Distinguished Scientist Award

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies (VPRGS) announced the creation of the Distinguished Scientist Award in 2006-07.  This award recognizes faculty from the basic, medical or engineering sciences who have performed a considerable amount of influential research while at the University of Virginia.

The VPRGS will solicit nominations annually for the Distinguished Scientist Award from relevant department chairs.  Nominees will be judged on publications, awards, peer reviews, and having made a major impact upon a field of study, both nationally and internationally. The award consists of a $10,000 one-time contribution to the recipient's laboratory for enhancement of its research activities. 

DSA Announcement
DSA Nomination Form

Deadline for nominations for 2007-08 was December 15, 2007.

Contact Phillip A. Parrish for more information.

Announcing the 2007-08 Distinguished Scientist Awardees

Lester S. Andrews
Professor, Department of Chemistry

Andrews is a long-time professor in the Department of Chemistry who is well known for matrix-isolation spectroscopy research, an experimental method of studying the individual molecules of chemical compounds at very low temperatures. He has worked with every non-radioactive element in the periodic table and his work has fundamentally changed the understanding of chemical bonding in many elements, providing key insights for generations of chemists to come. 

Andrews’ research continues to expand the bounds of chemistry.  He and his colleagues recently created the first uranium-carbon triple bonded molecule.  This investigation, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, contributes important insights to uranium chemistry.  Since uranium is used to fuel nuclear power plants and create weapons, a greater understanding of the element is imperative.

Ian G. Macara
Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Microbiology

Macara is director of the School of Medicine’s Advanced Microscopy Facility. He is highly regarded for his research in two distinct areas of cell biology: nuclear protein transport and cellular polarity. His research has important implications for understanding the molecular basis for human diseases, including cancer.

Macara is recognized as a major scientific leader at U.Va. and beyond. He has been instrumental in acquiring state-of-the-art cellular imaging equipment for the Advanced Microscopy Facility, creating an invaluable resource for U.Va.’s scientists. In addition, he has over 165 publications, many of which appear in prestigious journals such as Cell, Science, and Nature. His citation index of 58 is extremely high, indicating the importance and regard his research has generated.

2006-07 Distinguished Scientist Awardees

VPRGS is pleased to announce two inaugural winners of the University of Virginia Distinguished Scientist Award: Brian R. Duling, a prominent cardiovascular researcher, and Herman H. “Hank” Shugart Jr., leading systems ecologist. READ MORE

Brian R. Duling
Robert M. Berne Chair in Cardiovascular Research in the School of Medicine and professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics

Duling’s current work uses state-of-the-art techniques to investigate the regulation of flow in the cardiovascular system.  He has pioneered the use of the microscope in the investigation of the small blood vessels that control blood flow, and most recently his laboratory has established a co-culture system of endothelial and smooth muscle cells that will allow elucidation of the vital interactions that occur between these two cells.  This novel research has important implications for our overall understanding of the cardiovascular system as well as associated problems such as hypertension.

Herman H. (Hank) Shugart Jr.
W.W. Corcoran Professor of Environmental Sciences and professor in the Department of Biology

Shugart’s latest research involves the innovative computer modeling of forests and entire ecosystems in order to predict the effects of systems interactions and potential stresses such as climate change on forests, vegetation and animals.  At present, Shugart and his laboratory are engaged in a number of significant international and multidisciplinary research projects.  He is the chief scientist for the Northern Eurasian Earth Science Partnership Initiative, a vast research endeavor involving the collaborative efforts of 353 scientists and 186 different institutions.  In addition, Shugart’s lab is contributing to the Global Mammal Assessment—a collaborative project between U.Va. and Conservation International that entails the first comprehensive appraisal of the status of mammal species worldwide.