CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Five professors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named University Scholars in recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship and service.
The program honors faculty excellence and provides $15,000 to each scholar for three years to enhance their academic careers. That money may be used for travel, equipment, research assistants, books or other purposes.
“The University Scholars program honors the outstanding accomplishments of these distinguished individuals,” said Nicholas Jones, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Illinois System. “Our faculty form the bedrock of a premier academic environment — one that not only advances societal progress but also attracts top-tier students and researchers from around the world to our universities.”
“The University Scholars embody the highest standards of academic excellence,” he continued. “Given the breadth and depth of scholarly work across our three campuses, and our ongoing commitment to recruiting and supporting exceptional educators and researchers, every recipient of this award has earned this recognition through truly commendable work.”
The five Urbana campus recipients, as described by their nominators:
Qian Chen, a professor of materials science and engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering, is a globally recognized leader in nanoscale imaging and materials characterization. She also is affiliated with chemical and biomolecular engineering, chemistry, the Materials Research Laboratory, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Chen’s work in electron videography has redefined the boundaries of electron analysis, enabling real-time visualization of soft, biological and energy materials at an atomic resolution. As the author of more than 100 high-impact publications and the leader of major federally funded research initiatives, she has already left a lasting influence upon the study of materials science since joining the faculty ranks in 2015, winning numerous research awards in professional societies. Her imprint at the university also extends to mentorship and a commitment to student success, consistently ranking as an excellent teacher and earning the Provost’s Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring honor.
Art and new media professor Ben Grosser is an internationally acclaimed artist and scholar in the School of Art & Design, celebrated for his work investigating the cultural effects of technology. Renowned for his pioneering critiques of social media and Big Tech, Grosser’s art — such as the influential “Facebook Demetricator” — has shaped public discourse, academic scholarship and even corporate practices. His work has been exhibited in hundreds of venues worldwide, such as Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Barbican in London and SXSW in Austin. Cited in more than 50 books and hundreds of academic articles, his projects are also regularly discussed in media such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Wired, The Atlantic and The Guardian.
Grosser’s dedication as an educator and mentor is evidenced by his success in guiding students into prestigious graduate schools and impactful careers. He also has shown leadership in interdisciplinary initiatives across campus, including the Critical Technology Studies Lab and efforts to establish a Center for Critical Computation, affirming his commitment to advancing the role of the arts and humanities in understanding and reshaping our digital world.
Emily Knox, a professor and the interim dean in the School of Information Sciences, has dedicated much of her professional life to advocating for intellectual freedom, the freedom to read and the importance of libraries to communities. Her research uniquely examines censorship as a constellation of social practices, focusing on the justifications and discourse of those who seek to restrict access to information.
Knox’s scholarship in these topics culminated in her appearance as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary during its hearing on book bans in September 2023. She won the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Prize for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom and has received numerous national teaching awards. As a celebrated educator and curriculum innovator, Knox also played a vital role in developing the iSchool’s undergraduate program and serves in leadership roles in major national organizations and university committees.
Katy Heath, a professor and the head of the plant biology department, is a national leader in the study of plant-microbe symbiosis. Heath has woven together the study of evolutionary genetics, ecology and genomics to understand how leguminous plants and rhizobia coevolve, analyzing their interactions for ecosystem sustainability and responses to environmental change. Her scholarship on species interactions is part of a multidisciplinary approach that pulls from methods in the fields of quantitative genetics, population genetics, molecular biology and ecology.
Heath also leads the $12.5 million National Science Foundation-funded Genomics and Eco-evolution of Multi-scale Symbioses Institute — which works to reveal the symbiotic effects of microbes on the natural world. She has bolstered the future career prospects of numerous undergraduate and graduate students by providing transformative research experiences and thoughtful mentorship.
Communication professor Charee Thompson is a nationally recognized scholar in interpersonal health communication and patient/provider contexts, focusing on the role communication plays in how people navigate the uncertainties associated with conditions that are chronic, non-visible, not well understood, underfunded and associated with stigma. She has produced groundbreaking theoretical and applied research, including virtual reality training to reduce implicit bias in maternal health care.
Thompson’s scholarly output is prolific, with an average of more than nine journal articles per year, but she still carves out time for her role as an educator and in service to the university. She has received both the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the campuswide awards for excellence in undergraduate education and routinely earns top student evaluations. Thompson also actively participates in public engagement efforts through workshops, media appearances and interdisciplinary collaborations that translate communication research into real-world change and impact.
