Indira Chatterjee, James Kenyon and Mark Nichols were named 2015 University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Professors in recognition of their outstanding research and teaching achievements.

The Foundation Professor award was established in 1983 to recognize and salute University professors for their exemplary achievements. Recipients are nominated by their deans and selected by a committee comprised of faculty peers and University of Nevada, Reno Foundation board members and chaired by the University provost. They receive an annual stipend of $5,000 for three years, provided by the Foundation, to further their professional endeavors. Their names will be engraved in the granite pillars of the University’s Honor Court.

“The University of Nevada, Reno Foundation proudly salutes these three professors for their outstanding accomplishments,” said John Carothers, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations. “They carry on the legacy of academic excellence demonstrated by the nearly 100 Foundation Professors honored since 1983.”

Professor Indira Chatterjee, associate dean of the College of Engineering, has made major contributions to the advancement and rapid growth of the college, especially in the areas of outreach, advisement and partnership with industries. Chatterjee has also been very active with the recruitment of female engineers and has served as the leader and adviser for the Society of Women Engineers student chapter on campus.

Chatterjee joined the University in 1988 and is a tenured full professor in the Electrical and Biomedical Engineering Department, in addition to her duties as associate dean. She was recognized with the F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher Award in 1995. She was also selected as faculty mentor by Senior Scholars in electrical engineering in 2005 and twice in 2001. She has received several honors for her commitment to teaching and advising students, including the Ralph E. and Rose A. Hoeper Award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising in 2009, the University of Nevada, Reno IEEE Student Section Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009 and the Silver Compass Award in 2005. She was also a Nevada Women's Fund of Achievement honoree in 2001.

Chatterjee has developed a strong research program in the area of bioelectromagnetics by collaborating with colleagues at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and her engineering colleagues. She has published 42 journal papers, 28 peer-reviewed conference proceeding papers and 21 technical reports.

“Dr. Chatterjee has been, and continues to be, an inspiring role model for aspiring female engineers,” said College of Engineering Dean Manos Maragakis. “She also presents a comprehensive record of excellence in each area of her professional assignments.”

Professor James Kenyon serves as the senior associate dean for research at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and is the principal investigator of the NV INBRE, a National Institutes of Health program designed to help traditionally underfunded states build biomedical infrastructure, He is also project coordinator of the Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network in collaboration with UNLV.

He joined the University of Nevada School of Medicine faculty as an associate professor in the Department of Physiology (now physiology and cell biology) in 1987, was promoted to professor in 1996 and awarded tenure in 2000. He was appointed senior dean for research in 2012. He has held several other positions during his 27 years at UNSOM and the University, including director of the interdisciplinary graduate program in molecular biosciences. He has produced 56 journal abstracts and published 52 articles.

In recent years, Kenyon’s work has focused on both the regulation of different types of potassium channels in smooth muscle and the regulation of intracellular calcium in neurons. Since 2007, he has directed his efforts away from his basic science research toward the development of research infrastructure at UNSOM across seven Western states through the national Institutes of Health Institutional Development Award program.

“Dr. Kenyon embodies the highest level of achievement across the three traditional roles in academic medicine: teacher, independent investigator and most recently, administrative leader,” says School of Medicine Dean Thomas Schwenk, M.D. “Of particular note are his national leadership positions in the INBRE program, a critical base of biomedical research infrastructure support and funding for which Dr. Kenyon has had substantial influence at the national level.”

Professor Mark Nichols, director of graduate programs in economics, is a prominent national and international scholar on the social and economic impact of the spread of casino gambling. He is a distinguished scholar in economics and has created a significant record of academic and professional accomplishments since joining the University as an assistant professor in 1996. He was promoted to associate professor in 2001 and full professor in 2009.

His teaching and research awards include Senior Scholar Mentor in 2013, Graduate Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award at The College of Business in 2013, Distinguished Research Award for the Academy of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues in April 2010, Distinguished Research Award for the Academy of Banking Studies in April 2010, Beta Gamma Sigma Researcher of the Year in 2001.

“Dr. Nichols has an impeccable teaching, advising and mentoring record,” said Greg Mosier, dean of The College of Business. “He has consistently demonstrated his ability to successfully and effectively teach undergraduate and graduate classes in econometrics and industrial organization. His student evaluations are among the best in The College of Business. In his role as director of graduate programs in economics, he has made significant contributions to strengthen the doctoral program in economics.”