Faculty Excellence

WORLD-CLASS FACULTY

UMass Amherst is home to over 1,400 full-time instructional faculty members, including 11 of the world's most highly cited researchers (Clarivate Analytics, owner of Web of Science, 2021). They are creative and passionate researchers, teachers, and mentors striving to improve the world and empower the next generation through the pursuit of knowledge and innovation.

FACULTY DISTINCTION

Guggenheim Fellowship Recipients

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Recipients

AAAS Fellows

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LENDING THEIR EXPERTISE

UMass Amherst faculty members frequently contribute to national discussions in the media on a range of important topics.

Meet Our Faculty Experts

UMass Amherst Linguistics Professor Lisa Green

FORGING NEW PATHS OF INQUIRY

Learn how Professor Lisa Green, founding director of the Center for the Study of African American Language, is bringing research opportunities to undergraduates and changing the way we think about African American English.

Spotlight Scholar Elizabeth Evans: “It’s important to hear the stories of those affected by addiction—the factors they perceive as leading them to begin substance use, and what the experiences of addiction and treatment have felt like over the lifespan.”

Kirby Deckard — Spotlight Scholar Kirby Deater-Deckard: “Each child is so different. The role of parents and caregivers is to provide a foundation of love, security, and knowledge, but also to reinforce the uniquely individual strengths of each child.”

NEWS David Cort — Spotlight Scholar David Cort: "There are many social problems that are directly related to issues of stratification. You cannot disentangle those issues from health.”

Spotlight Scholar Shelly Peyton: "We want to find new treatments for patients with metastatic disease and to make those treatments as gentle as possible.”

Spotlight Scholar Monideepa Tarafdar: "“Technology can be used in many ways. When we build healthy patterns of responsible and intelligent use, there is the potential to do a lot of good.”

Spotlight Scholar Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, professor of English and the Paul Murray Kendall Chair in Biography: “I’m fascinated by people’s lives and how they lived them.”

Professor Ramesh Sitaraman — Spotlight Scholar Ramesh Sitaraman, Professor in the College of Information and Computer Sciences: "“The internet uses a lot of energy to run all the world’s servers; it consumes almost the same amount of energy as some midsized countries..."

Spotlight Scholar Tatishe Nteta, Associate Professor of Political Science: “W.E.B. Du Bois famously said that the problem of the 20th century was the problem of the color line. I think that’s true as well for the 21st century.”

Spotlight Scholar Laura Balzer, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics: “In order to improve public health, we need to work hand-in-hand with the community. We have to engage with and care for each person—not just the disease currently afflicting them."

Professor of Physics Stephane Willocq, UMass Amherst — Spotlight Scholar Stephane Willocq, Professor of Physics: “A revolutionary aspect of our work is to prove the current theory of fundamental physics wrong.”

Kinesiology Professor Jane Kent, UMass Amherst — Spotlight Scholar Jane Kent, Professor and Chair of Kinesiology: "We are asking: are all aspects of neuromuscular decline inevitable with aging?"

Social Justice Education Assistant Professor Jamila Lyiscott, UMass Amherst — Spotlight Scholar Jamila Lyiscott, Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education: “We need to move from cultural hierarchy to cultural pluralism.”

James Smethurst, Professor of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst — Spotlight Scholar James Smethurst, Professor of Afro-American Studies: "Black arts was about answering the question of what it means to be human.”

Assistant Professor of Political Science Paul Musgrave, UMass Amherst — Spotlight Scholar Paul Musgrave, Assistant Professor of Political Science: “You need to know where you are so you can know where you want to go.”

Sabina Murray, Professor of English at UMass Amherst — Spotlight Scholar Sabina Murray, Professor of English: “I wrote...a small novel in some ways, buoyed by...political upheaval and fear.”

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.

Spotlight Scholars

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Academics

Office of the Provost