At CALS, we have the good fortune to be able to offer a number of college and departmental professorships and chairships. These titles, with accompanying funding, are a way to acknowledge faculty members for doing outstanding work, while encouraging and inspiring excellence across the college. This academic year, eleven CALS faculty members were selected to receive college and department professorships and chairships.

Bradley Bolling, professor in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, has been appointed as the Owen R. Fennema Professor in Food Chemistry, which provides research and scholarly activity support for five years. Fennema was a professor of food science at UW-Madison from 1960 until his retirement in 1996. He served on numerous committees, including the American Chemical Society, the Council for Agriculture Science and Technology and the Institute of Food Technologists. He was widely recognized for his seminal book for food science scholars, “Fennema’s Food Chemistry.”

Bolling’s research has focused on sustainable use of food components to reduce chronic disease risk and improve health. His work has advanced the understanding of the composition and quality of non-nutrient elements in food, and his team has pushed the frontier of the chemistry of food pigments and bioactives. He integrates food chemistry into cell, animal and human studies to better understand how foods impact the gut barrier and immune function.

Samuel Butcher, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, has been reappointed to the Steenbock Research Professorship in Biomolecular Structure, an appointment that includes salary and research support for five years. The Steenbock Research Professorship in Biomolecular Structure was established in 1965 when Evelyn Steenbock allocated an endowment from the Steenbock WARF accounts for its creation.

Butcher combines the powerful techniques of x-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy to gain insight into how RNA-protein complexes assemble and cooperate to regulate gene expression. He has established an international reputation as a leader in the study of the structure and function of cellular RNA and protein complexes in the cell. He also teaches Biochemistry 501, one of the most popular courses at UW–Madison.

Tim Donohue, professor in the Department of Bacteriology, has been reappointed to the Fetzer-Bascom Professorship, which provides research and scholarly support for five years. The professorship is named in honor of Wade Fetzer III, a UW–Madison alumnus who made many contributions to the university.

Donohue is an international leader in the study of bacterial metabolism, and his team studies biological processes of societal interest, including solar energy conversion, carbon and energy metabolism, and regulatory pathways. They use genome-scale models to test hypotheses metabolic pathways, and those models provide ways to alter resistance to toxic compounds and produce compounds with value as fuels, chemicals or pharmaceuticals.

Zac Freedman, associate professor in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, has been reappointed as an O.N. Allen Professor in Soil Microbiology, which provides research and scholarly activity support for five years. The professorship was founded in honor of the late UW–Madison bacteriologist Oscar N. Allen and is designated for a faculty member in the Department of Soil Science doing work in the field of symbiotic nitrogen fixation or soil microbiology.

Freedman’s research focuses on understanding how soil microbial communities regulate biogeochemical cycling, with particular emphasis on carbon and nitrogen dynamics. His lab seeks to link microbial community structure and function to ecosystem processes such as soil carbon persistence, greenhouse gas emissions and plant productivity. His group also seeks to better understand, manage and predict soil microbial processes in the context of global change.

Katherine Henzler-Wildman, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, has been reappointed as the Jean V. Thomas Professor in Biochemistry, which provides research and scholarly activity support for five years. This professorship was established through the estate of Jean V. Thomas, a UW–Madison alumna who enjoyed a 40-year career, becoming a successful leader in science and business.

Henzler-Wildman, director of the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison (NMRFAM), utilizes solid state NMR techniques coupled with in vitro and in vivo assays to provide critical insights into the function of ion channels in biological systems. Her research has fundamentally changed the understanding of how these essential proteins move molecules across biological membranes, providing a foundation for addressing issues such as the evolution of antibiotic resistance in pathogens.

