4 faculty receive Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Awards

Four University of Iowa faculty members have been selected as recipients of the Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Awards for 2026.

The award, which is in its fifth year, provides funding and development opportunities for a cohort of tenured mid-career faculty who have established national or international reputations in their disciplines and demonstrate exceptional teaching and mentorship.

This year's recipients are:

• Casey DeRoo, associate professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Donika Kelly, associate professor, Department of English
• Greg LeFevre, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering
• Mary Weber, associate professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine

"Our 2026 Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholars showcase the drive, creativity, and scholarly excellence of our faculty," says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. "We proudly support their continued growth as they advance impactful research, education, and innovations that benefit our university, Iowans, and beyond."

Awardees receive $25,000 per year for three years to support their scholarly activities, along with mentorship and guidance on their career development plan. The awardees participate in development activities covering research leadership, mentoring, and resource management, and will share their area of expertise at the annual Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Symposium.

The Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Award program underscores the university's dedication to fostering faculty growth during a pivotal stage in their careers. By investing in the continued development of these scholars, the university strengthens its long-standing commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service, and supports the ongoing advancement of its academic mission.

Casey DeRoo

DeRoo, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, specializes in building instruments for space telescopes that detect X-rays. These tools allow scientists to study extreme events in the universe, including exploding stars, black holes, and massive clusters of galaxies - objects that can only be observed from space.

Since joining Iowa in 2018, DeRoo has developed key technologies for future NASA X-ray space telescopes. In 2020, he received NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship, which supports emerging leaders in astrophysics mission development. He has secured more than $5.8 million in external funding, including $1.5 million to expand advanced equipment at the Iowa Spaceflight Laboratory, further strengthening Iowa's role in spaceflight instrumentation.

A dedicated mentor, DeRoo has guided students and postdoctoral scholars to earn competitive NASA fellowships, national awards, and faculty and research appointments. He also serves as Director of Research Operations for the department.

"His vision and growing national profile are propelling his future as an instrument lead on NASA missions," says Gregory Howes, departmental executive officer for physics and astronomy.

DeRoo earned a Bachelor of Arts in physics and classical studies from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and a PhD in physics from the University of Iowa.

Donika Kelly

Kelly, associate professor in the Department of English, is an award-winning poet whose work has received national and international recognition. Her collection The Renunciationsearned a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in 2023 and the 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.

Kelly's most recent collection, The Natural Order of Things, received widespread critical acclaim, including coverage in major national media outlets and a cover feature in Poets & Writers. A poem from the collection was featured on NPR's All Things Considered. Her poetry explores personal experience in conversation with larger social and environmental forces. Her current manuscript, Fluke, draws on research into humpback whales and orcas to examine memory, family, and ecological disruption.

Kelly contributes extensively to the university's creative writing community, curating craft talks, leading MFA preparation workshops, and advocating for the humanities on campus and beyond.

"She is a charismatic advocate for literature and the humanities and a consistent presence at literary events on campus, in Iowa City, and beyond," says Loren Glass, M.F. Carpenter Professor and chair of English. "We see Professor Kelly as a future leader of creative writing on campus."

Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Southern Arkansas University, an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD in English from Vanderbilt University.

Greg LeFevre

LeFevre, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and researcher with IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering, is widely recognized for his work helping communities better understand and manage pollutants that end up in rivers, lakes, and stormwater systems.

LeFevre studies contaminants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and compounds released as tires break down in water. His research focuses on natural approaches to cleaning stormwater, including systems that use plants, soil, and microbes to remove pollution from runoff before it reaches local waterways.

His work has shaped national conversations on water quality and earned major recognition, including a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. He has secured more than $5 million in funding from federal agencies, including NSF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Geological Survey, and has published extensively in his field.

LeFevre also is a committed teacher and mentor. He has developed core courses in environmental chemistry, microbiology, and water treatment, and his students have earned national thesis and dissertation awards.

"His achievements exemplify excellence across research, teaching, and service," says Allen Bradley, departmental executive officer and professor of civil and environmental engineering. "His teaching and service further distinguish him as a dedicated and engaged faculty member who advances both academic programs and real-world practice."

LeFevre earned a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering from Michigan Technological University and Master of Science and PhD degrees in environmental engineering from the University of Minnesota. He completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University.

Mary Weber

Weber, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Carver College of Medicine, leads an internationally recognized research program that studies how disease-causing bacteria invade and manipulate human cells.

Her work focuses on Chlamydia trachomatis, a bacterium that infects more than 150 million people worldwide each year and is linked to infertility, blindness, and certain cancers. Weber studies how infection contributes to long-term cellular changes that can lead to cancer. Weber has received three National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and published 19 highly cited papers since starting her independent research program. She also leads efforts to develop genetic tools for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the bacterium that causes scrub typhus, expanding research in infectious disease.

"This high-risk, high-reward effort positions her as a leading investigator in conducting research on understudied infectious agents," says Li Wu, professor, endowed chair and departmental executive officer of microbiology and immunology. "It marks a clear inflection point in the growth and reach of her research program."

Weber is a dedicated mentor and campus leader who helps train the next generation of scientists. She co-directs a federally funded research training program, serves on NIH study sections, and founded the American Society for Microbiology Student Chapter at the University of Iowa to support undergraduate and graduate students' professional growth.

Weber earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Akron, a Master of Science in biology from Texas State University, and a PhD in biomedical sciences from Texas A&M Health Science Center. She completed postdoctoral training at the NIH and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Rocky Mountain Laboratories.