Meet Some Of Our Eminent Scholars!
The Eminent Scholar designation has been established to recognize faculty members of unusual merit and service to the University. Only faculty members holding the rank of tenured full professor at Old Dominion University for at least three years may be considered for this honor. Only when Eminent Scholar status is considered as a part of the initial appointment process may this requirement be waived. A select number of full professors may be designated as Eminent Scholars, according to funding availability.
Designated faculty members will hold the title permanently and will receive an annual salary supplement for as long as they remain at the University. The names of all Eminent Scholars will appear on a plaque prominently displayed at the University.
Eligibility
Nominees shall have met the following criteria:
- Service as a tenured full professor at Old Dominion University for at least three academic years. Only when Eminent Scholar status is considered as a part of the initial appointment process may this requirement be waived.
- A scholarly publication record or stature in the creative arts which will have clearly established a national reputation as a scholar in the nominee’s discipline. Scholarly publications are recognized as those that have received peer review or have been otherwise recognized and critiqued by authorities in the discipline. A pattern of consistent scholarly contributions, invited chapters, scholarly books, invited lectureships, prestigious academic honors, scientific discoveries, officer positions in the individual’s discipline, editor of multi-authored books, organizer or coordinator of symposiums, and other similar examples would represent evidence that an individual is a contributing scholar of note to their discipline. It is expected that an individual meriting Eminent Scholar designation will have a long and consistent record of achievement in at least several of the above-noted categories. Moreover, the individual should be easily recognized by other eminent authorities in the discipline, with positive comments on their work. It is also important to note that new works in the discipline frequently cite the individual’s contributions. Their scholarly contributions or artistic achievements should have served, at some point, as a benchmark, reflecting the evolution of the discipline.
- Substantial success in obtaining external funding for research, in those disciplines in which such success is expected, and positive evaluations by scholars external to the University who will have been solicited by the Chair/Director.
- Only in exceptional cases can a candidate for a faculty position at the University be considered for Eminent Scholar status. Such candidates must be exceptional scholars in their disciplines, have held the rank of full professor for a minimum of three years, and receive endorsements and approval from the tenured department/school faculty, department/school Chair, Dean, and a majority of members of the University Eminent Scholars Committee.
- Designation of persons as Eminent Scholars upon their initial appointment to the University can be made by the appropriate Executive Vice President after recommendation by the University Eminent Scholars Committee, based upon the procedures and using the criteria specified above.
Nomination Process & Schedule
ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Nominations may be made by any tenured faculty member in the nominee’s discipline. Self-nominations are not permitted. The nomination must be a letter that highlights the applicant’s qualification for the designation and must be submitted to the department/school Chair and Dean no later than September 15.
Candidates are responsible for providing sufficient materials to enable the department/school colleagues and Chair, the Dean, and the University Eminent Scholars Committee to decide whether they meet the criteria. In addition to an up-to-date curriculum vitae, a letter from the candidate should explain why they merit this honor and what is being provided to document the request for designation as an Eminent Scholar. Five external reviews by nationally recognized experts testifying to the national and international reputation of the body of the candidate's work should be solicited independently by the department/school Chair.
For additional details on the application process, please see the updated Old Dominion University Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook.
Schedule of Tenured Faculty For Eminent Scholar Designation
*This schedule is mandated by policy.
|
DATE |
ACTION |
|---|---|
|
9/15 |
Nominations by any tenured department/school colleague in the nominee's discipline are submitted to the department/school chair. Self-nominations are not permitted. |
|
10/1 |
The department/school Chair convenes the department/school Eminent Scholars Committee composed of all department/school tenured faculty and ensures that the complete application packets are available for review no later than November 1. |
|
11/1 |
The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will convene the University's Eminent Scholars Committee. At that time, the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will brief the Committee about its responsibilities and duties. The Committee will elect a Chair, set its agenda, and, in consultation with its members, the Chair will establish candidate evaluation guidelines. |
|
11/15 |
The department/school Eminent Scholars Committee completes its review and shall conduct a secret ballot on the nomination(s). |
|
12/1 |
The department/school Chair completes an independent evaluation and submits it, along with the department/school Eminent Scholars Committee vote and review letter, and the applicant’s credentials, to the Dean. |
|
1/15 |
The Dean evaluates the credentials and submits an independent evaluation, and the faculty member’s credentials and review letters from the department/school's Eminent Scholars Committee (vote included) and the Chair to the University Eminent Scholars Committee via the Provost’s Office. The materials must be submitted to the Provost’s Office electronically. |
|
2/1 |
The appropriate executive vice president ensures all application packets are complete and shall make them available electronically to the University Eminent Scholars Committee and notify the Committee. |
|
3/1 |
The University Eminent Scholars Committee, by an affirmative vote of a majority of its members, submits recommendations to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The appropriate executive vice president will make the final designation. |
|
4/15 |
The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs notifies the faculty member of the decision regarding designation as an Eminent Scholar. |
Award & Presentation
The recipients are recognized at the annual Monarch Milestones Celebration Dinner with a certificate. Also, their names will be added to a large plaque prominently displayed at the University. In addition, recipients will receive an annual salary supplement for as long as they remain faculty members at the University. The recipient is not required (or invited) to make a presentation.
