On April 29, 1912, a special Academic Council committee reported favorably on a proposal by President Benjamin Ide Wheeler “to consider the feasibility of establishing at the University a series of lectures for the presentation of results of research at the University of California.” Since then, except during the war year of 1919, the Academic Senate has annually elected one or two faculty members who are distinguished for scholarly research to serve as a Faculty Research Lecturer. A historical list is presented below.
2023
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Francesca Rochberg, Catherine and William L. Magistretti Distinguished Professor of Near Eastern Studies Emerita
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Jitendra Malik, Arthur J. Chick Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences
2022
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David H. Raulet, Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology
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Timothy Hampton, Aldo Scaglione and Marie M. Burns Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and French
2021
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K. Birgitta Whaley, Professor of Chemical Physics
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Franklin Zimring, William G. Simon Professor of Law
2020
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Steven Lindow, Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology
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David Card, Professor of Economics
2019 Alison Gopnik, Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy Jill Banfield, Professor of Earth and Planetary Science, and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
2018 Victoria Kahn, Professor of Comparative Literature and Katharine Bixby Hotchkis Professor of English William Dietrich, Professor of Earth and Planetary Science
2017 James Sethian, James H. Simons Chair in Mathematics Thomas W. Laqueur, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor of History
2016 Mark Griffith, Classics and Theater Pamela Samuelson, Law and Information
2015 Montgomery Slatkin, Integrative Biology Jennifer Doudna, Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
2014 Harvey Blanch, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Francine Masiello, Spanish and Comparative Literature
2013 Catherine Gallagher, English Barbara Romanowicz, Earth and Planetary Science
2012 Terry Speed, Statistics Jan de Vries, History and Economics
2011 Linda Williams, Film Studies and Rhetoric Saul Perlmutter, Physics
2010 Walter Alvarez, Earth and Planetary Science (watch lecture) Leslie Kurke, Classics and Comparative Literature
2009 Robert L. Hass, English Michael Levine, Genetics, Genomics, and Development
2008 Jean M.J. Fréchet, Chemistry Daniel Boyarin, Near Eastern Studies and Rhetoric
2007 Martin Jay, History Vaughan F. R. Jones, Mathematics
2006 Nicholas R. Cozzarelli, Molecular and Cell Biology Barry Stroud, Philosophy
2005 Judith Butler, Rhetoric, Comparative Literature, and Gender and Women’s Studies John Clarke, Physics and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
2004 Erich S. Gruen, History & Classics David B. Wake, Integrative Biology
2003 Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Medical Anthropology Gabor A. Somorjai, Chemistry
2002 Robert Tjian, Molecular and Cell Biology Timothy J. Clark, History of Art
2001 Frank H. Shu, Astronomy Richard Taruskin, Music
2000 Anthony A. Long, Classics Alexandre Chorin, Mathematics
1999 Robert L. Middlekauff, American History Randy W. Schekman, Molecular and Cell Biology
1998 John E. Casida, Chemical and Molecular Entomology Robert B. Alter, Hebrew and Comparative Literature
1997 Ernst B. Haas, Government Marvin L. Cohen, Physics