Chris Todd Hittinger, professor in the Department of Genetics, has been appointed as the James F. Crow Distinguished Professor, which provides support for scholarly activities for five years. The professorship was established by the University of Wisconsin Foundation through contributions from numerous alumni and friends of Crow. It honors the late professor who taught at the university from 1948 to 1986 and served as chair of the Laboratory of Genetics and acting dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Hittinger, Specialty Biofuels Team lead of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, uses the carbon metabolism of diverse yeasts as a model for fundamental and basic bioenergy, biomedical and evolutionary research. His lab’s research interests and integrated approaches are at the intersection of biodiversity, biochemistry, biotechnology and metabolic engineering, as well as computational, functional, ecological and evolutionary genomics. His work has applications in bioenergy and brewing.

Jonathan Jacobs, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, has been appointed as the Oscar N. and Ethel K. Allen Memorial Chair in Phytobacteriology, which includes salary and research support for five years. This chair was established by the late Ethel Allen, a UW–Madison alumna and faculty member who co-authored the de-facto “encyclopedia” on the role of legumes in nitrogen fixation along with her husband Oscar Allen, an eminent UW bacteriologist.

Jacobs investigates the biological and evolutionary basis for microbial colonization of plants. His team is focused on understanding how pathogenic bacteria evolve and adapt to colonize different plant tissues. Their research uses novel, high-throughput technologies to determine the basis of tissue-specific behaviors in host colonization by plant pathogenic bacteria. His long-term goal is to improve food security, and his studies are often related to agricultural biosecurity or other problems facing producers.

Aaron Hoskins, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, has been reappointed as the Wasson Professor in Biochemistry, which provides research and scholarly activity support for five years. The Wasson Professorship in Biochemistry was established through the estate of Louis W. and Laura S. Wasson to support research in the field of biochemistry with particular emphasis in the field of nutrition.

Hoskins’ work is shaping the understanding of gene expression in cells. The cornerstone of his research is the development of novel techniques that enable new questions to be addressed. For example, his development of single-molecule assays has allowed new insights into spliceosome complex assembly and function, and more recently into RNA cleavage and polyadenylation. He works with colleagues across campus and the U.S. as well as around the world.

Andrew Stevens, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, has been appointed to the Burkhardt Seed Grant Professorship, which provides research and scholarly activity support for five years. The Burkhardt Seed Grant Professorship was established by Martin and Kathleen Burkhardt to recognize and reward a faculty member conducting early-stage, interdisciplinary, out-of-the-box research that supports the Wisconsin Idea and has the potential to significantly change the world.

Stevens’ research interests are focused largely on the United States’ agricultural and food sectors with specific applications ranging throughout the agri-food supply chain “from field to fork.” His uses various strategies to estimate causal effects and answer policy-relevant questions about topics such as the economic behavior of farmers, resilience in the food supply chain, consumer behavior and the economics of environmental sustainability.

Anita Thompson, chair and professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, has been reappointed to the Patrick Walsh and Noreen Warren Endowed Professorship, an appointment that includes three years of support for departmental mission and chair activities. The professorship was established in 2015 by Patrick Walsh, professor emeritus and former chair of the department, and Noreen Warren.

Thompson has expertise in watershed engineering and management, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, laboratory experimentation and field monitoring, and the design and evaluation of conservation practices. She has more than 23 years of experience in leading and collaborating on urban and agricultural research projects. Her research interests include urban hydrology and storm water management, wintertime hydrologic processes, and water quality impacts of land use and management.

Xia Zhu-Barker, assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, has been appointed as an O.N. Allen Professor in Soil Microbiology, which provides research and scholarly activity support for five years. The professorship was founded in honor of the late UW–Madison bacteriologist Oscar N. Allen and is designated for a faculty member in the Department of Soil Science doing work in the field of symbiotic nitrogen fixation or soil microbiology.

Zhu-Barker’s research focuses on understanding how soil microbial and physiochemical processes regulate nitrogen cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, and water quality in agricultural systems. By integrating field experiments, laboratory studies, and other approaches, her work advances mechanistic understanding of how nitrogen is retained, transformed or lost across soil profiles and management systems. Her research aims to develop science-based strategies that improve nutrient use efficiency while mitigating environmental impacts in agroecosystems.