The Bloomberg Distinguished Professorships program is building a group of 130 faculty members whose excellence in research, teaching, and service is centered on interdisciplinary scholarship. The Bloomberg Distinguished Professors (BDPs) intellectually bridge the university’s schools and divisions, conduct and stimulate innovative research that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries, and train a new generation of collaborative scholars. Together, they advance the university’s commitment to new directions in scholarship and strengthen Johns Hopkins’ leadership in research fields of international interest.
Among the world’s most accomplished interdisciplinary scholars, these faculty link academic disciplines, open novel fields of inquiry, and invigorate the entire community, all in the service of tackling society’s most complex problems. BDPs are appointed in two or more schools or divisions, including academic centers reporting directly to the provost, or in two or more departments within a single school.
With appointments across 10 divisions at Johns Hopkins, BDPs serve as human bridges, connecting academics across divisions and departments to build intellectual communities that transcend traditional research disciplines. BDPs are strengthening a culture of interdisciplinarity across the university and training students to form the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers.
Launched in 2013, the program is backed by gifts from Michael R. Bloomberg, Johns Hopkins alumnus, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and 108th mayor of New York City. The majority of Mr. Bloomberg’s original 2013 gift was dedicated to creating 50 new interdisciplinary professorships, galvanizing people, resources, research, and educational opportunities to address major world problems. In 2021, a second gift from Mr. Bloomberg enabled Johns Hopkins to recruit 50 more exceptional scholars. In 2023, the program further expanded to include 30 additional Bloomberg Distinguished Professors focusing on data science and translation – bringing the total number of BDPs to 130.
