CU designates seven new Distinguished Professors
Seven educators at the University of Colorado are being added to the roster of Distinguished Professors, CU’s highest honor for faculty across the four-campus system.
During today’s meeting at UCCS, the CU Board of Regents is scheduled to vote to approve the cohort of faculty members, recommended by President Todd Saliman with the concurrence of the systemwide Committee of Distinguished Professors.
CU Distinguished Professors are tenured faculty members who demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work; a record of excellence in promoting learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills; and outstanding service to the profession, the university and its affiliates.
This year’s honorees will be formally celebrated during Board of Regents meetings in 2026, dates to be determined.
Including this year’s honorees, 160 Distinguished Professors have been named since the title’s establishment in 1977.
Distinguished Professors for 2025 are:
Kristen A. Carpenter, J.D., Council Tree Professor of Law and Director, American Indian Law Program, University of Colorado Law School, CU Boulder
Carpenter is a globally recognized scholar and advocate in the fields of property, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ law. As a founding architect of methodologies to “implement” human rights, Carpenter has helped shape theory and practice at the intersection of domestic law and policy and international human rights frameworks. Her work has transformed understandings of how legal systems can protect cultural and religious rights, particularly for Indigenous Peoples. Her scholarship – spanning topics from sacred site protection and cultural property to tribal jurisdiction and self-determination – has influenced courts, legislatures, agencies and international bodies including the United Nations. She also has worked with many Indian tribes based in the United States to ensure that they have a seat at the table in international diplomatic convenings that affect them.
Carpenter’s service as a member and Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) allowed her to advance Indigenous rights globally through research-based recommendations and direct engagement with national governments and Indigenous Peoples. Her subsequent service to the U.S. federal government was key in securing a major international intellectual property treaty addressing biopiracy. She led efforts to assess and elevate human rights norms in federal Indian policy regarding language, sacred sites, trade, mining and other issues. Carpenter serves as a Supreme Court justice for an Indian nation, increasing access to justice in local settings and developing tribal court jurisprudence.
At the CU Law School, Carpenter has built one of the nation’s preeminent centers for Indigenous law and governance. As director of the American Indian Law Program, she has led initiatives that bridge academia, advocacy and community. Examples include the Implementation Project, a joint initiative of the law school and the Native American Rights Fund, to advance advocacy and education regarding the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She was a founding member of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, an interdisciplinary campus initiative for research and engagement. These efforts help ensure the university extends its public service mission to the 48 Indian tribes with historic relations to Colorado and to others throughout the United States.
Carpenter’s contributions extend beyond research and advocacy to her transformative impact as an educator and mentor. She has guided countless students in the study and practice of Indigenous and human rights law, inspiring a new generation of legal advocates. By creating a post-graduate fellowship in American Indian Law, as well as research and co-authorship opportunities for junior scholars, Carpenter has sought to address underrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples and others in legal scholarship.
Through her leadership, scholarship and dedication to justice, Carpenter has positioned CU as a global leader in Indigenous rights and legal education. Her work exemplifies how academic research can drive policy change and promote equality, cultural survival and human dignity worldwide.
Russell Cropanzano, Ph.D., Professor of Organization Behavior and the Ted G. Anderson Professor of Free Enterprise, Leeds School of Business, CU Boulder
Cropanzano is a globally recognized scholar whose research has transformed the fields of organizational justice, behavioral ethics and employee well-being. His pioneering work on Fairness Theory and Social Exchange Theory has reshaped how organizations understand motivation, equity and moral behavior at work. Through his groundbreaking studies, Cropanzano has provided a theoretical and empirical foundation for how fairness and compassion influence productivity, organizational culture and employee mental health.
Cropanzano has established himself as one of the most influential voices in organizational psychology and management. His research has been cited tens of thousands of times, making him one of the most highly cited scholars in business ethics and organizational behavior worldwide. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Academy of Management, where he has also served in major leadership roles. His prolific scholarship includes numerous books, edited volumes and more than 150 peer-reviewed articles that continue to guide research and practice in organizational behavior, leadership and employee relations.
Cropanzano’s leadership has extended across academia and the professional community. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management and is a Fellow of both the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the Academy of Management (AOM), advancing ethical and evidence-based standards across the discipline. He has received numerous awards for lifetime achievement and distinguished scholarly contributions, including the SIOP Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award, the Leeds School’s William H. Baughn Service Award and the Boulder Faculty Assembly’s Excellence in Research and Creative Works Award
A devoted educator and mentor, Cropanzano has guided generations of Ph.D. students and junior scholars whose research now shapes organizations around the globe. His teaching emphasizes social justice, well-being and ethical leadership – principles that have made him a model of intellectual rigor and humanity in the academy. Through his scholarship, mentorship and leadership, Cropanzano has profoundly influenced how we understand fairness, ethics and the human experience at work.