2024 Eminent Scholars
Dr. Jennifer N. Fish is a sociologist who focuses on women’s labor and migration in the informal economy, with an emphasis on transnational activism and development. As a public sociologist, Dr. Fish has conducted community-based research with students and partner organizations in Nepal, South Africa, Rwanda, Haiti, and Senegal. Her research informs four books, numerous chapters and journal articles, and organizational reports for policy and research organizations worldwide, including the International Labour Organization of the United Nations. Dr. Fish is a member of the Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) policy-research network at Harvard University, and a Research Associate at the Social Law Project at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Her work is currently funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and the Centre for Global Social Policy at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Khan Iftekharuddin obtained his B.Sc. degree from Bangladesh Institute of Technology in 1989. He received an M.S. and a Ph.D. both in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1991 and 1995 respectively. Dr. Iftekharuddin was a Principal Research Engineer at Timken Research, Canton, OH before joining North Dakota State University Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. There he was involved in research in signal and image processing, neural networks applications, time-frequency analysis, sensors, and embedded system design. Prior to Timken, Dr. Iftekharuddin was a Senior Systems Engineer at BDM Federal in Dayton, OH. There he was involved in software development, software process improvement, and automatic target recognition (ATR) research.
Dr. Michael Nelson joined the Department of Computer Science at Old Dominion University in 2002. He worked at NASA Langley Research Center from 1991-2002. Through a NASA fellowship, he spent the 2000-01 academic year at the School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Nelson is active in the Open Archives community and is an Editor of the OAI-PMH, OAI-ORE, Memento, and ResourceSync specifications. He has developed many digital libraries, including the NASA Technical Report Server. In 2007, he received an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Nelson’s research interests include web science, repository-object interaction, and digital preservation.
Dr. Willy Wriggers earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1998. He held Postdoctoral positions in Electron Microscopy (Scripps Research Institute) as well as Theoretical Chemistry (University of California, San Diego). In 1999, he was appointed Assistant Professor at The Scripps Research Institute. In 2003, he moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, where he earned tenure as Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Molecular Medicine. In 2007, he joined the private D. E. Shaw Research laboratory in New York City, where he participated in the historic millisecond length molecular dynamics simulation on the Anton Special Purpose Supercomputer. In 2014, he returned to an academic position as Frank Batten Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at ODU.
Dr. Jennifer N. Fish is a sociologist who focuses on women’s labor and migration in the informal economy, with an emphasis on transnational activism and development. As a public sociologist, Dr. Fish has conducted community-based research with students and partner organizations in Nepal, South Africa, Rwanda, Haiti, and Senegal. Her research informs four books, numerous chapters and journal articles, and organizational reports for policy and research organizations worldwide, including the International Labour Organization of the United Nations. Dr. Fish is a member of the Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) policy-research network at Harvard University, and a Research Associate at the Social Law Project at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Her work is currently funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and the Centre for Global Social Policy at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Khan Iftekharuddin obtained his B.Sc. degree from Bangladesh Institute of Technology in 1989. He received an M.S. and a Ph.D. both in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1991 and 1995 respectively. Dr. Iftekharuddin was a Principal Research Engineer at Timken Research, Canton, OH before joining North Dakota State University Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. There he was involved in research in signal and image processing, neural networks applications, time-frequency analysis, sensors, and embedded system design. Prior to Timken, Dr. Iftekharuddin was a Senior Systems Engineer at BDM Federal in Dayton, OH. There he was involved in software development, software process improvement, and automatic target recognition (ATR) research.
