Gary Emmert is the 2010 recipient of the Dunavant Professorship.

Dr. Gary L. Emmert is an Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Chemistry. He is a native Tennessean and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from Tennessee Tech where he worked with Professor V. Dean Adams. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Miami University of Ohio in 1999 working with Volwiler Distinguished Research Professor Gilbert Gordon. He joined the faculty at the University of Memphis in 2002 following appointments at Arkansas State University and St. Lawrence University.

Aside from the Dunavant Professorship, he is the First Tennessee Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fellow at The University of Memphis and the Director of Mobile Analytical Monitoring and Miniaturization Laboratory (MAMML) in the Department of Chemistry. He was also a recipient of the College of Arts & Sciences Early Career Research Award. He is an active mentor in the Graduate School; Five of his former graduate students are now faculty members at colleges around the US and several are employed in industry.

His research interests include Analytical and Environmental Chemistry; Automated Methods of Analysis; Microfabrication and Microfluidics; On-Line Monitoring; Chemistry of Drinking Water Disinfection; and Chemical Kinetics of Water Treatment processes. His work has been supported by the Water Research Foundation, the USEPA, NASA, NSF, the U of M-Fed Ex Institute of Technology as well as numerous awards from private industry.

About the Dunavant Professorships

Dunavant Professorships are endowed by a generous gift from William Dunavant. The College of Arts & Sciences awards one to four professorships annually. Awardees receive $5,000 per year for three years to support their research programs. Since 1999, twenty-nine Dunavant Professorships have been awarded.

Consideration is given to insure equitable distribution among all of the disciplines and grand divisions (i.e., Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Humanities); however, outstanding achievement is the major consideration. Awardees are ineligible for re-consideration for a minimum of three years following expiration of the initial award.

Nominations are sought annually for tenured faculty who:

• Demonstrate exceptional achievement in teaching, scholarship, service, and outreach
• Are associate or full professors
• Have served as members of the University of Memphis faculty for a minimum of eight years

University of Memphis faculty members, department chairs, and administrators are eligible to make nominations.

Visit the College of Arts & Sciences website for a list of past recipients.