Marcia Douglas, Ph.D., Professor of English and College Professor of Distinction, Associate Chair for Creative Writing, Department of English, CU Boulder
Douglas is an internationally acclaimed novelist, poet and performer whose work has reshaped Afro-Caribbean and diasporic literature. Blending history, myth and music, her fiction expands the boundaries of narrative form while illuminating the complexities of identity, memory and spirituality. Her acclaimed novels – including “The Jamaica Kollection of the Shante Dream Arkive,” “The Marvellous Equations of the Dread: A Novel in Bass Riddim” and “Notes From a Writer’s Book of Cures and Spells, Madam Fate” – have earned her recognition among the most original and influential writers of her generation. Her creative work also includes the award-winning documentary “Reimagining Queen Nanny,” which she co-wrote and narrated, and the acclaimed one-woman performance “Natural Herstory.”
Douglas’ artistry has been honored with many of the field’s highest awards, including the Whiting Foundation Award (2023), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (2014), and a Creative Capital Award (2020). Her poetry collection “Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom” was selected as a Poetry Book Society Recommendation in the United Kingdom, and her work has been featured in international anthologies, literary festivals and outlets such as NPR and The New York Review of Books.
A dedicated educator and leader, Douglas has guided generations of writers in CU Boulder’s Creative Writing Program, where she teaches courses on fiction, world literature and voice. As Associate Chair, she has strengthened the program’s national prominence and fostered an inclusive, collaborative community of artists and scholars.
Through her visionary writing, mentorship and service, Douglas has made enduring contributions to literature and to CU Boulder’s creative and academic mission.
Noah D. Finkelstein, Ph.D., Professor of Physics; Co-Founder and Director, Center for STEM Learning; Co-PI, Physics Education Research (PER) Group, Department of Physics, CU Boulder
Finkelstein is an internationally recognized leader in physics education research and institutional transformation, advancing the lives of individuals and realizing the promise of higher education as a public good. His pioneering work has transformed the way science is taught, learned and institutionalized in higher education. His research investigates how educational environments, technologies and institutional structures can better support student learning in physics, across the STEM disciplines and beyond. He has been celebrated as the most published author in the field and co-authored key national reports shaping the future of science learning. Through his scholarship and leadership, Finkelstein has helped define physics education research as a rigorous field of study and positioned CU Boulder as one of the world’s foremost centers for STEM education innovation and institutional transformation.
As co-founder and a PI of CU’s Physics Education Research (PER) group and as director of the Center for STEM Learning, Finkelstein has led transformative initiatives that connect cutting-edge research with classroom practice. His work has advanced national models for course design, learning assessment and faculty development that are now implemented at universities across the world. These pioneering approaches promote inclusive and effective learning for diverse student populations.
Finkelstein’s leadership extends to national policy and educational reform. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on STEM education, advises the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, serves on the National Academies Board on Science Education, and is a trustee of the Higher Learning Commission. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has won a wide array of honors for research, teaching and mentoring, including being named a CU President’s Teaching Scholar.
A dedicated educator, Finkelstein has mentored generations of students and faculty who now lead education research programs across the globe. His mentorship and advocacy have cultivated a culture of evidence-based teaching and inclusive excellence within the CU Boulder community and beyond. Through his visionary scholarship, collaborative leadership and unwavering commitment to improving higher education, Finkelstein continues to redefine the boundaries of physics and transform the educational landscape at every level.
Karl G. Linden, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Engineering and the Mortensen Professor in Sustainable Development, Chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, CU Boulder
Linden is an internationally recognized leader in environmental engineering whose pioneering research on ultraviolet (UV) and advanced oxidation technologies has transformed the global practice of water and wastewater treatment. His groundbreaking work has advanced fundamental understanding of how light-based processes can disinfect pathogens and degrade contaminants, leading to safer drinking water and sustainable water reuse systems worldwide. By bridging microbiology, photochemistry and systems engineering, Linden has helped redefine how communities protect public health and the water environment in a changing climate.
At CU Boulder, his research group has developed fundamental knowledge around innovative UV and LED-based disinfection systems that have impacted design of the world’s largest and smallest water treatment systems. His leadership in sustainable water reuse and resilience has positioned Colorado at the forefront of water treatment innovation. As the Principal Investigator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, he guided multi-institution, multi-national collaborations addressing the most pressing water and sanitation challenges of the 21st century. His current work explores UV-driven innovations in controlling pathogens in water distribution systems, water infrastructure in remote and extreme environments, and treatment for reuse of impaired water sources to enhance global sustainability.
