Purdue trustees ratify faculty positions; approve new doctorate program, resolutions of appreciation

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Dec. 3) ratified six professor positions and approved a new doctoral program, the change of several department names and resolutions of appreciation for friends of the university.

The six newly ratified professors are:

* Haley Oliver, who was named the 150th Anniversary Professor in the College of Agriculture.

* Jeffrey Greeley, who was named the Charles D. and Nancy G. Davidson Professor of Chemical Engineering.

* Zoltan Nagy, who was named the Arvind Varma Professor of Chemical Engineering.

* Jerome Adams, who was named a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the College of Pharmacy.

* Sabre Kais, who was named a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

* J. Paul Robinson, who was named a Distinguished Professor of Cytometry.

Oliver, a professor of food science and extraordinary teacher, has modernized and redesigned courses related to food safety to improve the student experience. Her primary course, Food Microbiology, impacts all students in the Department of Food Science. She engages students outside the classroom as well, providing them experience as teaching assistants, taking them to Institute for Food Technologists meetings and conducting study abroad opportunities. Oliver has generated more than $11 million in research and international engagement funding. Her work in food safety has touched people around the globe through projects in Afghanistan and through the first-of-its-kind Food Safety Innovation Lab funded by the United States Agency for International Development. Since coming to Purdue in 2010, Oliver has won numerous awards, including the Kohls Outstanding Teaching Award, Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, Corinne Alexander Spirt of the Land-Grant Mission Award and the USDA/APLU Justin Morrill Award, and she is a Purdue University Showalter Faculty Scholar.

Greeley came to Purdue from Argonne National Laboratory in 2013 as an associate professor and was promoted to professor in 2018. His research efforts are centered on the use of density functional theory calculations to probe the molecular-scale kinetic and thermodynamic properties of surfaces and interfaces. His work has contributed to the development of fundamental knowledge in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, and lithium-ion batteries. Greeley has significantly advanced the understanding of scaling relationships, which have revolutionized the prediction of reactivity trends on metal surfaces and are key to the emerging field of catalyst design. His research has implications for future improvements in clean energy and environmental technologies. Greeley currently serves on the editorial board of “Surface Science Reports.”

Nagy is regarded as one of the global leaders in smart manufacturing technologies for particulate systems, specializing in the development of process systems engineering and advanced control methodologies and tools for understanding, design and control of complex chemical and pharmaceutical systems. His work has had a significant impact in the field of particulate manufacturing and control systems by introducing novel quality-by-control, digital design and innovative process integration and intensification approaches – producing great gains in productivity, quality, safety and cost. Nagy, who came to Purdue as a professor in 2012, has published numerous highly cited papers, edited several books and received many awards in the fields of process systems engineering, control, crystallization and engineering education.

Adams joined Purdue in October as a Presidential Fellow and the university’s first executive director of health equity initiatives, professor of practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health, and a faculty member of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering at Purdue. He is bolstering Purdue’s efforts to be a leader in public health and health equity, while also helping to elevate the awareness and impact of Purdue’s science-based public health programs, research and engagement. Adams served as the 20th U.S. surgeon general from September 2017 through January 2021, after serving as Indiana state health commissioner from 2014 through 2017. He has an exceptional record of engagement accomplishments, averaging 150-300 public speaking and media appearances annually for the past five years.

Kais is one of the world’s leading experts and leaders in the field of quantum information science. He has made numerous highly creative and important contributions to quantum theory and quantum computing, including developing novel quantum computing algorithms for chemical calculations and the formulation of finite-size scaling algorithms for quantum phase transitions and stability of atomic and molecular systems. Kais has been a professor of chemical physics since 2002 and has had courtesy appointments as professor of computer science since 2005, professor of physics since 2010 and professor of electrical and computer engineering since 2021. Kais has received multiple awards, including the Herbert Newby McCoy Award, the most prestigious honor given by Purdue University in natural sciences, in 2019.

Robinson is the SVM Professor of Cytomics in the College of Veterinary Medicine, a professor of biomedical engineering in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to cytometry, including the latest spectral technology. Robinson’s work has led to 18 patents in the U.S., Europe and Japan. In 2019, Robinson received the Distinguished Service Award from the International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry. He is a past president of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry and currently serves as editor in chief of “Current Protocols in Cytometry.” Robinson has taught advanced courses in over a dozen countries, given over 160 invited international lectures and made over 400 conference presentations.

In other action, the board approved a Doctor of Technology degree at Purdue University Northwest in order to meet workforce demand and increased interest in advanced technology positions in the area served by PNW. This professional practice degree program will provide vital transformative science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and opportunities for those seeking a professional, advanced degree.

Additionally, the following changes to department names at Purdue University Fort Wayne were approved:

* Biology to Biological Sciences.

* Chemistry to Chemistry and Biochemistry.

* General Studies to Integrated Studies.

The first two changes involve two departments in the College of Science, which was created in February. Faculty in these departments voted to change the names after reviewing the departments’ missions and visions, and the new names better represent the range and scope of the faculty in the respective departments. The third change more clearly communicates the two degrees that the Department of Integrated Studies oversees: Bachelor of Applied Science, which has a number of concentrations integrating courses from areas across the university, and Bachelor of General Studies, which incorporates a number of disciplines into one degree.

In further action, the board approved resolutions of appreciation for those who recently contributed $1 million or more to the university. Those are:

* Max W Brown, to support the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

* Jean Anne and James Chaney, to support the College of Pharmacy.

* Glenn (Ed) Mann, to support Purdue University.

* David and Mary Miers, to support the College of Agriculture.

* Caterpillar Inc., to support Purdue Polytechnic Institute.

* Donald Janes, to support the College of Science.

* Barbara Kile, to support the College of Science.

* Terrance and Judy Riordan, to support the College of Agriculture and College of Education.

* Evan and Sue Ann Werling, to support the College of Veterinary Medicine.

* Peter Kiewit Sons Inc., to support Purdue Polytechnic Institute and the College of Engineering.

* Three anonymous gifts, to support the Purdue Center for Cancer Research and College of Engineering, Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

In recognizing these donors, trustees further approved the naming of the Electrical Engineering building on the Purdue West Lafayette campus as the Max W & Maileen Brown Family Hall to honor the generosity of Max W Brown, a 1970 Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Sources: Jay Akridge

April Headdy

Haley Oliver

Jeffrey Greeley

Zoltan Nagy

Jerome Adams

Sabre Kais

Paul Robinson