4 Kansas University professors receive inaugural awards for scholarly achievement

Four Kansas University researchers have been selected to receive the first University Scholarly Achievement awards.

The recipients are Brian Blagg, professor of medicinal chemistry; Derrick Darby, associate professor of philosophy; Patricia Hawley, associate professor of psychology; and Bangere Purnaprajna, professor of mathematics.

The awards were developed by Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and are meant to recognize outstanding scholarship, said Jack Martin, a KU spokesman.

Though the university has several high-profile teaching awards, Gray-Little felt that establishing a high-profile research award would enhance the research mission of the university, Martin said.

“KU faculty members contribute to our world every day through their teaching and through their scholarly achievement,” Gray-Little said in a statement. “This award recognizes the value of those achievements to the state, nation and world and honors some of the world-class professors we have here at KU.”

Each winner will receive $8,000.

Their work covers a variety of the different fields of research at KU.

Blagg is being honored for his work with protein inhibitors associated with possible treatments of cancer and diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

Darby is receiving the award for his book “Rights, Race and Recognition,” which examines theories of rights as related to the experience of black Americans before the Civil War and during segregation.

Hawley has developed the Resource Control Theory, which seeks to explain social dominance. It is featured in most widely used textbooks on child and adolescent development.

Purnaprajna has contributed to algebraic geometry and the classification of algebraic surfaces and has been published in the top journals in the field of mathematics.