Linden’s influence extends far beyond the laboratory. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), and a founding member of the International UV Association (IUVA), he has served as president of the IUVA and AEESP, and is a special consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) on water quality and treatment. His research has informed international design standards for UV treatment systems and shaped global policies for safe water reuse. Among his numerous honors are the IUVA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Water Environment Federation Pioneer Award for Disinfection and Public Health, the Clarke Water Prize, and CU Boulder’s University Research Award.
Equally committed to education and mentorship, Linden has guided dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who now serve in leading positions across academia, government and industry. His courses on sustainable water and sanitation systems and water and wastewater treatment are inspiring students to pursue careers in environmental stewardship. Through his visionary research, mentorship and service, Linden continues to shape the future of sustainable water technology and reaffirm CU Boulder’s role as a global leader in sustainability and environmental innovation.
Jade Morton, Ph.D., Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the Helen and Hubert Croft Professor, Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, CU Boulder
Morton is an internationally renowned expert in satellite navigation, remote sensing and space weather. Her pioneering research at the intersection of aerospace engineering and atmospheric science has transformed how GPS and the broader family of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are used – not only for precise positioning and timing, but also as powerful tools for probing the Earth’s ionosphere, atmosphere and surface. Her innovations in software-defined GNSS receivers, machine learning for ground-based and spaceborne sensing, and global monitoring networks have advanced the reliability and scientific utility of satellite-based positioning systems worldwide.
At CU Boulder, Morton directs the Satellite Navigation and Sensing Laboratory, where she leads her students and researchers to integrate GNSS technologies into multidisciplinary Earth and space science research. She previously served as professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Colorado State University and Miami University. Her prolific record includes hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, lead editor of the Wiley-IEEE two-volume “Position, Navigation, and Timing Technologies in the 21st Century,” and leadership of major NASA, NOAA, NSF, DoD and industry-sponsored projects.
Morton’s leadership extends across academia, government and industry. She is a member of the U.S. Space-Based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board, where she chairs the Education and Science Innovation Subcommittee, and she serves on advisory boards for multiple scientific organizations. A Fellow of the IEEE, the Institute of Navigation (ION) and UK’s Royal Institute of Navigation, she also is a past president of the ION.
Her many honors include the ION Johannes Kepler Award, the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society Richard B. Kershner Award and the American Geophysical Union’s SPARC Award. A dedicated educator and mentor, Morton has guided more than 50 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to leadership roles in academia, industry and government laboratories.
Through her visionary research, leadership and mentorship, Morton has advanced the science and engineering of satellite navigation and remote sensing and fortified the global infrastructure that depends upon it.
Marc Moss, M.D., Roger S. Mitchell Professor of Medicine-Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, CU School of Medicine, CU Anschutz
Moss is an internationally recognized leader in pulmonary and critical care medicine whose pioneering research and advocacy have transformed the care of critically ill patients and the well-being of health care providers. Funded by the National Institutes of Health as a principal investigator for over 25 consecutive years, his groundbreaking work has identified specific risk factors (alcohol use, race, gender and age) that alter the trajectory and recovery of critical illness, delineated the impact of neuromuscular dysfunction in critical care survivors and brought national attention to the psychological and physical challenges faced by critically ill patients and the health care professionals who care for them. Overall, his research has reshaped and transformed many approaches to critical care delivery and support.
As the Roger S. Mitchell Professor and Former Head of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at the CU School of Medicine, Moss has led major NIH-funded studies investigating therapies for ARDS, interventions for intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and strategies to prevent burnout and other forms of psychological distress among health care providers. His research has guided best practices for the care of critically ill patients, improved long-term outcomes in ICU patients and influenced clinical standards across the U.S. and internationally. In addition to his scientific contributions, he has been a driving force behind national initiatives to address health care workforce resilience, serving as president of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and advocating for systemic change to support clinician mental health.
Moss’ work exemplifies the integration of clinical excellence, research innovation and compassionate leadership. He has mentored dozens of physicians and scientists who now hold leadership positions in academic medicine and health care organizations nationwide. His dedication to scholarship and mentorship has been recognized with numerous awards, including election to the Association of American Physicians, the 2021 Pioneering Spirit Award from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the 2024 Colorado Business Committee for the Arts: Arts and Business Partnership Award. Through his scholarship, advocacy and mentorship, Moss has redefined what it means to deliver humane and sustainable critical care – leaving an enduring impact on medicine, medical education and the well-being of health care professionals.