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The Office of the Provost recently announced that four UMass Amherst faculty members have been selected to receive the honorific of Provost Professor.

The 2026 Provost Professors are Joseph Black, English; Todd Emrick, polymer science and engineering; Wei Fan, chemical and biomolecular engineering; and Laurel Smith-Doerr, sociology.

The campus-level faculty honorific is designated for tenure-system faculty who hold the rank of professor and are not already in a named or distinguished professorship. The title is permanent, except if a new and permanent titled professorship is awarded (such as Distinguished Professor). Recipients also receive an awards package of $12,500. The Provost’s Office initiates a call for nominations each fall.

“Each demonstrates what it means to be a truly exceptional faculty member through their achievements in scholarly and academic excellence, commitment to student success, and dedication to their field,” Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs said in an email announcing the appointments. “I encourage the campus community to congratulate them on their honor and thank them for their service to UMass Amherst.”

The 2026 Provost Professors will be honored at the Celebration of Faculty Excellence with additional recognition planned for the fall.