Indiana University has named 11 faculty members as distinguished professors -- the highest academic title for IU's most outstanding and renowned scholars and researchers.

Since the adoption of distinguished titles in 1953, IU has honored 254 scholars, scientists, artists and musicians with this recognition. There are currently 98 distinguished professors on the IU faculty. Thirty-nine women have held the title, more than half of whom were appointed in the past 14 years.

"IU's newest distinguished professors have all made major contributions to their fields of study where they are all widely respected and have earned international recognition and acclaim," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. "Their remarkable research and creative activity represent the pinnacle of what it means to be a researcher and scholar. And it is a comment on IU's standing as a great research university that it is able to sustain such excellence in such a wide variety of disciplines from the humanities through the sciences to medicine."

Below are brief biographies of the appointees:

Aaron E. Carroll

Dr. Aaron Carroll, a professor of pediatrics in the IU School of Medicine, is an expert in pediatrics, health research and health policy. He co-designed the Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation system that has improved pediatric care in developmental screening, autism screening, type 2 diabetes, obesity, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and more.

An internationally recognized and sought-after expert, Carroll has published more than 300 articles and opinion pieces in mainstream media outlets, including regular features in The New York Times and The Atlantic.

Christoph Irmscher

Christoph Irmscher is Provost Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of English and Class of 1942 Professor in the Wells Scholars Program at IU Bloomington. He is a biographer and author of nonfiction commentary whose work has made profound contributions to the fields of American literature, American and European history, environmental humanities, and the history of science.

Irmscher's work has illuminated the crosscurrents of social relations in terms of class, race, gender and human-nature interactions. He is a fellow of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Malcolm E. Winkler

Malcolm Winkler is a professor of biology in IU Bloomington's College of Arts and Sciences. Focused on tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance, Winkler's work has made seminal advances in understanding histidine biosynthesis in Salmonella; in uncovering the detailed mechanism by which transcription attenuation moderates tryptophan biosynthesis in E. coli; and toward understanding fundamental biological mechanisms in Streptococcus pneumonia.

Winkler is part of a community of chemists and microbiologists who are tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance. He has been a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Bacteriology for 33 years.

Debomoy K. Lahiri

Debomoy Lahiri is professor of medical neurobiology in psychiatry and in medical and molecular genetics in the IU School of Medicine. His work focuses on the mechanism of aging and longevity, the origin and biogenesis of the amyloid plaque, and gene regulation of Alzheimer's disease, autism and bipolar disorder.

Lahiri is known as one of the first and leading scientists to identify molecular pathways contributing to cellular degeneration and the importance of a genetic variant in relation to drug treatment outcomes in Alzheimer's. He has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 25 years.

University Honors and Awards

University Honors and Awards identifies and commemorates the achievements of those affiliated with Indiana University, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. These honors demonstrate IU's breadth and depth of excellence in research, teaching, service, philanthropy, athletics, arts, performance and other creative endeavors. For photos and additional information about the 2021 Distinguished Professors, visit the University Honors and Awards website.