1996 Alexander Pines, Chemistry Stephen Greenblatt, English
1995 Gene Brucker, History Manuel Blum, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
1994 Howard K. Schachman, Molecular and Cell Biology Susan Ervin-Tripp, Psychology
1993 Yuan T. Lee, Chemistry Sanford H. Kadish, Law
1992 Frederick C. Crews, English Doris H. Calloway, Nutritional Sciences
1991 Paul L. Richards, Physics Andrew W. Imbrie, Music
1990 Thomas G. Rosenmeyer, Greek and Comparative Literature Allan C. Wilson, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
1989 Harold S. Johnston, Chemistry Yakov Malkiel, Linguistics
1988 Robert Brentano, History Howard A. Bern, Zoology
1987 John R. Searle, Philosophy H. Bolton Seed, Civil Engineering
1986 Charles H. Townes, Physics Jonas A. Barish, English
1985 Bruce N. Ames, Biochemistry Gerard Debreu, Economics and Mathematics
1984 Edward H. Schafer, Oriental Languages Stephen Smale, Mathematics and Economics
1983 Elizabeth F. Colson, Anthropology Russell L. DeValois, Psychology
1982 James Cahill, History of Art Richard M. Karp, Computer Science
1981 Henry F. May, History John M. Prausnitz, Chemical Engineering
1980 Czeslaw Milosz, Slavic Languages and Literature Daniel E. Koshland, Jr., Biochemistry
1979 Erwin L. Hahn, Physics J. Desmond Clark, Anthropology
1978 Joseph W. Kerman, Music Shiing-shen Chern, Mathematics
1977 Frank A. Beach, Psychology Ralph Emerson, Botany
1976 Josephine Miles, English John Verhoogen, Geology and Geophysics
1975 William J. Bouwsma, History George C. Pimentel, Chemistry
1974 Daniel Mazia, Zoology John H. Reynolds, Physics
1973 Walter W. Horn, History of Art Earl R. Parker, Materials Science and Engineering
1972 Horace A. Barker, Biochemistry Sherwood L. Washburn, Anthropology
1971 David Blackwell, Statistics
1970 Francis J. Turner, Geology
1969 Kingsley Davis, Sociology
1968 Heinz L. Fraenkel-Conrat, Molecular Biology
1967 Yuen Ren Chao, Oriental Languages and Literature
1966 Leo Brewer, Chemistry
1965 Mary R. Haas, Linguistics
1964 Curt Stern, Zoology
1963 Alfred Tarski, Mathematics
1962 Luis Walter Alvarez, Physics
1961 Bertrand H. Bronson, English
1960 Emilio Segré, Physics
1959 Glenn T. Seaborg, Chemistry
1958 Stephen C. Pepper, Philosophy
1957 Melvin Calvin, Chemistry
1956 Murray B. Emeneau, General Linguistics and Sanskrit
1955 Edwin M. McMillan, Physics
1954 Roy E. Clausen, Genetics
1953 Wendell M. Latimer, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
1952 Stuart Daggett, Transportation
1951 Agnes Fay Morgan, Nutrition
1950 Griffith C. Evans, Mathematics
1949 Robert H. Lowie, Anthropology
1948 William Francis Giauque, Chemistry
1947 Edward C. Tolman, Psychology
1946 Raymond T. Birge, Physics
1945 John S. P. Tatlock, English
1944 Ernest B. Babcock, Genetics
1943 Robert J. Kerner, European History
1942 Dennis R. Hoagland, Plant Nutrition
1941 Ivan M. Linforth, Greek
1940 George D. Louderback, Geology
1939 Henry Frederick Lutz, Egyptology and Assyriology
1938 Ernest O. Lawrence, Physics
1937 Karl F. Meyer, Bacteriology
1936 Joel H. Hildebrand, Chemistry
1935 Frederick J. Teggart, Social Institutions
1934 Willis Linn Jepson, Botany
1933 George P. Adams, Philosophy
1932 William Hammond Wright, Astronomy
1931 William A. Setchell, Botany
1930 William Popper, Semitic Languages
1929 Samuel J. Holmes, Zoology
1928 Alfred L. Kroeber, Anthropology
1927 Andrew C. Lawson, Geology
1926 Florian Cajori, Mathematics
1925 Herbert M. Evans, Anatomy
1924 Carl C. Plehn, Economics
1923 George R. Noyes, Slavic Languages
1922 Charles A. Kofoid, Zoology
1921 Charles Mills Gayley, English
1920 Gilbert N. Lewis, Chemistry
1918 Rudolph Schevill, Spanish Language and Literature
1917 Herbert E. Bolton, American History
1916 Frederick P. Gay, Pathology
1915 Armin O. Leuschner, Astronomy
1914 John C. Merriam, Paleontology
1913 William Wallace Campbell, Astronomy