Reuben Kapur, PhD, director of the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research and vice chair for basic science research at Indiana University School of Medicine, has been named an IU Indianapolis Chancellor’s Professor.
The award is the most distinguished appointment a faculty member can achieve at IU Indianapolis. It recognizes senior faculty with a proven track record of high-level achievement throughout their career across teaching, research and campus service.
“I’m incredibly honored by this recognition,” Kapur said. “IU Indianapolis and the IU School of Medicine have been my professional home for more than 30 years. Receiving this award feels like a true culmination of everything I’ve aimed to accomplish and contribute here.”
Kapur’s career at the IU School of Medicine began in 1994 as a Howard Hughes Research Fellow at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research. Since then, he has steadily risen through the faculty ranks, holding numerous leadership positions and serving on key institutional committees. In 2021, he became the center's fifth director.
Under his leadership, the center has grown to include more than 300 faculty investigators, staff and trainees across 11 thematic research programs focused on uncovering the causes and finding treatments for some of the most pressing pediatric health diseases and conditions. The Wells Center’s impact has helped the IU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics consistently rank among the top medical schools for pediatric-focused NIH funding, most recently securing the sixth spot in the nation in 2025.
As an NIH-funded investigator at the Wells Center and the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kapur focuses his research on childhood leukemias, including acute myeloid leukemia and juvenile myelomoncytic leukemia. His ultimate goal is to understand why these diseases occur and develop new and more effective treatments.
“With the ongoing support of my colleagues, collaborators and advocates, I look forward to many more years of transformative research to improve the lives of children diagnosed with cancer,” he said.
Kapur joins three other faculty members honored as 2026 IU Indianapolis Chancellor’s Professors. They were celebrated, alongside several other faculty and staff from across the university, for their contributions to the campus and beyond at the 2026 Celebration of Faculty and Staff Excellence.
