Prof Karen Murphy, Advisory Board Member of the Centre for the Study of Resilience (CSR), Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, has been awarded the title of distinguished professor in the College of Education at the University of Pennsylvania State University, USA.

The title of distinguished professor recognizes the academic contributions of current, full-time faculty members who hold the rank of professor. Distinguished professors are acknowledged leaders in their fields of research or creative activity; demonstrate significant leadership in raising the University's standards in teaching, research or creative activity and service; and exhibit excellent teaching skills.

Murphy joined the Penn State faculty in 2002 as associate professor of education (educational psychology). She was promoted to professor in 2008. "Dr. Murphy is a master at transcending the trade-offs that can exist between rigor and relevance," said David H. Monk, dean of the College of Education. "Her work is squarely focused on problems of practice and she brings the full weight of deep and rigorous analysis to the explorations she leads." Murphy has broken new ground in the analysis of discourse in classroom settings. She has developed applications such as Quality Talk for practicing teachers that test the insights she has gained from her research. These applications have been applied to multiple areas of the curriculum, as well as to learners from differing ages and backgrounds, including students from low-income families and from across different cultures and languages. Monk stated that the cross-cultural dimensions of Murphy’s work are especially noteworthy and speak to the broad reach of her impact as a scholar. "I know from first-hand experience that her work has been well-received in Taiwan where a major effort is being made to implement Quality Talk throughout the entire Taiwanese school system," Monk said.

Rayne Sperling, associate dean for undergraduate and graduate studies in the college, said Murphy excels in all areas where she has responsibility as a tenured faculty member. "She is a gifted and dedicated teacher in a demanding area of our curriculum," Sperling said. "She works very effectively as an adviser and can point to an impressive track record of her students developing into independent and productive scholars. Her publications are numerous and highly influential and she has distinguished herself as a principal investigator on large grants from major funding sources, including the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences."

In the college, Murphy, had a two-term appointment as the Eberly Faculty Fellow and earned the Cotterill Leadership Enhancement Award in recognition of her work as the chair of the College's elected Faculty Council. Murphy also has been recognized for her accomplishments from organizations including the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association.