Dr. Michael Nelson joined the Department of Computer Science at Old Dominion University in 2002. He worked at NASA Langley Research Center from 1991-2002. Through a NASA fellowship, he spent the 2000-01 academic year at the School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Nelson is active in the Open Archives community and is an Editor of the OAI-PMH, OAI-ORE, Memento, and ResourceSync specifications. He has developed many digital libraries, including the NASA Technical Report Server. In 2007, he received an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Nelson’s research interests include web science, repository-object interaction, and digital preservation.
Dr. Willy Wriggers earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1998. He held Postdoctoral positions in Electron Microscopy (Scripps Research Institute) as well as Theoretical Chemistry (University of California, San Diego). In 1999, he was appointed Assistant Professor at The Scripps Research Institute. In 2003, he moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, where he earned tenure as Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Molecular Medicine. In 2007, he joined the private D. E. Shaw Research laboratory in New York City, where he participated in the historic millisecond length molecular dynamics simulation on the Anton Special Purpose Supercomputer. In 2014, he returned to an academic position as Frank Batten Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at ODU.
Past Award Winners
2018:
- Kent Carpenter, Biological Sciences
2019:
- Nikos Chrisochoides, Computer Science
- Sylvain Marsillac, Electrical and Computer Engineering
2020:
- Eileen Hofmann, Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Kenneth Mopper, Chemistry and Biochemistry
2021:
- Greg Cutter, Ocean and Earth Sciences
- Alex Gurevich, Physics
2022:
- Peter Schulman, World Languages & Cultures
2023:
- Moskov Amaryan, Physics
- Carolyn Rutledge, School of Nursing
2007:
- David Burdige, Ocean Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Sebastian Kuhn, Physics
- Jeffrey Richards, English
2008:
- Leposava Vuskovic, Physics
- Lawrence Hatab, Philosophy and Religious Studies
- Li D. Xu, Information Technology and Decision Sciences
2010:
- Gary Edgerton, Communications and Theatre Arts
- John B. Ford, Marketing
- Mark J. Butler, IV, Biological Sciences
- Ravindra Joshi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
2012:
- Dana Heller, English
- Shaomin Li, Business Management
- Larry Weinstein, Physics
2014:
- Richard Heller, Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences
- Charles E. Hyde, Physics
- Debra A. Major, Psychology
2016:
- Peter Bernath, Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Ling Li, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
- Li-Shi Luo, Mathematics & Statistics
2017:
- Ian Balitsky, Physics
- Michelle Kelley, Psychology
1996:
- Oktay Baysal, Engineering and Technology
- Nancy Topping Bazin, English
1998:
- Daniel Dauer, Biological Sciences
- Mark Havey, Physics
- Anatoly Radyushkin, Physics
2000:
- Susan Kent, Sociology & Criminal Justice
2001:
- Adolphus Hailstork, Music
- Amed Noor, Aerospace Engineering
- Simon Serfaty, Political Science & Geography
2002:
- Dwight Allen, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- Nina Brown, Educational Leaderships & Counseling
- Frank Day, Biological Sciences
- Lee Manning, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- John Doukas, Finance
2003:
- Cynthia Jones, Oceanography
- Jay VanOrden, Physics
2004:
- William Cunningham, Educational Leadership & Counseling
- Hani Elsayed-Ali, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Colm Whelan, Physics
2006:
- Rocco Schiavilla, Physics
1989:
- Robert Ash, Aerospace Engineering
- Larry Atkinson, Oceanography
- Michele Darby, Dental Hygiene
- Albert Kirwan, Oceanography
- Kurt Maly, Computer Science
- Leonard Ruchelman, Urban Studies & Public Administration
- Karl Schoenbach, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Daniel Sonenshine, Biological Sciences
- Wayne Talley, Economics
1990:
- Gabriel Csanady, Oceanography
- William Dunstan, Oceanography
- John Holsinger, Biological Sciences
- Gilbert Hoy, Physics
- Osama Kandil, Aerospace Engineering
- Govind Khandelwal, Physics
- Surendra Tiwari, Mechanical Engineering
