Largest Cohort in 海角社区 History: Six Distinguished Faculty Members Named Boyd Professors
September 05, 2025
The 海角社区 Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Sept. 5, to designate six 海角社区 faculty members as Boyd Professors. The Boyd Professorship, established by the 海角社区 Board of Supervisors in 1953, is the most distinguished and highest professorial rank awarded by 海角社区.
Named in honor of brothers Thomas and David Boyd, early presidents and faculty members of 海角社区, the Boyd Professorship recognizes faculty who bring honor and prestige to 海角社区 through their national and, as appropriate, international recognition for outstanding achievements. Before today, only 79 faculty members from all of 海角社区鈥檚 campuses have ever achieved this distinguished rank.
The newest cohort of Boyd Professors represent a wide variety of disciplines and hail from three of 海角社区鈥檚 eight campuses: 海角社区 A&M, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and 海角社区 Shreveport. This group includes 海角社区 Shreveport鈥檚 first-ever Boyd Professor, a landmark achievement for the campus and a testament to its academic distinction. As the largest group of Boyd Professors ever named at one time, this cohort underscores 海角社区鈥檚 rising reputation for research excellence across all of its campuses.
鈥淭his is a moment of real pride for 海角社区. Naming six new Boyd Professors is not only historic in scale, it's a clear reflection of the extraordinary strength and momentum of our academic enterprise,鈥� said Interim 海角社区 President Matt Lee. 鈥淭hese scholars are advancing knowledge in ways that reach far beyond our campuses, and their work is helping to define 海角社区鈥檚 place on the national and global stage. I am especially proud to see 海角社区 Shreveport represented for the first time, a milestone that reflects the growing excellence across our campuses. This achievement is a powerful reminder of our commitment to advancing scholarship and shaping the future through research, education, and service.鈥�
The newest Boyd Professors are:
- Mette Gaarde, Les and Dot Broussard Alumni Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, 海角社区 A&M
- John Maxwell Hamilton, Hopkins P. Breazeale 海角社区 Foundation Professor, Manship School of Mass Communication, 海角社区 A&M
- Steven Heymsfield, Professor of Metabolism and Body Composition, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
- Michael Khonsari, Dow Chemical Endowed Chair and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, 海角社区 A&M
- Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History, Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair, College of Arts & Sciences, 海角社区 Shreveport
- R. Kelley Pace, Professor, Department of Finance, E. J. Ourso College of Business, 海角社区 A&M
Dr. Mette Gaarde
Dr. Mette Gaarde
Dr. Mette Gaarde is an internationally recognized leader in the field of physics and chemistry. A former PhD student and postdoctoral researcher under 2023 Nobel Laureate Anne L鈥橦uillier, Dr. Gaarde has built an exceptional career at 海角社区 since 2003, earning early promotion to Associate Professor in 2007 and Professor in 2012. She was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2011 for her groundbreaking contributions to the macroscopic theory of high harmonic generation and attosecond light formation. Her prolific research record includes more than 150 publications, more than 11,000 citations, and an H-index of 58, supported by significant external funding from the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, including an NSF CAREER Award. Gaarde has also served as Chair of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics and contributed to the National Academy of Sciences鈥� Decadal Assessment on Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science, and is currently co-Chair of the Committee on AMO Sciences for the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. John Maxwell Hamilton
Dr. John Maxwell Hamilton
Dr. John Maxwell Hamilton is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar, journalist, and academic leader. A US Marine Corps veteran with deployments to Vietnam, he transitioned from a successful career in journalism and public policy to academia. His scholarship, informed by decades of professional experience, includes eight books鈥攎ost authored solely鈥攕uch as Main Street America and the Third World (co-authored with Peter Jennings) and Edgar Snow: A Biography, as well as the prize-winning Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda, which earned two 鈥淏ook of the Year鈥� honors and the 2023 Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History. His service and recognition extend beyond 海角社区, including his role as a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, columnist for Real Clear Politics, and contributor to major juries and professional organizations.
