Washington and Lee University, the highly selective liberals arts educational institution in Lexington, Virginia, has announced the appointment of six scholars to endowed professorships. Three of these appointments went to women.
Nadia Ayoub was named to the John T. Herwick, M.D. Professorship in Biology. Dr. Ayoub joined the university’s faculty in 2009 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship through the National Institutes of Health at the University of California, Riverside. Her research specializes in genetics with a unique focus on the genetic and protein structures that enable spiders to adapt their behaviors and biological materials to varying environmental conditions. Professor Ayoub earned a bachelor’s degree in ecology from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Tennessee.
Aliaa Bassiouny was appointed to the A. Stevens Miles Professorship in Banking and Finance. Dr. Bassiouny first joined the faculty in 2019 after seven years as a professor of finance at The American University in Cairo in Egypt. Her research focuses on examining issues related to trading and investments in international financial markets. Professor Bassiouny earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA in finance from The American University in Cairo as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in management sciences and finance from Esade Business School in Spain.
Molly Michelmore was named the S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of History. Professor Michelmore has been a member of the faculty since 2006 and served as the head of the history department from 2020 until 2025. She is the author of Tax and Spend: The Welfare State, Tax Politics, and the Limits of American Liberalism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012) and co-editor of The United States in World War II: A Documentary History (Hackett Publishing, 2018). Dr. Michelmore holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Amherst College in Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan.