The University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) has recognized 33 faculty members as UFRF Professors for 2026, honoring them for work that advances discovery, creativity and innovation across the university. Seven are faculty and researchers from within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
UFRF Professorships are awarded to faculty members who have established a strong record of research excellence while demonstrating the capacity to shape their fields in meaningful and lasting ways. Since the program’s inception in 1997, the foundation has recognized over a thousand UF researchers whose scholarship contributes to the university’s national and international impact.
“UFRF Professors represent the depth and breadth of research excellence at the University of Florida,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “Their work reflects sustained scholarly achievement, leadership within their disciplines, and a commitment to pursuing new knowledge that benefits society.”
Recipients are selected through a peer‑driven process, with nominations submitted by department chairs and reviewed by college leadership. Evaluations consider recent research accomplishments, including publications, external funding, honors and awards; intellectual property development; and other indicators appropriate to each discipline
Each professorship is for three years and includes a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a one‑time $3,000 research grant, funded through the university’s share of royalties and licensing revenue from UF‑generated innovations. UF Research will recognize the 2026 UFRF Professors at a university event later this year.
2026 UFRF Professors from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Rebecca Butcher, Ph.D. is an associate professor of chemistry who research uncovers natural product chemical signals in nematodes, using metabolomics and genetic engineering to study development, metabolism, aging and potential control of parasitic species. She has been the recipient of the Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry (2014), the NSF Career Award (2016-2021) and the UF Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award (2025-26).
Paul Fulda, Ph.D. is an associate professor of experimental astrophysics. He researches gravitational wave detection with LIFO Scientific Collaboration and LISA Consortium, advancing interferometry, optical metrology and detector technologies to improve sensitivity and enable next-generation ground- and space-based observations.
Nicole Gravina, Ph.D. is an associate professor of psychology specializing in behavior-based workplace interventions that improve employee safety, healthcare delivery and other important work outcomes. She serves on five editorial boards and is the associate editor for the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.
Rebecca Hanson, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of sociology and criminology as well as Latin American Studies. Her research examines policing, political change and violence in Latin America, including Venezuela, alongside work on gender, sexual harassment and ethnographic fieldwork. She is founder and co-director of UF’s International Ethnography Lab.
Kshitij Khare, Ph.D. is a professor of statistics whose research centers on high-dimensional Bayesian inference, covariance estimation and MCMC methods, with applications in macroeconomic forecasting and interdisciplinary collaborations across science and engineering.
Ange Mlinko, Ph.D. is a professor of English and author of six collections of poetry. She is the former poetry editor of The Nation, and her work has appeared in Poetry, The New Yorker and Paris Review. She has won the Randall Jarrell Award in Criticism, the Frederick Bock Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Desika Narayanan, Ph.D. is an associate professor of astronomy whose research focuses on theoretical models primarily related to cosmological galaxy evolution, star formation and the interstellar medium (ISM). He develops and utilizes large scale numerical simulations to simulate the interplay between small scale star formation, ISM physics and global galaxy evolution.
To see the full list of UFRF professors, read more.
