The Office of the Provost created the rank of UB Distinguished Professor to honor full professors who have achieved national or international recognition as experts in their fields of study. UB Distinguished Professors are members of the faculty who have been full professors for a minimum of five years with a demonstrated record of excellence in artistic or scholarly contributions.
Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Jian Feng, PhD, is internationally regarded for his research on stem cell biology and Parkinson’s disease. Feng’s research focuses on developing stem cell technologies to find a cause and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, he studies how mutations of the parkin gene cause the disease. Feng is widely known for using human induced pluripotent stem cells to study the role that parkin plays in Parkinson’s disease. His outstanding research has led to a US patent and many inventions. He is also using stem cell technologies that he developed to study other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and autism.
Department of Chemistry
Professor of chemistry, Qing Lin, PhD, is lauded for his contributions to organic chemistry. Lin is a widely recognized leader in the field of bioorthogonal chemistry, with his methods being used as the basis of several international research programs. In recognition of the strength and impact of his research, Lin received the Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, Lin’s research in organic chemistry and chemical biology has produced real-world applications in drug design; he is a cofounder of two successful university spin-off companies: Transira Therapeutics, advancing a therapy for diabetes and obesity, and CovalaBio, focused on cancer immunotherapy.
Department of Neurosurgery
Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, studies neurosurgical interventions in intracranial aneurysms, stroke and a variety of additional neurological disorders. His clinical research has focused on assessing novel device development as well as stroke revascularization therapies. He has developed an internationally recognized clinical research program focused on endovascular neurosurgery and stroke treatment with a special investigative interest in advanced neuroimaging to identify brain viability following neurovascular accidents and venous diseases of the brain. His expertise in both the microsurgical and endovascular management of complicated neurological disorders has established him as an international authority in his field. He received the prestigious 2023 Yasargil Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in recognition of his academic service to Cerebrovascular Surgery. A fellow of the American Heart Association and the American College of Surgeons and the inaugural recipient of the Ahuja Endowed Clinical Professorship of Neurovascular Surgery, Siddiqui leads the multidisciplinary Canon Stroke and Vascular Research Center at UB.
