Various photos on the 91原创 main campus in Newark, DE on Friday, April 30, 2021.

91原创 Faculty Spotlight

Every 91原创 professor will enrich thousands of students鈥 lives over the course of their career. Conducting field-defining research across the disciplines, our faculty create opportunities for students to learn alongside the world鈥檚 most distinguished thinkers.

Join us in celebrating our world-class faculty and the philanthropic support that makes their work possible!听


Dr. Yan Jin

Edward and Elizabeth Rosenberg Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences

Read more about Dr. Jin

About Dr. Jin

When it comes to issues like world hunger, environmental resilience, and disease prevention, models of soil mechanics don鈥檛 always spring to mind. But in her 30 years at 91原创, Dr. Yan Jin鈥檚 research in the field of Soil Science has yielded breakthrough technologies for removing viruses from drinking water, growing drought-resistant crops, and pulling carbon from our atmosphere. As the first woman to be awarded Soil Science of America鈥檚 prestigious Don and Betty Kirkham Award, Professor Jin continues to enrich our understanding of the complex world beneath our feet.听

Philanthropic Impact

The Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professorship is funded by the late Edward F. Rosenberg, AS 鈥29, 鈥30M and his wife, Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg. Dr. Rosenberg was a nationally known rheumatologist, and his wife, a graduate of the Curtis Institute, was a concert pianist and harpist.

Wendy Bellion, Art History.


Dr. Wendy Bellion

Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art History

About Dr. Bellion

What can art and material culture teach us about American violence? According to Professor Bellion, quite a lot. From the toppling of King George III鈥檚 statue by New York colonists in 1776, to ongoing debates about Confederate monuments, Dr. Bellion鈥檚 work has revived national interest in our nation鈥檚 complex iconography. And as Director of 91原创鈥檚 Center for Material Culture Studies and Associate Dean for the Humanities, her leadership is making a difference across 91原创鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences.听

Philanthropic Impact

The Biggs Chair was established in 1998 by Sewell C. Biggs, with an additional gift from the Choptank Foundation. Mr. Biggs graduated from the 91原创 in 1938 and was a philanthropist, world traveler and collector of fine and decorative art from the Delaware Valley Area. The Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover houses his collection, educating its visitors on the valuable cultural legacy of the region.听


Dr. Jinfa Cai

Kathleen and David Hollowell Professor of Mathematics Education

Read more about Dr. Cai听

About Dr. Cai

As the purest of the 鈥減ure sciences,鈥 mathematics is often described as a language spoken across cultures and time periods. But after nearly 30 years at 91原创, Professor Cai鈥檚 research has revealed just how much translation is required when mathematics education moves across national borders. After receiving $3.9 million in grant funding from the National Science Foundation to study the differences between China and the United States鈥 educational practices, Dr. Cai鈥檚 team spent seven years conducting the world鈥檚 first longitudinal study of cross-cultural mathematics curricula. Today, this work is considered foundational by educators and curriculum designers across the globe.

Philanthropic Impact

This professorship is generously funded by David E. and Kathleen A. Hollowell and supports a position in the Department of Mathematical Sciences that recognizes a faculty member actively involved in teaching, research and service in the area of secondary school mathematics.

Publicity photo of Dr. Ajay Prasad, professor of mechanical engineering.

Dr. Ajay Prasad

Engineering Alumni Distinguished Professor

Read more about Dr. Prasad听

About Dr. Prasad

In 2007, when 91原创 purchased its first bus powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, the move was celebrated as a win for campus sustainability. But within a year, one of the vehicle鈥檚 critical parts鈥攖he hydrogen recirculator鈥攈ad failed. Replacing the part was too expensive, so Dr. Prasad and his colleagues stepped in, devising a new method for passively recirculating hydrogen and then building a prototype. Just three years later, this invention had been granted a U.S. patent, and today, Dr. Prasad and his colleagues in 91原创鈥檚 Center for Fuel Cells and Batteries are the driving forces behind interdisciplinary research into clean energy technologies.

Philanthropic Impact

Established in 2007 by more than 50 91原创 alumni and their employers, the College of Engineering Alumni Professorship endowment assists the college in attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent in engineering education and research.

