Bowman and Dusinberre awarded 2017 Distinguished Research Lectureships

Christopher N. Bowman of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Elspeth Dusinberre of the Classics Department have been selected to receive the 2017 Distinguished Research Lectureship, which is among the most prestigious honors bestowed by the faculty upon a faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Each year, the Research & Innovation Office (RIO) requests nominations from faculty for the Distinguished Research Lectureship, and a faculty review panel recommends one faculty member as a recipient. Two faculty members were selected this year.

Christopher N. Bowman

Professor Christopher N. Bowman is the James and Catherine Patten Endowed Chair and a Distinguished Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, with additional appointments in the BioFrontiers Institute, the Materials Science and Engineering Program, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Dental School.

His research focuses on the design and development of new polymer structures and understanding and translating those developments into practical improvements in materials performance, particularly for smart, responsive polymer materials.

Professor Bowman has published more than 350 refereed papers that have been cited more than 25,000 times, and supervised 50 completed PhD theses and 200 undergraduate researchers while at CU Boulder. He has also been granted more than 20 patents, including multiple patents that have been translated into commercial products, and was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2017.

He has been recognized with international awards from the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Materials Research Society and the Society for Biomaterials. Most recently, Bowman was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Elspeth Dusinberre

Elspeth Dusinberre, a Professor in the Classics Department, is interested in the Achaemenid Persian Empire (ca. 550-330 BCE), ancient imperialism and the give-and-take between different cultures. She combines study of texts with visual and material culture to try to understand both details and larger implications.

Professor Dusinberre's third book, Empire, Authority, and Autonomy in Achaemenid Anatolia (Cambridge 2013), was honored by the James R. Wiseman Award from the Archaeological Institute of America in 2015 for the best book on archaeology written within the last four years. She has conducted archaeological work in Greece, Egypt and Turkey.

In addition to her two previous books—Aspects of Empire in Achaemenid Sardis (Cambridge 2003) and Gordion Seals and Sealings: Individuals and Society (University of Pennsylvania Museum 2005)—Professor Dusinberre has published twenty-two articles and chapters, appearing in such venues as the American Journal of Archaeology, Ars Orientalis, the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research and others.   

She is the recipient of twelve CU Boulder teaching awards, including the Marinus Smith Award for outstanding impact on undergraduates, the Outstanding Graduate Student Faculty Mentor Award, the Boulder Faculty Assembly Award for Excellence in Teaching and the designation as President's Teaching Scholar.