ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Regents, at their Oct. 19-20 meeting, appointed six faculty members to endowed or titled professorships.

Mahdi Asgari, assistant professor of mathematics; Mark E. T. Dickinson, assistant professor of mathematics; and Thomas A. Weston, assistant professor of mathematics, each were appointed a T.H. Hildebrandt Research Assistant Professor of Mathematics, effective Sept. 1, 2000-
“The T.H. Hildebrandt Research Assistant Professorships are awarded in honor of Professor T. H. Hildebrandt, who long served the Department of Mathematics as professor and chair, and whose work brought much distinction upon the University,” said Shirley Neuman, dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). Preference is given to candidates who have received a doctorate within the last two years. Individuals named as T.H. Hildebrandt Research Assistant Professor are given a reduced teaching load to allow them to concentrate to a greater degree on their research.

Among the honors Asgari has received are a bronze medal in the 32nd International Mathematical Olympiad in Sweden in 1991 and an Excellence in Teaching award from Purdue University in 1997, Neuman noted.

Dickinson’s research interests “include automorphic forms and Galois representations, arithmetic algebraic geometry, and deformation theory of Galois representations,” Neuman said.

Weston’s research interests also include arithmetic algebraic geometry and deformation theory of Galois representations as well as construction of Euler systems via geometric methods and abstract theory of Selmer groups, the LSA dean said. Among the honors Weston has received are the John Buscela Mathematics Award in 1996 and a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship from 1996 to 1999.

Eric J. Essene, professor of geology and mineralogy, also will be the William C. Kelly Collegiate Professor of Geological Sciences, effective Sept. 1, 2000-Aug. 31, 2005.

“In his 30 years at the U-M, Prof. Essene has built a remarkably strong international reputation in his field of metamorphic petrology and geochemistry. He brings a qualitative and intensely analytical approach to his studies of the pressure and temperature histories of the rocks of the earth’s crust,” Neuman said. “Prof. Essene embodies everything that makes our science exciting—perhaps the best research mind of his generation, among the finest mentors of graduate students in all of the earth sciences, a caring and hard working teacher, and a willing supplier of time and talent to his University and profession.”

Merritt Baker Fox, professor of law, was named the Alene and Allan F. Smith Professor of Law, effective Sept. 1, 2000.

“Prof. Fox is an internationally respected scholar of corporate and securities law, as well as of international private law. He has written numerous articles on such subjects as the global market for securities and corporate governance,” noted Jeffrey S. Lehman, dean of the Law School. Fox directs the Law School’s Center for International and Comparative Law and is co-director for Corporate Governance Studies at the William Davidson Institute in the Business School. “Prof. Fox’s interest in interdisciplinary work and in building connections between University units, as well as connecting the University to the world, make him an appropriate recipient of the Alene and Allan F. Smith Professorship,” Lehman added.

Mathias W. Reimann, professor of law, also will be the Hessel E. Yntema Professor of Law, effective Sept. 1, 2000.

“Prof. Reimann is a leading scholar of comparative law. He has written numerous books and articles in both English and German, including the co-edited volume ‘The Reception of Continental Ideas in Common Law World 1820-1920’ and ‘Conflict of Laws in Western Europe. A Guide through the Jungle,'” Lehman said. “He has done research at the European University Institute in Florence through a Jean Monnet Fellowship and currently serves as a member of the Board of Editors of the American Journal of Comparative Law, a journal founded by Prof. Yntema.” Reimann received the L. Hart Wright Outstanding Teaching Award for 1993-94.

Mahdi AsgariCollege of Literature, Science, and the ArtsEric J. EsseneMerritt Baker FoxJeffrey S. LehmanMathias W. ReimannJean Monnet Fellowship