UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s Donald C. Bolser, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences, was named one of the University of Florida’s 2025 Research Foundation Professors, a nod to his innovation, productivity and record of research and scholarship at the university.
Each year, UF identifies the university’s most innovative, productive and promising faculty members as UFRF Professors. The three-year award includes a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 grant.
One of few scientists working on understanding how and why we cough, Bolser was also recognized as a UFRF professor in 2017 for a three-year term. His work largely focuses on the science and physiology of coughing, and bridging the gap between how a cough is produced and how the defensive reflex is inhibited by antitussive drugs, or cough suppressants.
For Bolser, a steering committee member for UF’s Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center, the long-range goal is to delineate the how the nervous system produces and regulates cough and to expand knowledge of the mechanisms by which cough suppressants inhibit coughing. In short, which areas of the brain trigger cough and how they function and react to drugs.
“Since the professorships were created in 1997, over 900 faculty have been named UFRF Professors,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “These are our most innovative and productive faculty, with a proven record of research and scholarship and the potential for even more success in the future.”
The UFRF Professors were recommended by their college deans based on nominations from their department chairs, a personal statement and an evaluation of their recent research accomplishments as evidenced by publications in scholarly journals, external funding, honors and awards, development of intellectual property and other measures appropriate to their field of expertise.
The professorships are funded from the university’s share of royalty and licensing income on UF-generated products.