Professorships of Distinction
Named professorships recognize faculty members for exceptional leadership in research, teaching and service. Across the College of Natural Resources, these professors help advance the college’s mission to better our planet, communities, industries and economy and are considered to be top scholars in their disciplines.
Buckman Distinguished Professor
The Buckman Distinguished Professorship provides support to an individual with expertise in wet-end chemistry for the paper making process. The professorship was established to maintain a leading role in research and education devoted to wet-end chemistry.
Current recipient: Martin Hubbe
Professor, Department of Forest Biomaterials
“This professorship has allowed me to make a more positive contribution to the field of papermaking chemistry. In addition to the courses that I have taught in this area and the research that I have conducted, I have also been able to be very active in the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry.”
Past recipients: N/A
Carl Alwin Schenck Professor
The Carl Alwin Schenck Professorship is a legacy named professorship in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. It was grandfathered in 2011 and supports faculty excellence in forestry education and research.
Current recipient: Rachel Cook
Associate Professor, Forestry and Environmental Resources
“The Carl Alwin Schenck Professorship has provided resources that enabled me to attend conferences such as the Intertribal Timber Council Symposium in Cherokee, North Carolina that would normally be out of scope of my central research. It was an excellent learning opportunity and networking experience. Funds have supported graduate student travel and recruitment, paying for flights to recruit a current Ph.D. student from Colombia and for her to travel to Brazil to accomplish field work for her Ph.D. In the future, funds will help support a new Fulbright Scholar Ph.D. student that will be starting this fall from Uruguay to study plantation productivity and watershed hydrology.”
Past recipients: T. E. Maki, C. B. Davey, Robert C. Kellison, H. Lee Allen, Robert Abt
Edwin F. Conger Professor
The Edwin F. Conger Professorship was established in 1962. The endowment resided in the Ag Foundation until it was transferred to the Forestry Foundation 1981. This fund was established to provide salary supplements for the named professorship.
Current recipient: Erin Sills
Professor and Department Head, Forestry and Environmental Resources
The Conger Professorship has allowed me to develop a research program on wildland fire science. First, I used the funds to support graduate student research on the determinants of fire in the Brazilian Amazon. This research laid the basis for one master’s thesis. Second, I used the funds to convene a university symposium on wildland fire science, bringing together faculty from five different colleges at NC State for a daylong event at the Arboretum last summer.
Several of those faculty are now collaborating on funding proposals. Third, I have developed new collaborative research, which led to a co-authored paper that I presented at the Congress of the Latin American and Caribbean Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (LAERE) in Bogotá, Colombia, in March 2025. I anticipate that, with support from the professorship, I will continue to build both my own research program and collaborative, interdisciplinary research at NC State that responds to the growing challenges of modeling and managing wildland fire.”
Past recipients: Bruce Zobel, Ron Sederoff.
E. J. “Woody” Rice Professor in Paper Science and Engineering
The E.J. “Woody” Rice Professor in Paper Science and Engineering supports a tenured faculty member in the Department of Forest Biomaterials who is focused on research and teaching in biomass utilization for sustainable bioenergy and biomaterials. The recipient has a strong track record of graduate student education and an international reputation.
Current recipient: Lokendra Pal
Professor, Forest Biomaterials
“The EJ “Woody” Rice Professorship Endowment played a critical role in my ability to expand research, teaching and outreach activities at NC State and beyond. The endowment funds have enabled broad dissemination of our research focused on sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing innovations that benefit society and positively impact the environment.
It has also supported graduate students’ professional development, particularly by providing travel support for conferences and workshops. In addition, it has facilitated the organization of workshops that bring together key stakeholders and community members to solve the grand challenge at the intersection of sustainability, human health and AI.”
Past recipients: Sunkyu Park
The Ecology Wildlife Foundation Distinguished Professorship for Conservation Biology
The Ecology Wildlife Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Conservation Biology supports the work of a faculty member in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Preference is given to a professor with an active research program in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, with a focus on global change and wildlife conservation. This includes, but is not limited to, climate change, urbanization and other forms of human-induced environmental change that affect wildlife and their habitats.
Current recipient: Ivana Mali
Associate Professor, Forestry and Environmental Resources
“The Ecology Wildlife Foundation has played a transformative role in advancing our program and supporting the professional growth of both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology. Through scholarships and internships, our undergraduate students gain essential, hands-on experience in field data collection and research — skills that are critical to their post-graduate success.
Graduate students benefit from the fellowship that provides vital financial support, enabling them to develop and carry out high-quality research projects. In addition to this direct student support, the Foundation has been instrumental in launching our Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Laboratory by funding the initial infrastructure, equipment and supplies necessary to establish a functional research space where impactful conservation science can thrive.”
Past recipients: N/A
Elis and Signe Olsson Professor in Pulp and Paper Science and Technology
The Elis and Signe Olsson Professor in Pulp and Paper Science and Technology provides funds to strengthen the paper science and engineering program at NC State, which serves the entire southeastern United States under a Southern Regional Education Board compact.
Current recipient: Richard Venditti
Professor, Forest Biomaterials
“The professorship supports me in teaching, research and extension activities within the pulp and paper area. I have taught critical chemical engineering classes in the department, including Unit Operations of Pulp and Paper I and II, Process Control in the Pulp and Paper Industry and Environmental Life Cycle Analysis. My research group has produced more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, graduated 65 students and secured $15 million in funding.
