Five CSE faculty members named Distinguished McKnight University Professors

Awards recognize outstanding and high-achieving University of Minnesota professors

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/05/2024)—Five College of Science and Engineering faculty members are among 12 recipients of the University of Minnesota’s 2024 Distinguished McKnight University Professorship, an award given to outstanding faculty who have made significant advances in their careers while at the University and recently achieved full professor status. Recipients are chosen based on merit, research accomplishments, and leadership activities, among other factors.

Each faculty member will receive a research grant of $120,000 over five years, to be used for expenditures related to the recipient’s research and scholarly activities. They will also maintain the title of “Distinguished McKnight University Professor” for as long as they remain at the University.

2024 CSE Distinguished McKnight University Professors

Peter Bruggeman

Peter Bruggeman is a professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on plasma science and engineering to advance human health and sustainability. His research group uses and is known for their state of the art diagnostic approaches that uncovered mechanisms of the interactions between plasmas with solids, liquids, and living matter. His research has had technological advances in decontamination water treatment, green chemical conversion, and manufacturing. 

Paul Dauenhauer

Paul Dauenhauer is a professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science. His research exploits catalysts for sustainable energy and materials to help solve the challenge of producing energy with limited environmental impact. He uses catalysts to control specific reactions to convert water, nitrogran, and carbon dioxide to manufacture carbon-neutral fuels. 

Joshua M. Feinberg

Joshua M. Feinberg is a professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. He is a geophysicist who studies the magnetic properties of natural materials. This can help advance specific understanding of the Earth’s magnetic field, track environmental changes through time, and characterize novel magnetic materials. The research combines magnetic methods in geology with electron microscopy to explore processes on different levels from the nanometer to global scales. 

Jasmine Foo

Jasmine Foo is a professor in the University of Minnesota School of Mathematics. Her research involves creating mathematical models that describe complex processes in precision oncology including cancer evolution. She works on gaining insights to cancer progression, optimal therapy regimens, and personalized treatments. The goal of the work is to improve understanding of cancer and how to treat it. 

Chad L. Myers

Chad L. Myers is a professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The focus of his research is developing data mining and machine learning methods to chart the rules of life. This can help the understanding of how genes function and on a larger scale, how biological systems are organized. His work has advanced the understanding of how genome variation can affect human traits. 

Additional University of Minnesota faculty members receiving 2023 Distinguished McKnight University Professorships:

• David R Boulware, Medicine (Infectious Diseases & International Medicine) Medical School, Twin Cities
• Jason D. Hill, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, Twin Cities
• R. Stephanie Huang, Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Twin Cities
• Ronald R. Krebs, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts, Twin Cities
• Nathan Kuncel, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, Twin Cities
• Eric W. Seabloom, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, Twin Cities
• Changquan Calvin Sun, Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Twin Cities

Read more about the 2024 University of Minnesota Distinguished McKnight University Professors.