This story originally was published on the MSU Innovation Center Website.
Michigan State University researchers Piotr Piecuch and Guowei Wei were formally honored as MSU Research Foundation Professors at an investiture ceremony held on Nov. 14 in the Wharton Center’s Christman Lounge.
Together with the Office of the Provost and the Office of Research and Innovation, the Michigan State University Research Foundation established its professorship awards in 2014 to help recognize, retain and recruit faculty exemplifying research and scholarly excellence.
“Both Professor Piecuch and Professor Wei are part of an outstanding group of MSU scholars who contribute at an extraordinary level to the search for new knowledge and enhance the university’s international research reputation,” said Doug Gage, vice president for Research and Innovation at MSU.
“These professorships are awarded to only the most outstanding faculty in the university and are meant to recognize exceptional leadership and research productivity,” said Phil Duxbury, Dean of the College of Natural Science. “Having Piotr and Guowei as MSU Research Foundation Professors will help guarantee the continued growth of the quality and impact of scholarship in their departments, the college and their respective fields.”
To earn the rank of MSU Research Foundation Professors, faculty are first nominated by their deans and that nomination must receive “substantial and laudatory” support from their peers.
From left to right: David Washburn, Executive Director of the MSU Research Foundation; Phil Duxbury, Dean of the College of Natural Science; Timothy Warren, chair of the Department of Chemistry; Piotr Piecuch and Guowei Wei, the newly medaled MSU Research Foundation Professors; Keith Promislow, chair of the Department of Mathematics; and Doug Gage, vice president of Research and Innovation at MSU. Credit: Harley J. Seeley
“In our profession, there is nothing more gratifying than being recognized by one’s peers,” said Piecuch, who is also a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “I was overwhelmed at first, but I am, and will always remain, extremely grateful for this honor.”
“I feel very excited,” said Wei, who has appointments in the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. “I’ve been at MSU for almost 20 years, and this feels like a new start for me.”
Along with the permanent title of MSU Research Foundation Professor, Wei and Piecuch will receive additional scholarly support, which typically lasts five years from the award date.