CLA Research Awards
Recognizing and honoring excellence
About Our Awards
Our dedicated faculty is a community of researchers, scholars, performers, and teachers whose work expands the boundaries of knowledge and creativity in every area of study housed within the College. Our faculty research awards recognize exemplary performance in research, scholarship or creative achievement. Awards offered by the College of Liberal Arts include:
- Edmonds New Scholar Award
- Sanford and Susan Thomas Senior Professor Research Award in the Social Sciences
- Melinda and Ben Yarbrough, MD, Senior Professor Research Award for the Natural Sciences
- Hensley Family Senior Professor Research Award in the Fine and Performing Arts
- College of Liberal Arts Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Achievement in the Humanities
2024 Sanford and Susan Thomas Senior Professor Research Award in the Social Sciences Recipient
Jodi Skipper
Professor of Anthropology
2024 Melinda and Ben Yarbrough, MD, Senior Professor Research Award for the Natural Sciences Recipient
James V Cizdziel
Interim Chair of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Coordinator of Forensic Chemistry
Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award in the Natural Sciences & Math
Dr. Jake Bennett
Assistant Professor of Physics
Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award in the Social Sciences
Dr. Aaron Lee
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award in the Humanities
Dr. Peter Thilly
Assistant Professor of History
CLA Research Awards
This award, endowed by Dr. Mike L. Edmonds, recognizes tenure-track faculty members for exemplary performance in research, scholarship or creative achievement, and who have significantly enhanced the scholarly reputation of the College and University through exceptional contributions to their disciplines and demonstrated a positive impact on the success of their department.
2024
Jake Bennett
Assistant Professor of Physics
Aaron Lee
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Peter Thilly
Assistant Professor of History
2023
Sarah Baechle
Assistant Professor of English
Libby Hearn
Assistant Professor of Choral Music
Eden Tanner
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Joseph Wellman
Assistant Professor of Psychology
2022
Saumen Chakraborty
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Veronica Menaldi
Assistant Professor of of Spanish
Carrie Smith
Assistant Professor of Psychology
2021
Jacqueline DiBiase-Sammons
Assistant Professor of Classics
Laura Dixon
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Sarah Hennigan
Assistant Professor of Film Production
Thái Hoàng Lê
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
2020
Anne Cafer
Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Jonah Jurss
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jessica Wilkerson
Assistant Professor of History
2019
Carolyn Freiwald
Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Erik Hom
Assistant Professor of Biology
2018
Darren Grem
Associate Professor of History
Thomas Allan Peattie
Assistant Professor of Music
James M. Thomas
Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Davita Watkins
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
2017
Jared Delcamp
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Derrick A. Harriell
Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies
Joshua Hendrickson
Assistant Professor of Economics
Matthew R. Wilson
Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts
The College of Liberal Arts Sanford and Susan Thomas Senior Professor Research Award in the Social Sciences will be presented annually to an outstanding tenured faculty member chosen from the Social Sciences. The award will be given in recognition of sustained exemplary performance in research, scholarship, and/or creative achievement at the national/international level while serving as a faculty member at the University of Mississippi.
The ideal recipient will have achieved scholarly recognition and influence well beyond the University of Mississippi community and made a positive contribution to the success of their department. The recipient will be recognized with a $2,000 cash prize and a medal. Recipients of the award are not eligible to receive the award again.
2024
Jody Skipper
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Southern Studies
2021
Stephanie Miller
Associate Professor of Psychology
2019
Conor Dowling
Associate Professor of Political Science
2018
Todd Smitherman
Associate Professor of Psychology
John Green
Professor of Sociology & Anthropology and Director of the Center for Populations Studies
2017
Robbie Ethridge
Professor of Anthropology
Recognizes an outstanding tenured faculty member in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The award is given in recognition of sustained exemplary performance in research, scholarship, and/or creative achievement at the national or international level while serving as a faculty member at the University of Mississippi.
2024
James Cizdziel
Professor and Interim Chair of Chemistry
2023
Jason Hoeksema
Professor of Biology
2022
Jared Delcamp
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
2020
Amal Dass
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
2019
Bing Wei
Professor of Mathematics
2018
Nathan Hammer
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
2017
Emanuele Berti
Associate Professor of Physics
The College of Liberal Arts Hensley Family Senior Professor Research Award in the Fine and Performing Arts will be presented annually to an outstanding tenured faculty member from the Fine and Performing Arts. The award will be given in recognition of sustained exemplary performance in scholarship and/or creative achievement at the national/international level while serving as a faculty member at the University of Mississippi.
The ideal recipient will have achieved scholarly recognition and influence well beyond the University of Mississippi community and made a positive contribution to the success of their department. The recipient will be recognized with a $2,000 cash prize and a medal. Recipients of the award are not eligible to receive the award again.
2019
Nancy Wicker
Professor of Art & Art History
2018
Rhona Justice-Malloy
Professor of Theatre Arts
The College of Liberal Arts Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Achievement will be presented annually to an outstanding tenured faculty member in the Humanities. The award is given in recognition of sustained exemplary performance in research, scholarship, and/or creative achievement at the national/international level while serving as a faculty member at the University of Mississippi.
The ideal recipient will have achieved scholarly recognition and influence well beyond the University of Mississippi community and made a positive contribution to the success of their department. Recipients of the award are not eligible to receive the award again. Each recipient will be recognized with a $2,000 cash prize and a medal.
2022
Ted Ownby
William F. Winter Professor of History and Southern Studies
2021
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Professor of English and Creative Writing
2019
Jeffrey Watt
Cook Chair and Professor of History
2017
Jaime Harker
Professor of English and Director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies