A Dozen Women Promoted to Full Professor at the University of Kansas

The University of Kansas has announced the promotion of 30 faculty members to the rank of full professor. Of the 30 faculty members who were promoted to full professor, 12 are women.

Sharon A. Billings was named full professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. She also serves as senior scientist for the Kansas Biological Survey. Professor Billings is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and holds a Ph.D. from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Dorothy M. Daley is a new professor of public affairs and administration and a professor of environmental studies. She joined the faculty at the university in 2001. Dr. Daley is a graduate of Dalahousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a master’s degree from Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California, Davis.

Yolanda Jackson was promoted to full professor of psychology and applied behavioral science. She has served on the University of Kansas faculty since 1995. Dr. Jackson is a graduate of Valparaiso University in Indiana. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from the University of Alabama.

Audrey L. Lamb was appointed professor of molecular biosciences. Professor Lamb earned a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University. From 1998 to 2002, she conducted postdoctoral research at Northwestern University in Illinois.

Jennifer S. Laurence was named a full professor of pharmaceutical chemistry. She is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Professor Laurence earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Diane C. Nielsen was promoted to professor of curriculum and teaching. She joined the faculty at the University of Kansas in 1990. Professor Nielsen is a graduate of the University of Iowa. She holds a master’s degree from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Shannon O’Lear was appointed professor of geography in the university’s environmental studies program. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in geography from Syracuse University. Professor O’Lear is the author of Environmental Politics: Scale and Power (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

Emily E. Scott is a new professor of medicinal chemistry at the university. She first joined the faculty in 2004. Professor Scott is a graduate of Texas A&M University-Galveston. She holds a Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston.

Joy K. Ward was named a full professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University. Professor Ward earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in ecology at Duke University.

Elizabeth A. Kronk Warner was appointed professor of law. She joined the faculty at the University of Kansas in 2012. Professor Kronk Warner is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and the law school at the University of Michigan.

Tara S. Welch was promoted to professor of classics. Professor Welch is a graduate of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She earned a master degree at the University of Oxford in England and a Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Stacey S. White is a new full professor of urban planning. Professor White is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta. She holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in land resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.