Elena Karahanna and J. Marshall Shepherd, both faculty members at the University of Georgia, have been named Regents’ Professors, the highest academic honor awarded by the University System of Georgia.
Karahanna holds the title of Distinguished Research Professor and is the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Distinguished Chair in Business Administration at the Terry College of Business. Shepherd serves as the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
The Board of Regents awards Regents’ Professorships to faculty whose work has received national and international recognition for excellence in scholarship or creative activity.
“The Regents’ Professorship is a prestigious honor reserved for only the most exceptional faculty members, and I offer my deepest congratulations to Dr. Karahanna and Dr. Shepherd,” said Benjamin C. Ayers, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at UGA. “Their dedication to students, innovative research and service to our state and world is inspiring.”
Karahanna’s research focuses on how individuals and organizations interact with digital technology. She is among the most cited scholars in information systems globally, having authored three of the 25 most cited papers in MIS Quarterly. Her research covers topics such as technology adoption, algorithmic coordination, health care information technology, and societal impacts of artificial intelligence.
She has received several awards including two MIS Quarterly Best Paper Awards, the Association for Information Systems Senior Scholars Best Publication Award, and the AIS LEO Award—the highest lifetime honor in her field. She has also been recognized as an AIS Fellow and an INFORMS Information Systems Society Distinguished Fellow.
“It is rare to find a scholar who repeatedly shapes the intellectual currents of a field, yet Dr. Karahanna has done so throughout her career,” said Gerald C. Kane, C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Distinguished Chair in Business Administration and head of management information systems at UGA. “The arc of her scholarship consistently anticipates where digital technology and organizations are headed and then provides a novel conceptualization and empirical base on which others build.”
In addition to her research achievements, Karahanna has mentored many doctoral students who now hold faculty positions worldwide. She has also contributed significantly to developing doctoral curriculum at Terry College over more than twenty years.
Shepherd is recognized for his contributions to weather and climate science as well as his efforts mentoring students and early-career scientists. His work has improved understanding of extreme weather patterns, predictability, risks associated with severe weather events, as well as interactions between urban environments and hydroclimate systems in the United States.
He also works to communicate scientific findings about severe weather to broader audiences through roles such as hosting The Weather Channel’s “Weather Geeks” talk show/podcast and contributing to Forbes Magazine.
“In the field of atmospheric science, he is truly a national treasure, possessing rare and unmatched abilities to conduct original scholarly research and to convey complex scientific concepts to the general public with clarity and impact,” said Jose D. Fuentes from The Pennsylvania State University.
Since 2023 Shepherd has served as associate dean for research at Franklin College; he also holds an appointment in UGA’s College of Engineering.
Shepherd’s honors include election into three major academies: National Academy of Sciences; American Academy of Arts & Sciences; National Academy of Engineers—an achievement held by few scholars—and being named SEC Professor of Year in 2022.
A full list of current Regents’ Professors at UGA can be found on the university website.
