UF Term Professorships Awarded to 38 from UF/IFAS

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida selected 38 UF/IFAS faculty members for its most recent UF Term Professorships.

The program was created by the provost as a way to reward the outstanding contributions of UF tenure-track or permanent-status faculty members with five or more years of service at UF. Awardees are selected based on their scholarly achievements, national awards and contributions to their college.

The UF/IFAS awardees represent a range of areas of expertise and locations in Florida, making evident its diversity. By department, the recipients are:

UF/IFAS department of agricultural education and communication

Nicole Stedman, professor and associate chair
Andrew Thoron, associate professor
Laura Warner, associate professor

UF/IFAS agronomy department

Kevin Kenworthy, professor
Dennis Odero, assistant professor based at the Everglades Research and Education Center (REC) in Belle Glade

UF/IFAS department of animal sciences

John Driver, associate professor
Jose Santos, associate professor

UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department

Adam Dale, assistant professor
James Ellis, professor
Daniel Hahn, professor
Phillip Kaufman, professor
Oscar Liburd, professor
Christine Miller, associate professor
Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski, associate professor based at the UF/IFAS Citrus REC (CREC) in Lake Alfred
Hugh Smith, assistant professor based at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast REC (GCREC) in Balm
Lukasz Stelinski, professor based at CREC

UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department

S. Christopher Marble, assistant professor based at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida REC (MREC) in Apopka

UF/IFAS department of family, youth, and community sciences

Victor Harris, associate professor

UF/IFAS food science and human nutrition department

Michelle Danyluk, professor based at CREC

UF/IFAS horticultural sciences department

Fred Gmitter, Jr., professor based at CREC
Mark Settles, professor and program director
Xin Zhao, associate professor
Lincoln Zotarelli, assistant professor

UF/IFAS microbiology and cell science department

Jamie Foster, professor based at the Space Life Sciences Lab, Kennedy Space Center
Graciela Lorca, professor
Zhonglin Mou, professor

UF/IFAS plant pathology department

Megan Dewdney, associate professor based at CREC
Svetlana Folimonova, associate professor
Natalia Peres, professor based at GCREC

UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Don Behringer, associate professor
Jiri Hulcr, associate professor

UF/IFAS soil and water sciences department

Andrew Ogram, professor

UF/IFAS wildlife ecology and conservation department

Robert Fletcher, professor
Frank Mazzotti, professor based at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale REC in Davie
Debbie Miller, professor based at the UF/IFAS West Florida REC in Milton
Elizabeth Pienaar, associate professor

Additionally, two UF/IFAS Extension agents received the recognition. The Provost’s Office-funded program was not originally created to consider Extension permanent-status faculty, but Jack Payne, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, has each year approved UF/IFAS funding to recognize Extension faculty.

From UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County

Cindy Sanders, county Extension director and livestock Extension agent

From UF/IFAS Extension Duval County

Stephanie Toelle, family and consumer sciences Extension agent

The three-year award provides an annual salary supplement of $5,000 and began at the start of the 2019-20 academic year.