College of Natural Science faculty awarded Red Cedar, Research Foundation professorships
Four College of Natural Science faculty members were recently selected for prestigious Michigan State University professorships.
The Office of Research and Innovation recently named the 2026 classes of the Red Cedar Distinguished Professors and the MSU Research Foundation Research Professors.
“It’s no surprise that our college is home to some incredible faculty. Their work speaks for itself,” College of Natural Science Dean Eric L. Hegg said. “I’m pleased to see these fantastic scientists recognized for their research that’s already making a difference in everything from pain and addiction to cancer and quantum physics.”
Red Cedar Distinguished Professors
Established in 2022, MSU awards this title to current and new faculty to help the university recruit, recognize and retain outstanding faculty at all academic ranks. These professors are nominated by their deans and evaluated by the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, as well as the vice president of research and innovation. Two College of Natural Science faculty members were named Red Cedar professors.
Geoffroy Laumet, an associate professor in the Department of Physiology, is working to broaden our understanding of how neurons and immune cells work together to resolve pain. His lab uncovers how pain transforms from acute to chronic, and the factors that contribute to that transition, such as sex differences and the use of anti-inflammatory medication.
This crucial research could help scientists develop new therapies for chronic pain and migraine to improve quality of life for the millions of people who suffer from these conditions.
Liangliang Sun, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been honored with a 2026 Red Cedar Distinguished Professorship, recognizing his pioneering work at the crossroads of analytical chemistry and biology.
Sun's lab is reshaping mass spectrometry-based protein research through an approach called top-down proteomics, which studies intact proteins, or proteoforms, in diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. His team analyzes systems including human colorectal cancer cells, brain plasma and zebrafish embryos, uncovering proteoforms tied to disease onset and progression.
Research Foundation Distinguished Professors
The MSU Research Foundation established this professorship in 2014 to be awarded to current and new faculty. The title recognizes those with externally recognized, exemplary scholarly accomplishments with clear professional relevance to specific areas of MSU scholarly need, disciplinary development or research or creative emphasis.
Two College of Natural Science faculty members were awarded the title of MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor.
A.J. Robison, a professor of physiology, researches gene expression in neuronal and immune cells to better understand the causes and treatment of addiction, depression, allergy and infection.
His lab is working to uncover novel mechanisms through which drugs, stress, and hormones regulate specific brain circuits to cause psychiatric disease. His group collaborates with labs all over the U.S. to create novel drug compounds that could become new treatments for these diseases.
Weiwei Xie, a professor of chemistry, for her work uncovering novel quantum materials that could shape future technologies.
Xie's lab uses extreme pressure to explore how atomic structures behave under stress, sometimes revealing surprising transformations into metallic, magnetic or new quantum states. Using X-ray crystallography, her team tracks these changes in real time, uncovering the fundamental nature of known materials and helping design new ones.
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