Nine University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors have been awarded professorships from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor.
Paula and D.B. Varner University Professorship
Of the nine awarded, one received the Paula and D.B. Varner University Professorship, which recognizes those who have earned distinction as a teacher-scholar and who have demonstrated loyalty to the university through an extended period of distinguished service.
Christian Binek
Binek will be Paula and D.B. Varner professor of physics and astronomy. Binek, who has been a member of UNL faculty since 2003, is internationally recognized in the field of magneto-electric phenomena related to spintronics, which explores and exploits the quantum spin on atoms, molecules, or assemblies as the basis for a new generation of electronic and data storage devices. He has written 135 peer-reviewed papers and three book chapters, co-authored a textbook on thermodynamics, published a monograph on Ising-Antiferromagnets, and holds five patents. Binek is involved with many initiatives that pursue major grant funded research objectives and regularly speaks at domestic and international venues. He has given 67 invited lectures, colloquia, and seminars, as well as providing 2018 testimony on nanotechnology before a Congressional Committee. He is scientific director of the EPSCoR Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies collaboration, or EQUATE, which was established in 2021 with a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation, and co-director in a duumvirate leading a $4 million UNL Grand Challenge Catalyst Award for quantum approaches addressing global threats. Binek serves as director of UNL's Nebraska Nanoscale Facility and as director of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience.
Willa Cather/Charles Bessey Professorships
Three faculty members were named Willa Cather/Charles Bessey professors. The professorship was established in 2001 to recognize faculty members with the rank of professor who have established exceptional records of distinguished scholarship or creative activity.
Alexander Sinitskii
Sinitskii will be Charles Bessey professor of chemistry. Also affiliated with the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, he has developed an internationally recognized research program focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel functional materials at nanoscale for applications in electronics, photovoltaics, and energy storage. His work has been highly recognized with 67 publications over the past five years, many in preeminent multidisciplinary journals. As one of the leaders in the field of electronic materials, he has received numerous invitations to present talks and colloquia at major professional meetings and top universities. He has received nearly $3.5 million in funding as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Internal and external recognition of his work is evidenced by an NSF CAREER award and the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Research and Creativity Award. He has also received UNL's Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award and College Distinguished Teaching Award.
Learn more about these professorships, including requirements for nomination and past recipients.
