This story was originally published by Rob Schweers with Inside Iowa State.
The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost has selected Lisa Larson and Surya Mallapragada for faculty fellowships for 2015-17.
“Lisa and Surya are highly respected faculty leaders who will do an outstanding job serving their colleagues,” said Dawn Bratsch-Prince, associate provost for faculty. “Their efforts to enhance faculty development and recognition will have a significant impact on the university.”
Larson
Larson, a professor of psychology, will serve as the ISU Advance fellow. She will work with senior academic leaders and college equity advisors to promote the recruitment, advancement and retention of all faculty, especially women and faculty of color at Iowa State.
ISU Advance, which began in 2006 through a grant from the National Science Foundation, is focused on implementing best practices in faculty hiring and retention, promoting diversity initiatives for faculty, and transforming department culture through dialogue, which is called the Department Enhancement Program.
Larson holds master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She joined Iowa State in 1998 after serving 12 years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Mallapragada
Mallapragada, who holds the Carol Vohs Johnson Chair, is a professor and former chair of chemical and biological engineering, and professor of materials science and engineering. Her fellowship work will focus on increasing national recognition for top Iowa State faculty through prestigious honors and awards.
Mallapragada holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, respectively. She joined Iowa State in 1996 after a postdoctoral appointment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
About the fellowships
Faculty fellowships are designed to provide leadership and project management experience to faculty who are interested in, or aspire to, leadership positions at Iowa State. The program was announced in 2013 as part of a broader realignment plan, and to increase faculty participation in the provost’s office. Fellowships typically are part-time for two years.