Professor Laureates: Piotr Kokoszka and Olve Peersen
Statistics professor, Piotr Kokoszka, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology professor, Olve Peersen, have been named the 2024 College of Natural Sciences Professor Laureates. This prestigious title is the college’s highest academic honor, awarded to faculty who have made outstanding contributions to research, teaching, mentoring, and outreach. The Professor Laureate title is held for three years and includes an honorarium and two years of research funding.
Piotr Kokoszka
Professor, Department of Statistics
Piotr Kokoszka joined CSU as a full professor in 2011, coming from Utah State University where he earned the rank of full professor in 2007. Kokoszka holds two Ph.D.s, one in statistics from Boston University and one in applied mathematics from Wroclas Polytechnic in Poland.
Kokoszka is known internationally for his contributions to statistical theory and methodology. He applies statistics to significant problems in other disciplines, notably space physics, engineering, and econometrics; including a recent project using statistical analysis to detect faults in powerlines. His work has earned recognition through a fellowship in the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, awarded to Kokoszka in 2018, and in 2023, the Neyman Medal from the Polish Statistical Society.
In addition to his research, Kokoszka is an impactful educator. As undergraduate director of the statistics department, he stewarded a new major – Bachelor of Science in applied statistics – that is available for students this academic year. Kokozka has taught 12 different courses at CSU from 300-level undergraduate courses to 700-level Ph.D. courses. His graduate students include 12 Ph.D. advisees who have gone on to faculty positions, banking, and data science careers.
His service includes participating in editorial boards for top statistics journals including the Journal of the American Statistics Association and the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. He has also been invited to sit on 13 National Science Foundation panels.
Olve Peersen
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Olve Peersen joined CSU in 2000 and earned the rank of full professor in 2012. Peersen holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.
Peersen’s seminal contributions to understanding RNA viruses has led to him being internationally known as a structural biology scholar. His research focuses on RNA virus polymerases, the enzymes that make copies of viral genomes, and understanding how they give rise to virus variants. His work has mostly focused on picornaviruses – such as poliovirus, rhinovirus, and foot and mouth disease virus – and, more recently, coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Peersen’s work has influenced the treatment of these viruses through improved antiviral drug design and vaccine approaches. The bulk of his funding comes from a National Institutes of Health R01 award that has been continually funded for 20 years and he was recently selected for the prestigious NIH MERIT Award which is given to only about 15 investigators each year based on “stellar records of research accomplishment.”
Not only is Peersen’s work award winning in the laboratory, but his contributions in the classroom have been recognized via a “stereographic classroom” that utilizes high resolution computers and specialized glasses that allow students to visualize complex molecular structures in 3D – a vast improvement from previous 2D visualizations in textbooks. This work was recognized with the CSU Provost N. Preston Davis Award for Innovation in Teaching.
Peersen’s service includes being a regular member of the NIH Virology grant review panel, sitting on the department’s executive committee, and serving on the CSU Faculty Council.
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