Congratulations to Physics Professor Noel A Clark, who was selected by the College of Arts and Sciences as a 2020 Professor of Distinction, the highest faculty title in the college. This honorific title is reserved for scholars and artists of national and international distinction who are also recognized by their College peers as teachers and colleagues of exceptional talent. The award includes a monetary award to support the recipient’s research and teaching, and Noel will be giving a public lecture this Spring. Previous faculty members in Physics who have been awarded this title are John Cumalat, Chris Greene, and John Wahr. The award was based on Professor Clark’s outstanding research, student mentoring, and service. Noel is one the leading researchers in the world on the physics of liquid crystals. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has won multiple major awards including the Oliver E. Buckley Prize which is given each year by the American Physical Society to the nation’s top condensed matter physicist. Professor Clark has served as the Ph.D. supervisor for 48 students, which is the most by any faculty member in the department. In addition, about thirty undergraduates have earned Latin Honors based on thesis research in his lab. Noel has been the Director of the Liquid Crystal and Soft Matter research centers for the past sixteen years, and has founded three companies based on his research.