Luke Taylor: Five from CLAS receive endowed chairs and professorships

Luke Taylor, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·2 min read

Jan. 23—Welcome to "Illini Insider," your regular dose of University of Illinois news from beat writer Luke Taylor. Fresh out of college himself, he's always looking for story tips, photo ideas and social media mentions. Email him at ltaylor@news-gazette.com and he'll give chase.

Five faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences were named endowed chairs or professors in recognition of their accomplishments in their respective fields.

English professor Christopher Freeburg is the first Presidential Humanities and Social Science Chair. He's a distinguished critic of African American literature and culture. In his recent book, "Counterlife: Slavery after Resistance and Social Death," Freeburg provides alternatives to framing Black history around freedom and domination, highlighting the art and culture that enslaved Africans created separate from and alongside their fight for freedom.

Charles Gammie, a professor of astronomy and physics, was named an Ikenberry Endowed Chair. A leading theoretical and computational astrophysicist, Gammie is distinguished for his command of the theory of general relativity and mathematics.

Newly appointed Swanlund Endowed Chair and microbiology professor James Imlay is recognized for his research on oxidative stress in bacteria. Oxygen, which wasn't present when life evolved, is actually a problem for many organisms today. Imlay's studies examine both the molecular injuries oxygen causes to E. coli and the ways cells defend themselves.

Plant biology professor Andrew Leakey was named the Michael Aiken Chair. He is recognized internationally as a leader in genomic ecology and global change biology. His research includes plant water use efficiency and photosynthesis, plant responses to global environmental change and adaptation of food and fuel crops to global environmental change.

Brent Roberts, psychology professor, was named a Gutgsell Endowed Professor. He is an expert on personality and its development in adulthood. His major research includes clarifying when and how personality traits change, identifying individual differences in personality traits impact on key life outcomes and providing a comprehensive understanding of conscientiousness.