Associate Professor of Biology Parul Khurana is one of 25 faculty members selected to serve as an Indiana University Bicentennial Professor beginning July 1.

Parul Khurana

Bicentennial Professors were nominated in spring 2018, reviewed and recommended by the IU executive vice presidents, chancellors, and deans, before they were approved by President Michael McRobbie and the Board of Trustees.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Michelle Malott said, “IU East is incredibly proud of Dr. Khurana and her selection as an Indiana University Bicentennial Professor. She is an exemplary teacher-scholar of the STEM disciplines. Dr. Khurana has a strong commitment to public outreach and is skilled at sharing her expertise about botany in a manner that is accessible to and engages community members.”

Khurana joined the IU East faculty in January 2011.

“It is an honor to be selected as an Indiana University Bicentennial Professor,” Khurana said. “I appreciate IU’s commitment to public outreach, and am pleased to be a part of this mission.”

The year-long appointment is through is part of the university’s continued commitment to public outreach and community engagement.

Each Bicentennial Professor will travel around the state delivering public presentations at community forums that describe – in an engaging and accessible manner – some of their research or professional activities. Speaking engagements will be arranged by the Office of the Bicentennial in cooperation with Indiana community leaders, with the aim of reaching all of Indiana’s 92 counties.

“This is a unique opportunity for me to have direct conversations with members of the community about my scholarship in biology education and plant cell biology, and the importance of scientific research at the undergraduate level. I look forward to engaging with the community, and am honored to represent IU East and IU across the state of Indiana,” Khurana said.

Khurana received her Bachelor of Science in Botany and her Master of Science in Plant Molecular Biology from the University of Delhi, in India. She completed her Ph.D. in Plant Cell Biology from Purdue University in 2010. Her research interests include root gravitropism; actin cytoskeleton; and biology education research. She received IU East’s New Faculty Teaching Award in 2014 and she was inducted into the Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) in 2016.