Four CALS faculty members, listed below, were among 32 UW–Madison faculty selected to receive Vilas professorships and awards this year. The awards are supported by the estate of professor, U.S. Senator and UW Regent William F. Vilas (1840-1908).

Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professors and Douglas D. Sorenson Professors
Seventeen UW–Madison professors were named to Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorships, an award recognizing distinguished scholarship as well as standout efforts in teaching and service. The professorship provides five years of flexible funding — two-thirds of which is provided by the Office of the Provost through the university’s Vilas Trust. For CALS faculty members, the other one-third is provided through a UW Foundation account established by Douglas and Juanita Sorenson, and comes with a Douglas D. Sorensen Professorship title. The two professorship titles are used in conjunction with one another.

• Xuejun Pan, Biological Systems Engineering

• David C. Schwartz, Genetics and Chemistry

Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Awards
Nine professors received Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Awards, recognizing research and teaching excellence. The award provides flexible research funding for three years.

• Damon Smith, Plant Pathology

Vilas Faculty Early Career Investigator Awards
Six professors received Vilas Faculty Early Career Investigator Awards, recognizing research and teaching excellence in faculty who are relatively early in their careers. The award provides flexible research funding for three years.

• Jingyi Huang, Soil Science