The Distinguished Research Lectureship has been awarded to more than 100 recipients. Some of the most recent past recipients include:

2023
Kirk Ambrose (Classics)
Rebecca Safran (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

2022
Shelly L. Miller (Environmental Engineering)
Rubén Donato (Education)

2021
Roy Parker (Biochemistry)
Rebecca Maloy (Music)

2020
Victor Bright (Mechanical Engineering)
Kent Hutchison (Psychology and Neuroscience)

2019
Helmut Müller-Sievers (German and Slavic Languages and Literature)

2018
Kristine Larson (Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences)
William M. Lewis Jr. (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

2017
Christopher Bowman (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
Elspeth R. M. Dusinberre (Classics)

2016
Professor David Korevaar (Music)
Professor Thomas T. Veblen (Geography)

2015
Professor Diane McKnight (Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering)
Professor Zoya Popovic (Electrical Engineering)
Professor Doug Seals (Integrative Physiology)

2014
Professor Peter Molnar (CIRES)

2013
Professor Brian Toon (ATOC, LASP) 

2012
Professor Veronica Bierbaum (Chemistry)

2011
Professor Kristi Anseth (Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biofrontiers)

2010
Professor Daniel Baker (LASP, APS, Physics)

2009
Professor Mark Ablowitz (Applied Mathematics)

2008
Professor Fred Anderson (History)

2007
Professor Michael Yarus (MCDB)

2005
Professor Harvey Segur (Applied Mathematics)
Professor Erika Doss (Art & Art History)

2003
Professor Allan Franklin (Physics)
Professor Margaret Eisenhart (Education)

2002
Professor William B. Wood (MCDB) and John DeFries (Psychology)

2001
Professor Michael Shull (Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences)

2000
Professor Robert Schulzinger (History)

1999
Professor Richard McIntosh (MCDB)
Professor John S. Werner (Psychology)

1997
Professor Carl Wieman (Physics)

1993
Professor Betty Woodman (Fine Arts)
Professor Frede Jensen (French & Italian)
Professor Juri Toomre (Astrophysics)

1992
Professor John Cooper (Physics)
Professor Peter Conti (APAS, JILA)

1991
Professor Larry Gold (MCDB)
Professor Steven Maier (Psychology)

1990
Professor Jan Mycielski (Mathematics)
Professor Stan Brakhage (Film Studies)

1989
Professor James T. "Casey" Hynes (Chemistry & Biochemistry)
Professor Thomas R. Cech (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

1988
Professor Fred Glover (Business)
Professor Jeffrey Meyers (English)

1987
Professor James R. Kincaid (English)
Professor Noel A. Clark (Physics)
Professor William M. Calder III (Classics)

1986 
Professor Richard Schoek (English, Humanities, Comp. Lit.)

1985
Professor Seymour Geller (Electrical Engineering)
Professor Richard McCray (APAS, JILA)

1984
Professor Walter Kintsch (Psychology/ICS)
Professor Marvin H. Caruthers (Chemistry)

1983
Professor Reg Saner (English)
Professor Asim O. Barut (Physics)

1982
Professor Richard Jessor (IBS, Psychology)
Professor W. Carl Lineberger (Chemistry) 

1981
Professor Wolfgang Schmidt (Mathematics)
Professor James Scott (Physics)

1980
Professor John P. Cox (Astro-Geophysics) 
Professor Peter Albersheim (Chemistry, MCDB)