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Moores Professorship

Overview

The Moores Professor’s Program was established to honor full-time tenured faculty who have achieved the rank of full professor at the University of Houston and who have made outstanding contributions in the areas outlined below.

The purpose of the Moores Professors Program is to encourage and support continued excellence by providing funds for individual career development. Selection of faculty to become Moores Professors will be accomplished through competitive review following nomination by individuals, department chairpersons, or deans. Occasionally, the Senior Vice President and Provost will include a Moores Professorship in a recruitment package for a faculty candidate.

Each Moores Professor will receive an annual stipend of discretionary funds. The position will be awarded for a period of five years with the possibility of renewal (see renewal process below). It is anticipated that two Professors will be selected during Spring 2024, with an annual stipend of $10,000. Faculty members at the University of Houston may hold only one distinguished or named chair or professorship (university or college-level).

Nomination Deadline: February 1, 2024

Nomination Checklist

Criteria

  • Research, Scholarship, and/or Creative Activities
  1. Documented excellence in research, scholarship, and/or creative activities.
  2. Clear distinction on a national and/or international level.
  • Teaching
  1. Documented excellence in teaching or mentoring at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.
  2. Clear distinction on a national and/or international level.
  • Service
  1. Outstanding participation in governance or other uncompensated services at departmental, college, university, national, and/or international levels.
  2. Clear distinction on a local, national, and/or international level.

Requirements of the Award

  • The Moores Professor’s Program will be a five-year award subject to annual review. The recipient must be a full-time, tenured faculty member at the rank of full professor at the University of Houston. She/he must be in residence for the duration of the award unless the person is on a Senior Vice President approved development leave that enhances the purposes of the award.
  • The stipend associated with the Moores Professors can be used for any expense associated with the purpose of the award (e.g., equipment, travel, secretarial assistance, student fellowships, seminars or conferences, or for salary supplementation [e.g., summer salary]). If used as salary, appropriate tax and fringe benefit deductions will be made.
  • A brief written report on the recipient’s activities and involvements related to the award will be provided to the Provost by July 1 of each year. The report also will include an accounting of fund expenditures.

Renewal of an Existing Moores Professorship

At the end of five years a Moores Professor may apply for renewal of the award. An applicant has two options for requesting a renewal:

  • Option 1 (Competitive Renewal to retain the title of Moores Professor with an annual stipend of $10,000) – Applicants should submit a full renewal application. The materials should include:
    • Letter providing justification for renewal using the criteria listed for each area.
    • Supporting letters from the Dean and Department Chair providing justification for the renewal using the criteria listed for each area.
    • The candidate's current curriculum vitae. (CVs between 5-20 pages only will be accepted), Also, please highlight items of distinction or note distinctions on a separate 1-2 page summary.
    • Documentation of excellence in research, scholarship, and/or creative activity; teaching; and service as listed in the criteria section above.

The Option 1 The application must be submitted as four (4) PDF documents as listed on the Renewal Checklist. The application will be included in the 2024 application pool and will be evaluated as a new application.

  • Option 2 (Non-Competitive Renewal to retain the title of Moores Professor without an annual stipend) - Applicants should include a written request, a current curriculum vitae and a candidate statement. Each renewal request will be assessed on its own merits. Non-competitive renewal applications for Fall 2024 should be submitted by February 1, 2024. Option 2 renewal applications should be submitted as a single PDF document (LABEL: LAST NAME – RENEWAL) to mooresaward@uh.edu .

Renewal Checklist

Selection Process

Nomination portfolios must be electronically submitted no later than February 1, 2024 to mooresaward@uh.edu .

The Provost has charged the Moores Selection Committee with soliciting and evaluating nominees for the Moores Professors. The committee will make its recommendations and submit all relevant materials to the Provost. Funds will be made available September 1 of the following academic year.

