Chair appointments at the University of Iowa are the highest possible honor given to those faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their field and hold the promise of future research, instruction, and/or scholarly innovations. The title of Chair recognizes and rewards exceptional scholarly work and contributions to a field beyond research, teaching, or scholarship.
C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley Family and Korea Foundation Chair of Korean Studies
Hyaeweol Choi
Hyaeweol Choi (pronounced Heh-wall Che) is a professor of Korean Studies, Gender History, and Religious Studies. She has held the C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley Family and Korea Foundation Chair in Korean Studies at the University of Iowa since 2018. This chair position was created for those who specialize in a humanities or social science discipline and have primary research and teaching expertise in Korean Studies. She is also the founding director of the Korean Studies Research Network.
C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley Chair of Asian Studies
Cynthia Chou
Cynthia Chou is a socio-cultural anthropologist with a research focus in sociocultural and medical anthropology across South Asia, specifically the Malay world. She has held the C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley Chair of Asian Studies at the University of Iowa since 2016. This chair supports a professor whose research is geographically specialized in East or Southeast Asia with an emphasis on transnational and cross-cultural topics.
Clement T. and Sylvia H. Hanson Family Chair
Jan Wessel
Jan Wessel is a Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Neurology at the University of Iowa, with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Engineering. He directs the Cognitive Neurology Lab at the University of Iowa and has held the Clement T. and Sylvia H. Hanson Family Chair since 2025. He performed doctoral research at the former Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Germany and postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego.
Daniel and Amy Starch Research Chair
Steven W. Duck
Steven W. Duck has held the Daniel and Amy Starch Research Chair at the University of Iowa since 1986. His research includes personal relationships and the way they are rhetorically presented in everyday life interactions. He has served in a number of leadership roles in the college.
Harriet B. and Harold S. Brady Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Eric Hunter
Eric Hunter is the Chair (DEO) of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa. As of 2023, he holds the Harriet B. and Harold S. Brady Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences. His main research interests are occupational voice use, signal processing, biomechanics of speech articulators and biomechanical models of the vocal system, and muscle mechanics and muscle models.
Herman J. and Eileen S. Schmidt Chair
Renée Cole
Renée Cole has held the Herman J. and Eileen S. Schmidt Chair at the University of Iowa since 2026. This position supports and recognizes excellence in undergraduate teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development. The focus of her research is in the area of chemical education, as well as STEM education. She is interested in issues related to how students learn chemistry and how that guides the design of instructional materials and teaching strategies. Cole currently serves as DEO for the Department of Chemistry.
James O. Freedman Chair in Letters
Gregory Landini
Gregory Landini, professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Iowa, has held the James O. Freedman Chair in Letters since 2026. He has published many articles in the philosophy of logic and metaphysics. His teaching and research interests include modal logic, the foundations of mathematics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and the history of analytic philosophy.
Ketchel Family Chair in Psychology
Bruce Bartholow
Bruce Bartholow is a professor in the department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa. As of 2023, he holds the Ketchel Family Chair. He is a social psychologist with research interests in alcohol use, person perception, and aggression.
Marvin and Rose Lee Pomerantz Chair in Political Science
Fred Boehmke
As of 2022, Fred Boehmke is the first Marvin and Rose Lee Pomerantz Chair in Political Science at the University of Iowa. This award supports a legislative studies scholar at the university. Boehmke’s research areas of interest include American politics, political methodology, formal theory, and the effect of direct democracy on interest groups. He currently serves as director of the Iowa Social Science Research Center.
Ralph H. and Ursula F. Goebel Endowed Chair in Actuarial Science
Mario Ghossoub
Mario Ghossoub, professor in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, has held the Ralph H. and Ursula F. Goebel Endowed Chair in Actuarial Science since 2026. His current research is mainly concerned with the study of equilibria and efficient allocations in risk-sharing markets.
Russel B. Day and Florence D. Day Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jodie Plumert
Jodie Plumert is a professor in human physiology. As of 2023, she holds the Russel B. Day and Florence D. Day Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her research interests include risk taking in typically- and atypically-developing populations, perceptual-motor development, unintentional childhood injuries, parent-child communication, development of spatial memory and communication.
Gary Pierce
Gary Pierce is a researcher in human physiology. As of 2022, he holds the first Russel B. Day and Florence D. Day Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is an Associate Member of the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center at the UI, a fellow of the American Heart Association, and currently serves as both Chair (DEO) of the Department of Health and Human Physiology and Director of Graduate Programs.
UI Alumni Association Dean's Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Sara Sanders
Sara Sanders is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Since 2021, she has held the UI Alumni Association Dean’s Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Through this position, she provides educational leadership and promotes the academic quality and welfare of the college’s faculty and students. She is also a Hartford Faculty Scholar.
University of Iowa Distinguished Chair
Kenneth Tse
Kenneth Tse has long been recognized as one of the world’s preeminent figures in the field of classical saxophone, captivating audiences worldwide with his deft technical prowess and enchanting sound. A professor in the School of Music, he has held the University of Iowa Distinguished Chair since 2024.
Colin Gordon
Colin Gordon, professor in the Department of History, has held the University of Iowa Distinguished Chair since 2026. He writes on the history of American public policy and political economy. He is also a senior research consultant at Common Good Iowa for which he has written or co-written reports on health coverage, economic development, and wages and working conditions.
Mark Blumberg
Mark Blumberg, DEO of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences has held the University of Iowa Distinguished Chair since 2023. His research focuses on the development, neural mechanisms, and functions of sleep to understand why animals sleep so much more when they are young and what can go wrong when they don't.
V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair in Catholic Studies
Kristy Nabhan-Warren
Since 2019, Kristy Nabhan-Warren has held the V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair in Catholic Studies, an award established to support catholic studies in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies. Her teaching focuses on American religions and ethnographic approaches to the study of religion. She is an active member of the American Academy of Religion and has just published her most recent book, Meatpacking America: How Migration, Work and Faith Unite and Divide the Heartland.