CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Five professors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named University Scholars in recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship and service.
The program honors faculty excellence and provides $15,000 to each scholar for three years to enhance their academic careers. That money may be used for travel, equipment, research assistants, books or other purposes.
“The University Scholars program honors the outstanding accomplishments of these distinguished individuals,” said Nicholas Jones, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Illinois System. “Our faculty form the bedrock of a premier academic environment — one that not only advances societal progress but also attracts top-tier students and researchers from around the world to our universities.”
“The University Scholars embody the highest standards of academic excellence,” he continued. “Given the breadth and depth of scholarly work across our three campuses, and our ongoing commitment to recruiting and supporting exceptional educators and researchers, every recipient of this award has earned this recognition through truly commendable work.”
Katy Heath, a professor and the head of the plant biology department, is a national leader in the study of plant-microbe symbiosis. Heath has woven together the study of evolutionary genetics, ecology and genomics to understand how leguminous plants and rhizobia coevolve, analyzing their interactions for ecosystem sustainability and responses to environmental change. Her scholarship on species interactions is part of a multidisciplinary approach that pulls from methods in the fields of quantitative genetics, population genetics, molecular biology and ecology.
Heath also leads the $12.5 million National Science Foundation-funded Genomics and Eco-evolution of Multi-scale Symbioses Institute — which works to reveal the symbiotic effects of microbes on the natural world. She has bolstered the future career prospects of numerous undergraduate and graduate students by providing transformative research experiences and thoughtful mentorship.