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5/20/08
Chancellor Marty Meehan
Braunhut Named University Professor
It is with great pleasure that I announce the winner of the University Professor award – Professor Susan Braunhut.
Susan Braunhut is a professor of biological sciences. She is at the forefront of her field, making her a top choice among students. Her courses prepare students for the fast-paced biotechnology industry in Massachusetts, especially her immunology course and her course in cancer biology. For eight years, she has served as the sole graduate coordinator in biological sciences. She has been a member and chairman of several campus committees such as the research council and the task force on research. On a system level, she is the chair of the Life Sciences Initiative infrastructure R & D Committee and a member of the five-campus Life Sciences Initiative Committee.
What makes the University Professor honor truly unique is that faculty are nominated by their peers. Professor Braunhut was nominated by Mark Hines, biology professor and department head. In his nomination letter, Professor Hines said, “Dr. Braunhut is a gifted teacher, a world-renowned and well-funded researcher and a service overachiever. I cannot think of anyone at UMass Lowell that deserves this distinction more.” He went on to say “it is unusual to find a scholar with such remarkable research and teaching skills who also has the vision of a seasoned administrator. She personifies what a University Professorship stands for – compassionate colleague and mentor, world-renowned investigator, imaginative and inspirational community member.”
Professor Braunhut’s research has earned her respect around the world. She and her colleagues are developing techniques to detect cancers and therapies to combat them. She and her team study factors that control wound healing, which led to the development of the “Smart Bandage.” It is this work that led to her current work on mammalian limb regeneration, a process that only a short time ago was thought to be impossible. Her program has been externally funded for more than 20 years and in the last years alone, she has received several million dollars from a variety of funding agencies. Professor Braunhut’s research group is now the largest in the Department of Biological Sciences.
This professorship will run from September 2008 through August 2011. The selection of Professor Braunhut from a number of highly qualified nominees was made by representatives of the Administration, the Massachusetts Society of Professors, and the Faculty Senate. As part of the award, the University Professor receives a salary supplement of $10,000 as well as one course reduction for each semester. The award winner also delivers an annual University-wide lecture during the year of appointment.
Please join me in congratulating Professor Braunhut on this well-deserved honor.