Faculty Excellence
WORLD-CLASS FACULTY
At UMass Amherst, you’ll have a chance to learn from award-winning faculty—bold researchers, teachers, and mentors who are developing groundbreaking solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and empowering the next generation through the pursuit of knowledge and innovation.
FACULTY DISTINCTION
Faculty Members, Conducting Cutting-Edge Research in a Wide Range of Fields
of the World's Most Highly Cited Researchers (Clarivate Analytics, 2025)
of the Best Scientists in the World (Research.com, 2024)
Cancer is a diverse disease with no one-size-fits-all treatment. That’s why Ashish Kulkarni is working to develop highly personalized immunotherapy treatments in his Immunoengineering Research Laboratory, targeting the most aggressive forms of cancer that are often resistant to traditional treatments, including melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and neuroblastoma, among others.
Flowering plants are an essential part of the global food supply, the source of grains and numerous fruit and vegetable crops. Alice Y. Cheung’s trailblazing work is giving new insights into the fundamentals of plant reproduction and addressing real-world challenges, helping to make flowering plants more resilient in the face of climate change and environmental damage.
As a Fulbright Top Producing Institution of U.S. Scholars, UMass Amherst is proud to be a leader in the global exchange of knowledge. An exceptionally high number of UMass faculty and administrators are selected to study, teach, and conduct research around the world through this prestigious international academic exchange program of the U.S. government.
For Professor of Linguistics Joe Pater, understanding how languages work offers new insights into the workings of the human brain as well as the intricacies of human society and the unique history of communities. Pater’s research draws on linguistics, psychology, and computer science, and he co-directs the Computational Phonology Laboratory at UMass.
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY LECTURES
Dating back to the 1970s, many of UMass Amherst's most esteemed and accomplished faculty members have shared their research at the annual Distinguished Faculty Lecture series. From climate change to the ongoing challenges of healthcare and the ethics of advancing technologies, these researchers address some of the most pressing issues of our time.
BOLD THINKERS. BRIGHT LEADERS.
The Spotlight Scholars initiative shines a light on faculty working for positive social change through research, scholarship, and creative activity. Learn more about the work of these leading minds.
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