Cody Ding, David Kimball and Xuemin “Sam” Wang were among 17 faculty members across the University of Missouri System’s four universities to be appointed Curators’ Distinguished Professors after a vote at this month’s meeting of the Board of Curators. (Photos by Derik Holtmann and August Jennewein)

Faculty members Cody Ding, David Kimball and Xuemin “Sam” Wang work in vastly different disciplines, but they have all garnered attention nationally and internationally for their research and accomplishments over at least the past two decades at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Ding is a trained psychologist with an emphasis in developmental psychology, methodology and measurement who now serves as the director of the educational psychology and the educational research program in the College of Education. He’s published work on a range of topics, including the effects of social experiences that might lead to psychological distress and their impact on cognition and attention as well as the relationship between teaching and learning.

Kimball chairs the Department of Political Science and has extensive expertise in election administration, voting behavior and public opinion. He’s co-authored three books – “Helping America Vote,” “Lobbying and Policy Change,” and “Why Americans Split Their Tickets” – and was a contributor to “Pandemic at the Polls: How the Politics of COVID-19 Played into American Elections.”

Wang, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor in Plant Sciences in the Department of Biology and a principal investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, conducts research related to lipid metabolism, vegetable oil production and lipid signaling in plant response to environmental stress, such as drought.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators has voted unanimously to appoint all three to serve as Curators’ Distinguished Professors, the highest faculty rank in the UM System.

“Honoring our faculty with this distinction is the highest honor the board awards,” Chair Robin Wenneker said. “These designations recognize these professors for their contributions to their respective fields and their outstanding scholarship. This illustrious group signals to others that the UM System is a powerhouse, drawing the top professors from around the world to our universities. It’s an honor to recognize each professor for their dedication to academic excellence, research, our students and our mission.”

Ding, Kimball and Wang were among 17 faculty members across the UM System’s four universities to receive the recognition.

“These prestigious appointments recognize outstanding scholars who are internationally renowned for their impact and accomplishments,” UM System President Mun Choi said. “Their work elevates our understanding of the world around us and prepares the next generation of leaders for success.”

Each appointment covers a period of five years but can be extended at the discretion of the chancellor. Each professor receives an annual stipend for as long as they hold their positions with $5,000 specifically designated for professional expenses associated with teaching, research or creative activities.

All three UMSL faculty members were humbled by the recognition, which began with nomination letters being submitted from their peers.

“I’m deeply honored by being named a Curators’ Distinguished Professor,” Wang said. “This is also a recognition of the research by many talented students, scientists and collaborators whom I have had the privilege to work with.”

Wang, who came to UMSL in 2004, has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy, among other sources, and his work has led to more than 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Earlier this year, Wang received the prestigious Terry Galliard Medal in recognition of his career achievements at the International Symposium on Plant Lipids, held in July in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Ding, likewise, has a long list of publications, numbering more than 140. His work, which spans more than 20 years at UMSL, has appeared in such journals as the Journal of Health Psychology, Current Psychology, the Journal of Traumatic Stress and the International Journal of Educational Research, among many others. He has published three books, including Regression and Machine Learning for Education Sciences Using R and Fundamentals of Applied Multidimensional Scaling for Educational and Psychological Research.

In 2016, Ding received the AARC/MECD Patricia B. Elmore Award for Outstanding Research in Measurement and Evaluation from the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling.

“I enjoy doing research, particularly research with applied implications,” Ding said. “My research is interdisciplinary. With strong expertise in methodology, I have combined my methodology focus with the psychosocial development, including learning and cognition, of adolescents and young adults from behavioral and neural perspective. I am proud of being a well-rounded researcher.”

He has also worked with a number of area school districts and state educational agencies on evaluation projects to improve student learning and school practices.

Kimball, who joined the Department of Political Science in 2001, has written extensively about topics such as political polarization, ranked-choice voting, voter ID and voter fraud with his work appearing in such journals as the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties; Policy Studies; and American Politics Research, among others.

He is often quoted by news media discussing a range of political issues at the federal, state and local levels and is a frequent research collaborator with colleagues and students within the Department of Political Science.

“UMSL is a great place because I get to work with so many extraordinary colleagues and students who know things that I don’t know,” Kimball said. “That is why most of my research projects are collaborations with other faculty and students at UMSL.”

He recently co-authored an article with Anita Manion and Adriano Udani in Public Opinion Quarterly examining political rhetoric about immigration in the United States and how it impacts public opinion about voter fraud. He is currently also working with Yuguo Liao on a project exploring the pressures faced by local officials and their decisions to remain in their roles.

Kimball is hoping the additional funding from his stipend will support new teaching and research projects involving students.

Ding, Kimball and Wang join a growing list of celebrated UMSL faculty who have earned their status as Curators’ Distinguished Professors.