Four Women Scholars Named to Endowed Faculty Positions

Tiffany Messer has been named a Gatton Foundation Endowed Chair in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Kentucky. She currently serves as an associate professor of biosystems engineering in the College of Engineering at the university. Her research centers around the intersection of engineering, ecology, and agriculture.

Dr. Messer is an alumna of the University of Kentucky where she majored in biosystems and agricultural engineering. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in biological and agricultural engineering from North Carolina State University.

April Kloxin has been appointed the Thomas and Kipp Gutshall Development Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware. She has been a faculty member with the university since 2011, and currently holds an additional appointment in the department of materials science and engineering.

Dr. Kloxin is a summa cum laude graduate of North Carolina State University where she received both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in chemical engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado.

Michelle Olsen has been named to the I.D. Wilson Chair in the College of Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She has been with the university since 2016, currently serving as a professor of neuroscience and director of the School of Neuroscience. During her tenure with the School of Neuroscience, she has also served as director of graduate studies and co-director of the molecular and cellular biology doctoral program.

Dr. Olsen received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Southern Oregon and her Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Rachel Levin has been appointed the William A. Hilton Professor of Zoology at Pomona College in Claremont, California. She has been a faculty member at the college since 1991, serving as a professor of biology and neuroscience.

Dr. Levin is a graduate of Antioch College in Ohio where she double-majored in psychology and biology. She holds a Ph.D. in neurobiology and behavior from Cornell University.