Rising Professors: 2026

See the full list here.

Being a professor is one of the most difficult technical jobs on the planet.

Being an early career assistant professor, even harder.

You need to set up your lab, teach students, deal with a research agenda, get funding, go to conferences, mentor students, and more.

It's time to recognize these people.

Today, we're thrilled to launch our first list of rising professors, highlighting professors across the planet that have been consistently marked as truly exceptional by undergrads, PhD students, and other researchers across academia and industry.

Each person on this list spikes in a different area, but collectively they represent a set of individuals that are truly pushing the frontier of humanity forward.

We're honored to play a small step in that journey. Please join us in congratulating this exceptional group of people.

This list reflects the collective judgment of the Delta Institute community. Nominations for future editions are open. If you have someone in mind, please let someone in our community know.