Twenty outstanding faculty members, the most since 2007, have been selected for the sought-after Fund for Faculty Excellence Awards for the 2021-22 academic year.

Driven by the university’s commitment to improve academic quality and reputation, the Fund for Faculty Excellence was established in 2006 with the generous support of businessman Lorry I. Lokey. The fund is designed to reward, recognize and retain world-class teaching and research at the UO. The award has been received by more than 200 faculty members.

 “It is especially rewarding to call out excellence among our faculty after a pandemic-ravaged year that called upon our faculty to engage in ways that none have had to before,” said Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips. “This year’s recipients of the Fund For Faculty Excellence award show us that our stellar faculty can excel even under the toughest of circumstances.”

Cutting edge, innovative, ambitious, internationally recognized, rarely paralleled and unimpeachable are just a few of the ways deans describe this year’s recipients in their nomination letters.

The recipients are tenured faculty members who have shown quality of scholarship, contribution to their respective field and contribution to the university. Nominations are made by deans from each school and college then reviewed by the Fund for Faculty Excellence Awards committee, which is made up of previous recipients, before the provost makes his final selection of up to 20 recipients. Recipients receive a one-time award of $20,000 or researching funds up to $26,200.

Recipients of the Fund for Faculty Excellence awards for 2021-22 are:

• Michael Allan, associate professor of comparative literature.
• Melissa Baese-Berk, associate professor of linguistics.
• Eric Corwin, associate professor of physics.
• Tannaz Farsi, professor of art.
• Mike Harms, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
• Emilie Hooft, associate professor of earth sciences.
• Atika Khurana, associate professor of prevention science.
• Andrew Lovering, professor of human physiology.
• Joseph Lowndes, professor of political science.
• Bruce McGough, professor of economics.
• Michael Najjar, associate professor of theater arts.
• Cristopher Niell, associate professor of biology.
• C.J. Pascoe, associate professor of sociology. 
• Jennifer Reynolds, professor of law.
• John Seeley, professor of special education and clinical sciences.
• Lucas Silva, associate professor of environmental studies.
• Richard Taylor, professor of physics.
• Nash Unsworth, professor of psychology.
• Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, professor of architecture.
• Maureen Zalewski, associate professor of psychology.

—By Kaitlyn Jimenez, University Communications