CNS Professors Linda Tropp and Jim Watkins Receive Endowed Chairs
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Linda Tropp has been named University Chair in Peace Psychology. Professor Tropp is a long-time member of UMass Amherst and is a leader in the field of the psychology of peace and violence. Her work focusses on studying the relations between members of groups that differ in status and power, understanding how legacies of inequality and conflict shape their perspectives and motivations, and identifying mechanisms that can serve to promote both improved relations and social justice.
“We are so pleased to congratulate Dr. Tropp on this well-deserved accolade. The work of her and her team is not just academic; it has real-world consequences and has made measurable impacts. This is exactly what universities are meant to do: serve as incubators for scholarship and then help translate that scholarship to communities across the Commonwealth, nation, and world. The Psychology of Peace and Violence Program in PBS has a long history of meaningful research that has real impact in the world. We are thankful for the generous support of donors that enable us to support this endowed professorship, as well as support the work of graduate students and other faculty in the program. We are excited for the continued work of Dr. Tropp, and the Faculty and Students of the Peace program.”
— Ilia Karatsoreos, Department Chair and Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Tropp has served as the Director of the UMass Department of Psychology Peace and Violence Program and as a Chancellor’s Leadership Fellow.
“This endowed position fills me with fond memories of the donors of the gift, who made it possible to establish the UMass Psychology of Peace and Violence program, and who were pioneers in envisioning how scientific research could be used to promote peace and nonviolence in the world.” —Linda Tropp
Jim Watkins has been named the CNS Eugene and Ronnie Isenberg Professor. Professor Watkins is an internationally recognized polymer scientist with more than 160 manuscripts in top-tier journals (with close to 10,000 citations). He has not only led his own research group (where we was the advisor and mentored to over 50 PhD students and 25 postdoctoral fellows) but has also played leadership roles in a number of centers and institutes on campus, which includes directing the Institute for Hierarchical Manufacturing (June 2006-present; NSF funded from 2006-2018), co-directing MassNanoTech (2004-present), directing the IALS Center for Personalized Health Monitoring (2014-2018), and directing the NSF IGERT Program in Nanotechnology Innovation.
“Jim is among our most innovative faculty by any metric! It's wonderful to have him honored with the CNS Eugene and Ronnie Isenberg Professorship. Having co-taught Science & Engineering Management with him for more than a decade, I know how he will bring energy and excitement to driving innovation across CNS and the entire campus. His real-world experience of taking innovative tech from bench to market, including his most recent venture with Myrias Optics, takes leadership to a new level, and UMass Amherst will benefit enormously.”
— Alfred J. Crosby, Department Head and Professor, Polymer Science & Engineering
Watkins previously received the Conti Faculty Fellowship and the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishment and Creative Activity.