- Melvin Williams, Health Physical Education & Recreation
- Ram Dahiya, Mathematics & Statistics
1991:
- Michael Andrews, English
- Stephen Culver, Geological Sciences
- John Echternach, Physical Therapy
- Chuh Mei, Aerospace Engineering
- Donald Swift, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
1992:
- Joseph Daniel, Biological Sciences
1993:
- Charathi Rao, Marketing
- Lytton Mussleman, Biological Sciences
1994:
- Carl Boyd, History
- Robert Gable, Special Education
1995:
- Maurice Berube, Educational Leadership & Counseling
1974:
- Harold G. Marshall, Biological Sciences
- Betty Yarborough, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
1981:
- Lewis Ford, Philosophy
- Wynford Harries, Physics
1982:
- Alfred Mapp, English
2018:
- Kent Carpenter, Biological Sciences
2019:
- Nikos Chrisochoides, Computer Science
- Sylvain Marsillac, Electrical and Computer Engineering
2020:
- Eileen Hofmann, Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Kenneth Mopper, Chemistry and Biochemistry
2021:
- Greg Cutter, Ocean and Earth Sciences
- Alex Gurevich, Physics
2022:
- Peter Schulman, World Languages & Cultures
2023:
- Moskov Amaryan, Physics
- Carolyn Rutledge, School of Nursing
2007:
- David Burdige, Ocean Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Sebastian Kuhn, Physics
- Jeffrey Richards, English
2008:
- Leposava Vuskovic, Physics
- Lawrence Hatab, Philosophy and Religious Studies
- Li D. Xu, Information Technology and Decision Sciences
2010:
- Gary Edgerton, Communications and Theatre Arts
- John B. Ford, Marketing
- Mark J. Butler, IV, Biological Sciences
- Ravindra Joshi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
2012:
- Dana Heller, English
- Shaomin Li, Business Management
- Larry Weinstein, Physics
2014:
- Richard Heller, Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences
- Charles E. Hyde, Physics
- Debra A. Major, Psychology
2016:
- Peter Bernath, Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Ling Li, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
- Li-Shi Luo, Mathematics & Statistics
2017:
- Ian Balitsky, Physics
- Michelle Kelley, Psychology
1996:
- Oktay Baysal, Engineering and Technology
- Nancy Topping Bazin, English
1998:
- Daniel Dauer, Biological Sciences
- Mark Havey, Physics
- Anatoly Radyushkin, Physics
2000:
- Susan Kent, Sociology & Criminal Justice
2001:
- Adolphus Hailstork, Music
- Amed Noor, Aerospace Engineering
- Simon Serfaty, Political Science & Geography
2002:
- Dwight Allen, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- Nina Brown, Educational Leaderships & Counseling
- Frank Day, Biological Sciences
- Lee Manning, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- John Doukas, Finance
2003:
- Cynthia Jones, Oceanography
- Jay VanOrden, Physics
2004:
- William Cunningham, Educational Leadership & Counseling
- Hani Elsayed-Ali, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Colm Whelan, Physics
2006:
- Rocco Schiavilla, Physics
1989:
- Robert Ash, Aerospace Engineering
- Larry Atkinson, Oceanography
- Michele Darby, Dental Hygiene
- Albert Kirwan, Oceanography
- Kurt Maly, Computer Science
- Leonard Ruchelman, Urban Studies & Public Administration
- Karl Schoenbach, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Daniel Sonenshine, Biological Sciences
- Wayne Talley, Economics
1990:
- Gabriel Csanady, Oceanography
- William Dunstan, Oceanography
- John Holsinger, Biological Sciences
- Gilbert Hoy, Physics
- Osama Kandil, Aerospace Engineering
- Govind Khandelwal, Physics
- Surendra Tiwari, Mechanical Engineering
- Melvin Williams, Health Physical Education & Recreation
- Ram Dahiya, Mathematics & Statistics
1991:
- Michael Andrews, English
- Stephen Culver, Geological Sciences
- John Echternach, Physical Therapy
- Chuh Mei, Aerospace Engineering
- Donald Swift, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
1992:
- Joseph Daniel, Biological Sciences
1993:
- Charathi Rao, Marketing
- Lytton Mussleman, Biological Sciences
1994:
- Carl Boyd, History
- Robert Gable, Special Education
1995:
- Maurice Berube, Educational Leadership & Counseling
1974:
- Harold G. Marshall, Biological Sciences
- Betty Yarborough, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
1981:
- Lewis Ford, Philosophy
- Wynford Harries, Physics
1982:
- Alfred Mapp, English