The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has announced four inaugural Distinguished Professors of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, including Dr. Judit Puskas of the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE).
The title was bestowed on a competitive basis to four full professors who have excelled in teaching, research, or outreach/engagement. In addition, their work has significantly impacted their fields, students, college, university, and/or the public.
“The selection committee was extremely impressed with all of the nominees and their impactful contributions,” said Cathann A. Kress, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES.
Recipients will receive a permanent $2,500 addition to their base pay and be awarded a $15,000 one-time grant to support their academic work.
Puskas is a professor in FABE. She transitioned from industry to academia in 1996 at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Puskas came to CFAES in 2019 from The University of Akron, and has focused much of her recent efforts on attracting grant support and high-quality graduate students and post-doctoral scholars to her research program. She is also a Sustainability Institute core faculty member.
Puskas is internationally recognized for her outstanding accomplishments in biopolymer and biomaterial invention and green engineering implementation, in both industry and medicine. She is one of the co-inventors of the biocompatible polymer for the Taxus coronary stent, which has been implanted in over 6 million patients. She complements her research with extensive teaching and outreach, and brings globally recognized stature in her field to Ohio State.