UNT continues to offer superior graduate education and research. Most recently, two national academy members were brought in and a longtime professor was recognized for his service. Jim Williams, a leading authority on titanium alloys and a National Academy of Engineering member, joined UNT in July as a distinguished research professor of materials science and engineering. In February, Richard A. Dixon, a world-renowned plant researcher and National Academy of Sciences member, will become a distinguished research professor of biological sciences and a member of UNT's Signaling Mechanisms in Plants research cluster. Bob Bland, professor and chair of the Department of Public Administration, was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He was the only newly elected fellow from Texas in 2012.