Distinguished Professors

The Foundation's roster of Distinguished Professors includes 14 faculty members across the arts, sciences, medicine, business, engineering, and humanities.

About the Program

Designed to help UVA attract the world’s most outstanding professors, the Distinguished Professorship Program supports nationally and internationally recognized scholars and leaders, who create transformative classroom experiences and are leading-edge researchers in their fields.

Program Impact

Having secured approximately $216 million to support this effort, the Foundation has attracted faculty to the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education and Human Development, the Darden School of Business, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Law School, the McIntire School of Commerce, and the School of Medicine. Active searches are ongoing for five additional professors. Looking ahead, the Foundation aspires to support 25-30 outstanding faculty members at the University.

Four New Hires in 2024-25

David Danks

William L. Polk Jr. and Carolyn K. Polk Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science

College of Arts & Sciences School of Data Science David Danks examines the intersection of philosophy, cognitive science, and machine learning, using ideas, methods, and frameworks from each to advance understanding of complex, interdisciplinary problems. His work explores the ethical, psychological, and policy issues around AI and robotics in transportation, healthcare, privacy, and security and has done significant research in computational cognitive science.

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Mark Esser

Thomas A. Saunders III Family Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor

School of Medicine Mark Esser, former vice president at the global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, serves as the inaugural leader of UVA’s new Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, where he guides ambitious efforts to accelerate the translation of groundbreaking scientific discoveries into therapies and medicines that improve human health. Esser has more than 30 years of experience in biomedical research and drug development.

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Seth Lewis

Elcan Jefferson Scholars Foundation Schenck Distinguished Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Media Studies

College of Arts & Sciences Department of Media Studies Seth Lewis, a leading voice in the study of generative AI, examines how tools like ChatGPT are disrupting long-standing norms of authorship, originality, and professional identity in journalism. He also explores a broader cultural shift: growing public skepticism toward core institutions of knowledge, including journalism, medicine, and academia.

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Brad Wilcox

Melville Foundation Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor

College of Arts & Sciences Department of Sociology As director of the National Marriage Project at UVA, Brad Wilcox has dedicated his career to illuminating the challenges facing American families and offering evidence-based solutions to strengthen them. His work challenges cultural norms around marriage and makes a compelling case for prioritizing family stability as a solution to critical cultural and economic challenges.

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Meet the Professors