Six faculty members were recently named Distinguished University Professors, the university's highest faculty honor.
Distinguished University Professor is a permanent, honorific title awarded annually to up to six tenure-track professors who have been at Ohio State for at least five years and have demonstrated truly exceptional records in teaching, research, scholarly or creative work and in service. Distinguished University Professors automatically become members of the President's and Provost's Advisory Committee. In addition, recipients are awarded a $30,000 one-time grant to support their academic work. The honorees each received a surprise visit from university leadership announcing the award.
Gail E. Besner
Gail E. Besner is an internationally recognized surgeon-scientist whose discoveries have advanced pediatric surgery and neonatal intestinal disease. A longtime Ohio State faculty member, she directs the Division of Pediatric Surgery and serves as Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2025.
Shan-Lu Liu
Shan-Lu Liu has transformed understanding of how viruses interact with their hosts and how the immune system responds. This work has advanced research on viruses of major public health importance, including HIV, Ebola, Zika and SARS-CoV-2. Liu was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2020.
Alan Luo
Through innovations that have advanced lightweight materials and modern manufacturing, Alan Luo has improved efficiency across the automotive and transportation sectors. He directs the Advanced Casting Research Center at Ohio State and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2023 and the National Academy of Inventors in 2025.
Giorgio Rizzoni
Through pioneering research and leadership, Giorgio Rizzoni has advanced the modeling, control and diagnosis of automotive systems, enabling cleaner, more reliable transportation. A Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, he has led Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research since 1999, driving innovations that support sustainable mobility at scale.
Brent Sohngen
A world-renowned expert in forestry economics and climate solutions, Brent Sohngen has shaped national and international climate‑related policy through pioneering land-use modeling. As a contributing author to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, his research informs climate analysis and practical guidance for agencies and land managers.
Claudia Turro
Claudia Turro has redefined how researchers harness light-driven metal complexes for cancer therapy and sustainable energy. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2024, she is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, and her discoveries have enabled safer cancer treatments and advanced clean energy technologies that are influencing the field worldwide.