The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences honors faculty members who have earned named professorships for their research and scholarly accomplishments. These prestigious awards are the highest faculty honors bestowed by the college or their academic department and are made possible by the generosity of our donors. CALS is a global leader in the life sciences and agriculture and these outstanding faculty are instrumental in our impact.
2026 Investiture Ceremony Details
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
4:30 – 6:30 pm | Doors open at 4:00 pm
Memorial Union, Great Hall
2026 Professorship Honorees
The 2026 CALS individuals who have received named professorships in the last year.
Irwin Goldman
Plannt and Agroecosystem Sciences
Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Grower KWS Chair
Fransciso Peñagaricano
Animal and Dairy Sciences
Judge John J. Crown Chair in Dairy Genetics
Scott A. Rankin
Food Science
Campbell Bascom Professorship
Federico E. Rey
Bacteriology
Ira L. Baldwin Professorship in Bacteriology
Chad M. Rienstra
Biochemistry
Evelyn Mercer Professorship in Biochemical Sciences
Damon L. Smith
Plant Pathology
Vaughan Bascom Professorship in Plant Pathology
Douglas Soldat
Soil and Environmental Sciences
Beers-Bascom Professorship in Conservation
Jade Wang
Bacteriology
E.B. Fred Professorship in Bacteriology
Professorship Renewal Honorees
Amaya Atucha
Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences
Gottschalk Family Chair in Cranberry Research
Guanming Shi
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Renk Chair in Agribusiness