The committee will examine the submitted documentation and qualifications of the nominees. The materials in the nomination should include:

  • Letter of nomination providing justification for the appointment using the criteria listed for each area.
  • Supporting letter from the Dean unless the Dean is the nominator.
  • The candidate's current curriculum vitae. (CVs between 5-20 pages only will be accepted). Also, please highlight items of distinction or note distinctions on a 1-2 page summary.
  • A minimum of three but no more than five external letters of recommendation from eminent educators, scholars, researchers, creative artists, and/or leaders in the profession. (A summary of the credentials of each referee and relationship, if any, to the applicant must be provided.)
  • Documentation of excellence in research, scholarship, and/or creative activity; teaching; and service.

Please use the nomination checklist which should also be included in the nomination portfolio. Please note the following:

  • The nomination portfolio must be submitted as (5) separate PDF documents and labeled as outlined on the nomination checklist.
  • Unsuccessful nominees from previous competitions may use the same external letters. A new nomination letter and supporting letter from the Dean are required.

Past Winners

The Moores Professors Program was established to honor full-time tenured faculty who have achieved the rank of full professor at the University of Houston and who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of research, scholarship, and/or creative activities; teaching; and service.

To learn more about this award, please see the nomination process tab.

2023
Therese Kosten, Psychology
Ki-Joon Back, Global Hopitality Leadership

2022
Carla Sharp, Psychology
Rex Koontz, School of Art
Hanadi Rifai, Civil Engineering
Sarah Fishman, History
Vallabh Das, Vision Sciences

2021
Matthew Nicol, Mathematics
Zhigang Deng, Computer Science
Muayyad Al-Ubaidi, Biomedical Engineering

2020
Margot Backus, English
Kresimir Josic, Mathematics
Stuart Long, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Nancy Beck Young, History

2019 
Preethi Gunaratne, Biology and Biochemistry
Catherine Horn, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Yi-Lung Mo, Civil and Environmental Engineering

2018 
Alessandro Carrera, Modern and Classical Languages
Margaret Cheung, Physics
Zhu Han, Electrical and Computer Engineering

2017   
Clayton Neighbors, Psychology
Hanadi Rifai, Civil Engineering

2016 
Karolos Grigoriadis, Mechanical Engineering
Susan Scarrow, Political Science

2015       
Arnold M. Guloy, Chemistry
Gemunu H. Gunaratne, Physics

2014
Kevin Bassler, Physics
Gangbing Song, Mechanical Engineering

2013
Steven C. Pennings, Biology and Biochemistry
Peter G. Vekilov, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry

2012
Cynthia Freeland, Philosophy
Kevin Rigdon, Theatre and Dance

2011
Dmitri Litvinov, Electrical and Computer Engineering
David Mikics, English

2010
Larry Pinsky, Physics
Richard Willson, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

2009
Eric R. Bittner, Chemistry
W. Lawrence Hogue, English

2008
Vincent M. Donnelly, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Thomas F. O'Brien, History

2007
Randolph Thummel, Chemistry
Lois Parkinson Zamora, English

2006
George Fox, Biology-Biochemistry
John Hart, History

2005
Harold Bedell, Optometry
Howard Pollack, Music
Yuen-Sum "Vincent" Lau, Pharmacy

2004
Mark Doty, English
Paul Hardin, Biology-Biochemistry

2003
Arnold Eskin, Biology-Biochemistry
Dan Graur, Biology-Biochemistry
Brian Liang, Law

2002
Vemuri Balakotaiah, Chemical Engineering
Mary Anne Bobinski, Law

2001
Stuart Dryer, Biology-Biochemistry
H. Julia Hannay, Psychology

2000
Laura Frishman, Optometry
Cynthia Macdonald, English

1999
Steven Mintz, History
Gael Stack, Art

1998
Thomas Hsu, Civil Engineering
Barbara Keyfitz, Mathematics
Ross Lence, Political Science
Robert Phillips, English
Shiao-Chun Tu, Biology-Biochemistry

1997
None to renew

1996
Sidney Berger, Theatre
Demetre Economou, Chemical Engineering
Jerome Freiberg, Curriculum & Instruction
Ronald Harwerth, Optometry
Edward Hirsch, English
Robert Houston, Curriculum & Instruction
Basheer Khumawala, Decision & Information
Vern Paulsen, Mathematics

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