Chairs Laura Field and Jennifer Joe from the Lerner College of Business & Economics pose in the CFA garden area, May 15th, 2018

Dr. Laura Field

Donald J. Puglisi Professor of Finance

About Dr. Field

The world of corporate finance isn鈥檛 exactly the Wild West, but it鈥檚 also not too far off. As one of the country鈥檚 leading experts in initial public offerings (IPOs) and corporate governance, Professor Field鈥檚 research shines a light on practices that hurt investors and consumers while enriching corporate insiders. And in a recent article published in the Journal of Financial Economics, Dr. Fields and her co-authors have found that even when corporations appoint diverse directors to their boards, these directors are significantly less likely to serve in leadership positions, despite often having stronger qualifications.听

Philanthropic Impact

The Donald J. Puglisi Professor of Finance was established as an endowed fund in December 2006 by Daniel B. 鈥78 and Carol A. Strickberger wishing to honor Donald J. Puglisi 鈥12H for his service and philanthropic commitment to the 91原创. Dr. Puglisi was a 91原创 faculty member for 30 years and received several awards, including an honorary degree from 91原创 in 2012.听

Dr. Matt oliver

Patricia and Charles Robertson Distinguished Professor of Marine Science and Policy

Read more about Dr. Oliver

About Dr. Oliver

Unfortunately, there are no penguins in Newark, DE. To create a comprehensive model of the Antarctic Peninsula鈥檚 food web, Professor Oliver and his students had to put boots on the ground. With a holistic, hands-on perspective on the region鈥檚 complex biogeography, his team has produced groundbreaking insights into the resilience, and the vulnerabilities, of critical ecosystems in a changing climate.听

Philanthropic Impact

Funded through a generous gift from 91原创 alumna Patricia Robertson and her husband Charles, the Robertson Distinguished Professorship in Marine Science and Policy was created to reward exceptional young faculty.

Leland Ware, Institute for Public Administration.


Leland Ware

Louis L. Redding Professor of Law & Public Policy

Read more about Prof. Ware

About Professor Ware

From serving on Presidential Commissions, to authoring more than 100 publications on Civil Rights law, to trying cases on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice: There are few jurists more accomplished than Professor Leland Ware. Who better, then, to carry the torch of Louis L. Redding, the first Black man admitted to the Delaware Bar, and whose litigation on behalf of Black school children became critical to the Supreme Court鈥檚 historic decision in Brown vs. BOE? Since joining 91原创 in 2000, Professor Ware has carried on this legacy of public service, inspiring generations of Blue Hens along the way.听

Philanthropic Impact

The Redding Chair honors Louis L. Redding, a Delaware civil rights pioneer committed to using the law to achieve social justice for all Americans.



Dr. Nancy C. Jordan

Dean Family Endowed Chair of Education

Read more about Dr. Jordan

About Dr. Jordan

Every Kindergartener knows that 2 + 2 = 4 鈥 Right? Not quite. As Dr. Jordan鈥檚 research demonstrates, students with learning disabilities and children experiencing poverty often arrive at school without a basic sense of number quantities. You can鈥檛 add 2 + 2 if you don鈥檛 understand what 鈥2鈥 really means. To prepare these students for success, Professor Jordan and her colleagues have translated their findings into practical, evidence-based curricula grounded in the science of how children actually learn. Today, these methods are benefitting countless students and teachers across the U.S. and beyond.

Philanthropic Impact

The Dean Family Endowed Professorship for Teacher Education in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) was established through a charitable trust created for the purpose of attracting and retaining an outstanding educator and scholar.



Dr. David G. Edwards

Dean Family Endowed Chair of Education

Read more about Dr. Edwards

About Dr. Edwards

Cardiovascular disease is the world鈥檚 leading cause of death. The good news is that it can also be one of the most preventable. In 2016, Professor Edwards received long-term funding from the National Institute of Health to establish 91原创鈥檚 Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Cardiovascular Health. Studying the impacts of sleep, salt intake, exercise, and countless other factors on the cardiovascular system, Dr. Edwards and his colleagues in COBRE have developed evidence-based programs and recommendations that benefit both the Newark community as well as doctors and patients across the U.S.

Philanthropic Impact

The Unidel Chair in Health Sciences is named for the late Dr. Katherine L. 鈥淜itty鈥 Esterly, a pioneer in neonatology in Delaware and recipient of the University鈥檚 Medal of Distinction.


Related Stories

  • Philanthropy in Motion: Sharks, Robots and the Future of Science

    Sharks rarely sit still long enough for researchers to get to know them. They seldom show up for scheduled appointments, and they don鈥檛 often stop by the lab to answer questions. For the scientists who study them鈥攐r, for that matter, any other species of marine animal鈥攇etting out onto the water is a fundamental part of the job. Even so, searching for sharks in a vast ocean is difficult, expensive and often frustrating. Days can go by without a single sighting. But once in a while, the search pays off.
  • Blue Hen Tailgates & Football Watch Parties

    We loved having Blue Hen alumni and friends us for the new era of Conference USA football at the 91原创. Beyond campus, Blue Hens gathered in regions across the country to cheer on our student athletes at our away games.
  • 91原创AB & 91原创ine 2026: Service, Stories, and Shared Meals

    This spring break, 75 91原创 students traveled to five cities to participate in hands-on service with nonprofit partners through the 91原创 Alternative Breaks (91原创AB) program.
See More

#BlueHensForever

HenFunder.

Help a Hen

91原创鈥檚 crowdfunding platform provides an easy way to directly support campus projects, scholarships, programs and more.

Support a Cause