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:

Judith A. Allen

Judith Allen is the Walter Professor of History in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of History at IU Bloomington. She was the founding director and chair of the College's Department of Gender Studies, and her contributions have transformed the fields of women's history, feminist history and the history of sexuality.

Her prodigious work has advanced the understanding of women's agency and the professionalization of the field of women's studies, and it has enhanced the study of gender and sexuality within the discipline of history. Her recent work on the life and work of Alfred Kinsey has advanced greater understanding of modern sex research.

Liana G. Apostolova

Dr. Liana Apostolova is the Barbara and Peer Baekgaard Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research and professor of neurology, radiology, and medical and molecular genetics in the IU School of Medicine. Apostolova's research focuses on the early symptomatic and pre-symptomatic stages of Alzheimer's disease. She directs the clinical core of the Alzheimer's Disease Center at IU.

Her reputation as a world leader in Alzheimer's disease clinical investigation led to her selection as principal investigator of a $45 million National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging grant, the largest single NIH grant ever received by a scientist at IU.

David M. Fisher

David Fisher is the Ruth N. Halls Professor of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington. His research as a pure mathematician has made critical contributions to quasi-isometric rigidity of polycyclic groups and arithmeticity of hyperbolic manifolds. His breakthrough work, in collaboration with others, solved Zimmer's conjecture, an open mathematical question since the early 1980s.

He has held prestigious fellowships in mathematics including two Simon’s Foundation Fellowships and the NSF CAREER award. He has also been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation since 1999.

Cindy Hmelo-Silver

Cindy Hmelo-Silver is the Barbara B. Jacobs Chair in Education and Technology and professor of learning sciences in the School of Education at IU Bloomington. Bridging K-12 and higher education communities, her scholarship has provided a blueprint for implementing problem-based learning strategies in a variety of instructional settings with applications across all disciplines.

Since 2014, she has received $9.4 million as principal or co-principal investigator, which represents nearly 20 percent of the total amount of external funding secured by the entire School of Education at IU Bloomington from 2015 to 2020.

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.