UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A trio of Penn State faculty members have been named Huck chairs by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in recognition of their research endeavors and track records of service to key Huck units.
The Huck chairs were established in 2002 by Penn State alumni J. Lloyd Huck and Dorothy Foehr Huck to provide research faculty with prestigious positions and resources to advance their work in the life sciences.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have the vision and backing of the Hucks, whose endowment makes initiatives like these Huck chairs possible,” said Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
Erika Ganda, associate professor of food animal microbiomes, was named the Dorothy Foeher Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Antimicrobial Resistance. Ganda is a member of the faculty for three intercollegiate graduate programs and three Huck research units — including the One Health Microbiome Center, which recently bestowed its Commonwealth Award on her at its biennial symposium.
Jasna Kovac, associate professor of food science and Lester Earl and Veronica Casida Career Development Professor of Food Safety, was named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Microbiomes in Food Safety. Kovac is associated with multiple centers and grad programs, demonstrating an interdisciplinary strength within her lab that crosses the boundaries of food science, bioinformatics, microbiome sciences, and epidemiology.
Wenrui Hao, professor of mathematics, was named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in AI Mathematical Modeling. Hao was appointed the new director for the Center for AI and Mathematical Biology last year and is a member of the Neuroscience Institute and the Bioinformatics and Genomics grad program.
“These chairs honor the creativity, curiosity, and commitment to outstanding science that their recipients bring to the Huck community,” said Grozinger. “Wenrui, Erika and Jasna are not just outstanding researchers, they are valued leaders in our graduate programs and research ecosystem. We are so grateful to have them as part of our Huck team and to support their research excellence and dedication to our broader community.”