Dr. Steven Heymsfield
Dr. Steven Heymsfield
Dr. Steven Heymsfield is one of the world鈥檚 foremost experts in obesity research and a preeminent leader in the fields of human phenotyping, body composition, and energy balance. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he has pioneered groundbreaking advances in clinical nutrition, imaging technologies, metabolic modeling, and obesity therapeutics, with innovations that are now standard practice worldwide. His prolific scholarship includes over 1,300 publications鈥�453 since joining Pennington in 2010, garnering nearly 79,000 citations and an H-index of 140, placing him among the top 500 most cited researchers globally. His transformative work ranges from developing flexible feeding tubes that revolutionized enteral nutrition, to creating advanced imaging and body composition methods using CT, DXA, and 3D optical scanning, to building physiologically grounded energy metabolism models that have reshaped obesity science.
Dr. Michael Khonsari
Dr. Michael Khonsari
Dr. Michael Khonsari is an internationally recognized leader in applied tribology and mechanical failure, whose groundbreaking research, patents, and scholarly contributions have brought significant honor and prestige to the university. Over his 24-year career at 海角社区, he has authored 388 journal articles, five books鈥攊ncluding the widely used Applied Tribology: Lubrication and Bearing Design, now in its third edition鈥攁nd more than 55 book chapters or special publications, amassing 18,696 citations and an H-index of 70. His prolific output, averaging over 20 publications annually since 2015, is complemented by his extensive editorial leadership and service. Khonsari is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and holds 16 patents and 18 technology licenses. His research has attracted more than $142 million in external funding, including as PI of the NSF IUCRC Center for Innovations in Structural Integrity Assurance at 海角社区.
Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze
Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze
Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze is a world-renowned historian whose scholarship has profoundly shaped the study of Napoleonic and military history. He has authored an extraordinary body of work, including The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History, which won the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Prize and the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for Military History. His subsequent work, Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace, earned him a second Distinguished Book Award, placing him in a rare echelon of scholars recognized multiple times for groundbreaking research. His three-volume series on Napoleon鈥檚 invasion of Russia, extensive translations of Russian memoirs, and co-editorship of The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars further attest to the global impact and enduring significance of his contributions to the field. His works, published in multiple languages, are cited as indispensable by leading historians worldwide.
Dr. R. Kelley Pace
Dr. R. Kelley Pace
Dr. R. Kelley Pace is an internationally recognized scholar in spatial econometrics and real estate dynamics whose pioneering research and mentorship have brought significant honor to the university. With more than 17,000 citations and an H-index of 43, he has made influential contributions at the intersection of finance, climate change, mortgage risk, and insurance markets. His co-authored book, Introduction to Spatial Econometrics, has been cited more than 9,100 times and is widely regarded as a foundational reference in the field. Over nearly 27 years at 海角社区, he has published 105 scholarly articles鈥�87 since joining the university, in top-tier journals across finance, economics, and interdisciplinary areas such as natural disasters, forestry, and flooding, with multiple works exceeding 400 citations. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics and sits on the editorial board of Property Research, underscoring his leadership in shaping the discipline.
Nominations for the Boyd Professorship are initiated in the college, routed for review and support at the campus level, then considered by the 海角社区 Boyd Professorship Review Committee, which seeks confidential evaluations from dozens of distinguished scholars in the candidate鈥檚 field of expertise. Once endorsed by the review committee, the nomination is forwarded to the 海角社区 President and Board of Supervisors for consideration.
With this distinction, a Boyd Professor鈥檚 compensation is elevated to reflect the stature of 海角社区鈥檚 most distinguished faculty, with a salary set at no less than the 95th percentile of full professors in comparable disciplines at peer public institutions across the southeastern United States. They also receive an annual stipend to further support their research and scholarly pursuits.
Please join us in congratulating these faculty on this outstanding accomplishment.
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海角社区's Scholarship First Agenda is helping achieve health, prosperity, and security for Louisiana and the world.