute of Marine Sciences
Richard SamulskiPharmacology
Helen TibboSchool of Information & Library Science

Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy (five-year term)

The award is a five-year term professorship that honors faculty members who have contributed in the area of public policy, available only to faculty members in the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Law, the School of Social Work, Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the School of Government.