Washington and Lee Names Six Faculty Members to Endowed Professorships in The College and The Williams School

By Brian Laubscher
June 25, 2026

Washington and Lee University has announced that six faculty members will be named to endowed professorships within the College and The Williams School effective July 1, 2026.

Nadia Ayoub - John T. Herwick, M.D. Professor of Biology

Nadia Ayoub, professor of biology, will be named to the John T. Herwick, M.D. Professorship in Biology. The professorship was created in 2009 by Dr. John T. Herwick, Class of 1936, and his wife, Mary T. Herwick, as a memorial to Oscar E. and Edith D. Herwick, Dr. Herwick's parents.

Ayoub joined W&L's faculty in 2009 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship through the National Institutes of Health at the University of California, Riverside. Her research specializes in genetics with a unique focus on the genetic and protein structures that enable spiders to adapt their behaviors and biological materials to varying environmental conditions. She has frequently published on the topic and has received funding from the National Science Foundation to assist in her research. Ayoub earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.

Aliaa Bassiouny - A. Stevens Miles Professorship in Banking and Finance

A professor of finance, Aliaa Bassiouny will hold the A. Stevens Miles Professorship in Banking and Finance, which was established in 2012 to support a distinguished professor who is an accomplished scholar and exceptional teacher with expertise in banking and finance. The endowment is the gift of A. Stevens Miles Jr., Class of 1951 and a former rector of the Board of Trustees.

Bassiouny first joined the W&L faculty in 2019 after seven years as a professor of finance at The American University in Cairo (Egypt), where she chaired the Department of Management. At W&L, she serves as the faculty adviser for the Williams Investment Society, one of the largest student-managed investment funds in the U.S. Her research focuses on examining issues related to trading and investments in international financial markets, and she has been published in several peer-reviewed international finance journals. Bassiouny earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and an MBA in finance from The American University in Cairo as well as a Master of Research and Ph.D. in management sciences (finance) from Esade Business School (Spain).

Kevin Beanland - Rupert and Lillian Radford Professor of Mathematics

Kevin Beanland is a professor of mathematics and associate dean of the College for administration. He will hold the title of Rupert and Lillian Radford Professor of Mathematics, which was established in 1982 as the result of a generous gift from the Rupert Radford Trust, created by the late Rupert Radford of Houston.

Beanland has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2013 and joined the dean's office in 2022. He previously taught at Amherst College and Virginia Commonwealth University. His research focuses on the field of Banach space theory, looking at the geometry of Banach spaces and the examination of bounded linear operators within the spaces. He has also been published in many leading journals alongside colleagues and students alike. At the university, Beanland has served on the President's Advisory Committee, the Faculty Executive Committee and the University Committee on Inclusiveness and Campus Climate. He has also been a visiting scholar at the National Technical University of Athens (Greece), Jagiellonian University (Poland) and Vienna University of Technology (Austria). Beanland holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from St. Mary's College of Maryland and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of South Carolina.

Stu Gray - Darrold and Kay Cannan Term Professorship

Stu Gray is an assistant professor of politics and will hold the Darrold and Kay Cannan Term Professorship, which was established in 2007 by Darrold A. Cannan Jr. '53 and his wife, Kay. It is a permanently endowed fund that provides support for a faculty member in the Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics, as determined by the dean. The award recognizes a different professor every three years.

Gray joined the W&L faculty in 2015 after serving as the Charles and Amy Scharf Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. His research explores political theory with a particular focus on the history of political thought, Greek and Indian political theory and cross-cultural political thought. His work has appeared in several edited volumes, and he has written a pair of books: "A Defense of Rule: Origins of Political Thought in Greece and India" (2017), and "The Political Theory of the Bhagavad-Gītā: Deep Ideology, Nationalism and Democratic Life on the Indian Subcontinent" (2025). Gray earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Davis and both a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jeff Kosky - Abigail Grigsby Urquhart '11 Term Professor of Religion

Jeff Kosky is a professor of religion and will be named the Abigail Grigsby Urquhart '11 Term Professor of Religion. The professorship was established in 2007 by Urquhart's parents, A. Willam and Mary Urquhart, and is a permanently endowed fund providing support for a university faculty member who is judged to be excellent in teaching and in professional contributions. The award recognizes a different professor every three to five years.

Kosky has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2003. His research centers on religion and inquiry in the humanities, secularity and religion, philosophy and the question of happiness. He has authored numerous published essays and has produced three books: "Levinas and the Philosophy of Religion" (2001), "Arts of Wonder: Enchanting Secularity - Walter De Maria, Diller + Scofidio, James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy" (2013) and, most recently, "From the Heart: A Memoir and a Meditation - On a Vital Organ" (2025). Kosky earned a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Molly Michelmore - S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of History

Molly Michelmore will be named the S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of History, which was established in 1973 in memory of Mason, Class of 1905, through trusts created by Mason and his wife to benefit certain charities.

Michelmore has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2006 and served as the head of the History Department from 2020 until 2025. She has served the university on a variety of committees, including the Faculty Executive Committee, the Shepherd Faculty Review Committee, the Committee on Courses and Degrees and the President's Advisory Committee. She has authored several book chapters and peer-reviewed articles and has produced two books, "Tax and Spend: The Welfare State, Tax Politics and the Limits of American Liberalism" (2014) and "The United States in World War II: A Documentary History" (2018), co-edited with Mark Stoler. Michelmore holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Amherst College and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan.

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