This includes five patents. Currently, automated sorting sensors based on this research are state of the art in the paper industry. Funding through the professorship provides critical, flexible support that has been used to support graduate students during difficult funding periods.”
Past recipients: Jose Gratzl, Hasan Jameel
Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Coastal Resilience and Sustainability
The Goodnight Distinguished Professorship in Coastal Resilience and Sustainability is a new appointment assigned to the College of Natural Resources but housed in the Office of the Provost. It aims to support research addressing climate change and coastal challenges.
Current recipient: Erin Seekamp
Professor, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
“One critical impact of the Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Coastal Resilience and Sustainability is enabling me to create and sustain community partnerships prior to and beyond the traditional scope of externally funded research timeframes. Such relationality is critical to community-engaged research that ensures coastal resilience and sustainability is explored with and for the people whose well-being is at stake.”
Past recipients: N/A
Goodnight Distinguished Professor of
Geospatial Analytics
The Goodnight Distinguished Professorship supports leadership in geospatial analytics within the College of Natural Resources. Funded by a major gift from the Goodnight family, it enhances interdisciplinary research in environmental and spatial sciences.
Current recipient: Ross Meentemeyer
Professor, Center for Geospatial Analytics
“The Goodnight Distinguished Professorship of Geospatial Analytics has allowed us to invest directly in student success. This support has funded student research experiences and travel, enabled critical improvements to our first-year graduate student cohort lab space, and helped us create a new interdisciplinary program for undergraduate research experiences in geospatial analytics called I-GROUP.
Thanks to this generous support, we’re empowering the next generation of geospatial data scientists to turn geospatial data into actionable insights that help us understand when and where things happen and why it matters.”
Past recipients: N/A
Jordan Family Distinguished Professor for Natural Resource Innovation
The Jordan Family Distinguished Professorship was established to promote innovation in natural resource management. It supports faculty in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources who lead in developing sustainable practices.
Current recipient: Sunkyu Park
Professor, Forest Biomaterials
“The resources provided through the Jordan Family Distinguished Professorship support efforts to develop lignin-based products, such as ion exchange resins, with the goal of advancing decarbonization in the pulp and paper industry. We are also exploring additional material innovations derived from bark and other waste resources. This initiative aims to broaden value-added applications for lignin generated through pulping and biorefinery processes while contributing to the broader transition to a more sustainable and circular economy.”
Past recipients: Vincent Chiang, Hasan Jameel, Tom Gower
Karla A. Henderson Distinguished Professor
The Karla A. Henderson Distinguished Professorship supports excellence in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. It honors contributions to research and leadership in leisure and recreation studies.
Current recipient: Corey Johnson
Professor, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
“This professorship provided the freedom and credibility to lead research and methodological innovation within my department, culminating in a campus-wide culture shift where qualitative research is not welcomed but affirmed as legitimate and equal to quantitative-oriented styles, which gave me the latitude to co-create the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Studies.
Through this role in advancing nonpositivist forms of research, I have mentored a new generation of scholars, supported junior faculty toward promotion and advanced inclusion research agendas in bars, performing masculinity, 2SLBTQ+ environments, digitial spaces, trans-affirming classrooms, BIPOC programs for leisure service professionals and commentary on social justice in the field writ-large.”
Past recipients: N/A
Reuben B. Robertson Professor
The Reuben B. Robertson Professor must qualify for the professorship under guidelines outlined for professorships: outstanding scholar in assigned department, worthy of respect and admiration of the general faculty of NC State, favorably known to scholars beyond the university, state and region.
Current recipient: Jingxin Wang
Professor and Department Head, Forest Biomaterials
“This professorship enhances my research and engagement activities in sustainable forest biomaterials and allows me to help stakeholders in the forest products and pulp and paper industries for business development and adaptation of emerging technologies. It further strengthens my work and impacts at NC State and beyond, which will significantly contribute to the success of the Department of Forest Biomaterials.”
Past recipients: C. E. Libby, Alfred Stamm, Robert Hitchings, Hou-Min Chang, Stephen Kelley
Stephen H. Conger Sr. Distinguished
Professorship in Sustainable Materials
and Technology
The Stephen H. Conger Sr. Distinguished Professorship in Sustainable Materials and Technology supports the activities of a professor of any rank in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. Preference is given to a professor with active research in sustainable materials and technology.
Current recipient: Open
Past recipients: N/A
Wayne Williamson and Bette Rose Distinguished Professor
The Wayne Williamson and Bette Rose Distinguished Professorship supports the activities of a full professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Recreation and sports can play critical roles in helping young people grow into healthy and successful citizens. The Williamson and Rose Professor will be a leader in research, outreach and teaching related to youth development through recreation and sports.
Current recipient: Open
Past recipients: N/A
Dr. Hasan Jameel and Hal Lawton Distinguished Professor
The Dr. Hasan Jameel and Hal Lawton Distinguished Professorship supports excellence in the paper science and engineering program. It recognizes faculty who demonstrate leadership and a strong commitment to the professional and personal development of undergraduate students.
Current recipient: Open
Past recipients: N/A