Michigan State University, with support from the MSU Foundation, honored three College of Natural Science faculty members with the designation of MSU Foundation Professor, in recognition of their contributions to research and instruction.
The professorships are part of an initiative to attract and retain highly successful faculty members. Each of the recipients receives five years of supplemental research support and holds the MSU Foundation Professor designation permanently.
The honorees are:
- Federica Brandizzi -- A professor of plant biology, Brandizzi is internationally renowned for her research with the MSU Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Laboratory.
“Plants are major players in the biotechnology boom and hold great promise for production of a wide range of compounds,” said Brandizzi, who joined MSU in 2006.“If we are to make best use of plants as living factories, we must understand the mechanics of the production process.”
- Shannon Manning -- An associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, Manning has contributed to global health by advancing the understanding of the pathogens that threaten it.
“Determining which bacterial features are most important for disease will help identify ways to block them via vaccines or therapeutics,” said Manning, who joined MSU in 2004. “It is my hope that some of my research findings will impact future prevention practices and ultimately reduce the number of people affected by these bacterial infections.”
- Alexander Volberg -- A university distinguished professor of mathematics since 2001, Volberg specializes in harmonic analysis, singular integrals and operator theory.
“My work is really about pattern recognition and pattern compression,” said Volberg, who joined MSU in 1990. “There are still many open—and interesting—problems to solve.”
Dave Washburn, MSU Foundation executive director, noted that titled professorships are highly regarded in the academic community.
“By offering these prestigious designations to our strongest researchers, we hope to demonstrate the power of investing in MSU people,” he said.