McKnight Presidential Fellows

The McKnight Presidential Fellows Program is a three-year award given to the most promising individuals who have been granted both tenure and promotion to associate professor in an academic year. It recognizes recipients who are recommended by their college dean and chosen at the discretion of the executive vice president and provost based on excellence in research and scholarship, leadership, potential to build top-tier programs, and ability to advance University of Minnesota priorities.

Current Award Recipients

Portrait of Lucas Busta

Lucas Busta

Chemistry & Biochemistry
Swenson College of Science and Engineering
Duluth
Portrait of Marti DeLiema

Marti DeLiema

School of Social Work
College of Education and Human Development
Twin Cities
Portrait of Megan Giddings - photographer is Jon Cameron

Megan Giddings

English
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities
Portrait of Manka Nkimbeng

Manka Nkimbeng

Division of Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health
Twin Cities
Portrait of Heather Randell

Heather Randell

Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Twin Cities
Portrait of Daniel Stanton

Daniel Stanton

Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
College of Biological Sciences
Twin Cities
Portrait of Ferenc Tóth

Ferenc Tóth

Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Twin Cities
Portrait of Judy Yang

Judy Q. Yang

Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
Twin Cities

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2001 Award Recipients

Veterinary Population Medicine
VetMed
Twin Cities

Cancer Center
AHC
Twin Cities

Computer Science
IT
Twin Cities

Women's Studies
CLA
Twin Cities

Sociology
CLA
Twin Cities

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2003 Award Recipients

Physics & Astronomy
IT
Twin Cities

Psychology
CLA
Twin Cities

Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences
VetMed
Twin Cities

Physics & Astronomy
IT
Twin Cities

Communication Studies
CLA
Twin Cities

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2004 Award Recipients

Neuroscience
Medical School
Twin Cities

History
CLA
Twin Cities

Mathematics
IT
Twin Cities

Biostatistics
Public Health
Twin Cities

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2005 Award Recipients

Sociology
CLA
CLA Twin Cities

Aerospace Engineering
IT
IT Twin Cities

Civil Engineering
IT
IT Twin Cities

Biology, Molecular Biology, & Biophysics
CBS
CBS Twin Cities

Music
Duluth

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2006 Award Recipients

Mathematics
IT
Twin Cities

Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
CLA
Twin Cities

IT
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Twin Cities

CEHD
Institute of Child Development
Twin Cities

CLA
English
Twin Cities

CBS
Plant Biology
Twin Cities

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2007 Award Recipients

Psychology
CLA
Twin Cities

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
IT
Twin Cities

Epidemiology & Community Health
Public Health
Twin Cities

Physics & Astronomy
IT
Twin Cities

English
CLA
Twin Cities

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2008 Award Recipients

Art History
CLA
Twin Cities

Nursing
Nursing
Twin Cities

Chemistry
IT
Twin Cities

Marketing & Logistics Management
CSOM
Twin Cities

Psychology
CLA
Twin Cities

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2009 Award Recipients

Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
CBS
Twin Cities

Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics
CBS
Twin Cities

Psychology
CLA
Twin Cities

Organizational Leadership, Policy & Development
CEHD
Twin Cities

Statistics
CLA
Twin Cities

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2017 Award Recipients

Physics & Astronomy
CSE
Twin Cities

Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
CFANS
Twin Cities

Organizational Leadership, Policy & Development
CEHD
Twin Cities

Law
Law School
Twin Cities

Psychology
CLA
Twin Cities

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2018 Award Recipients

Kinesiology
College of Education & Human Development
Twin Cities

Information & Decision Sciences
Carlson School of Management
Twin Cities

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Chemistry
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

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2019 Award Recipients

Electrical & Computer Engineering
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

Pediatrics
Medical School
Twin Cities

Information & Decision Sciences
Carlson School of Management
Twin Cities

Biostatistics
School of Public Health
Twin Cities

African American & African Studies
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Educational Psychology
College of Education & Human Development
Twin Cities

Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
College of Pharmacy
Duluth

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2020 Award Recipients

Division of Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health
Twin Cities

Communication Studies
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Mechanical Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
Twin Cities

Microbiology and Immunology
Medical School
Twin Cities

Computer Science and Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
Twin Cities

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2021 Award Recipients

Integrative Biology and Physiology
Medical School
Twin Cities

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

Mathematics
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

Plant and Microbial Biology
College of Biological Sciences
Twin Cities

English
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Twin Cities

Neuroscience
Medical School
Twin Cities

Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
College of Pharmacy
Duluth

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2022 Award Recipients

Journalism and Mass Communication
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

English
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health
Twin Cities

Biomedical Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
Twin Cities

Computer Science and Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
Twin Cities

Theatre Arts and Dance
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

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2023 Award Recipients

Food Science and Nutrition
College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences
Twin Cities

Veterinary Population Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
Twin Cities

Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Twin Cities

Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Twin Cities

Earth and Environmental Sciences
College of Science and Engineering
Twin Cities

Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Sociology
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

Plant and Microbial Biology
College of Biological Sciences
Twin Cities

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2024 Award Recipients

Genetics, Cell Biology & Development
College of Biological Sciences
Twin Cities

Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public Health
Twin Cities

Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences
Twin Cities

Agronomy & Plant Genetics
College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences
Twin Cities

Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Twin Cities

Mathematics
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

Graphic Design
College of Design
Twin Cities

Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health
Twin Cities

Journalism and Mass Communication
College of Liberal Arts
Twin Cities

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2025 Award Recipients

Industrial & Systems Engineering
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

School of Nursing
Twin Cities

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities

Educational Psychology
College of Education & Human Development
Twin Cities

Plant & Microbial Biology
College of Biological Sciences
Twin Cities

Curriculum & Instruction
College of Education & Human Development
Twin Cities

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Swenson College of Science & Engineering
Duluth

School of Public Health
Twin Cities

Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Twin Cities