Fiona Goggin, University Professor of entomology and plant pathology, and Rebecca Muenich, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering, were reappointed as the U of A Provost's Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.

Both Goggin and Muenich were first named Provost's Fellows in July 2024. The fellowship provides administrative leadership experience for U of A faculty, and each fellow works on a project of strategic importance to the university and provides recommendations for implementation to the provost. 

Goggin was reappointed as the Provost's Fellow for Faculty Mentoring. Goggin will assist the Provost's Office in supporting the university's reputation as an employer of choice and by leveraging the current infrastructure of the Bridge Mentoring Program, Leadership Exploration program and other mentoring programs to expand and deepen faculty connections to faculty life on campus and with each other around research, teaching and leadership development.

Muenich will serve as the Provost's Fellow for Honorific Awards. Muenich will assist the Provost's Office and the Division of Research and Innovation with increasing the number of faculty nominations for honorific awards in the areas of scholarship, creative endeavors and teaching, with the goal of elevating the national reputation of U of A faculty and strengthening the university's reputation as an employer of choice.

More About Goggin

Goggin joined the U of A in 2001 as an assistant professor. She was promoted to full professor in 2011 and to University Professor in 2025. In addition to her role as professor, she is the director of the Arkansas Bioimaging Facility for Agricultural Research and a past chair of the Bumpers College Faculty Council.

Her research focuses on plant defenses against herbivory with an emphasis on mechanisms of resistance against vascular feeders such as aphids and root-knot nematodes. She has published 53 peer-reviewed articles and has helped secure more than $10 million in competitive grant funding. In addition, she has been invited to speak at more than 100 research presentations.

Goggin has received several awards for her research and mentorship. She received the U of A's Golden Tusk Award in 2020 for graduate advising; the Southeastern Branch Entomological Society of America Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology in 2014; the Outstanding Mentor Award from the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards in 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017 for undergraduate research advising; and the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award from the Office of the Provost in 2024. She was also instrumental in her department receiving the Provost's Award for Departmental Excellence in Mentoring in April 2024. During the 2023-24 academic year, she served as a UA ENGAGE co-director, and she is an alumna of iLEAD, the U of A Division of Agriculture's leadership development program.

Goggin holds a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor's degree in plant science from Cornell University.

More About Muenich

Muenich joined the U of A in 2023 as associate professor. She is an expert in watershed modeling for surface hydrology and water quality, especially in agricultural ecosystems. 

Her research focuses on evaluating the impact of land management decisions within the food-energy-water nexus. She has contributed to 60 publications and has participated in more than 100 presentations. She has also helped secure more than $20 million in active and completed research awards.

Muenich has received many honors for her work, including Outstanding ABE Alumni from Purdue University in 2025, the Early Career Alumni Award from the U of A in 2022, the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award from the ASU Faculty Women's Association, the New Face of ASABE from the American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers in 2020 and the Robert E. Stewart Engineering & Humanities Award from the American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers in 2011, among others. She was also inducted into the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in 2020. During the 2023-24 academic year, she served as a UA ENGAGE co-director.

Prior to joining the U of A, she was an assistant professor at Arizona State University and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Muenich holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree from Purdue University and a bachelor's degree from the U of A.

---

About the University of Arkansas:  As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.