Saba Rasheed Ali, PhD, professor of counseling psychology and associate dean for research at the University of Iowa College of Education, has been selected as a 2025 University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, one of the highest honors bestowed on UI faculty.

The UI Distinguished Chair is a five-year appointment that recognizes and rewards exceptional UI scholars of national and international distinction who are contributing to the institution, the state of Iowa, and beyond through their outstanding achievements in scholarship, teaching, and/or service. 

Ali, who is nationally and internationally renowned for her excellence in scholarship within the counseling psychology landscape, is also well known for her guidance, expertise, and passion for Project HOPE (Healthcare, Occupations, Preparation, and Exploration), a STEM-based, innovative career education curriculum that inspires rural, middle-school students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in STEM fields by providing them mentoring experiences with faculty and staff. 

Ali began Project HOPE in 2009 and since that time, she has seen the program expand into multiple rural communities across Iowa. Participating students visit the UI campus to meet with health science professionals and experience career simulations. Students work with faculty from multiple disciplines across the university community, including biology, psychological and quantitative foundations, engineering, chemistry, medicine, physics, astronomy, and dentistry. 

“Caring about other’s career success whether this be rural youth, doctoral students, or faculty and staff, has been my greatest calling and my favorite part of being a university professor and administrator. I am honored that I have been able to do this for 24 years at the University of Iowa,” says Ali. 

Through her work with Project HOPE and related programs, Ali has produced a substantial body of scholarly work. She has 51 peer refereed journal publications, one edited book, and 21 book chapters. She has given two keynote addresses as well as 54 refereed national and international presentations. 

Ali has also achieved substantial recognition in the field of counseling psychology. In addition to being a member and former chair of the Society for Vocational Psychology, Ali is also a member of the American Psychological Association Divisions 17, 35, and 46, as well as the Division 17 Section on the Advancement of Women. 

In the College of Education, Ali has consistently shown exceptional dedication to service and teaching. With expertise in vocational psychology, she has taught the work psychology course for decades. Through her instructional expertise, students learn the importance of vocation in the lives of their clients, and the societal and mental health impacts of work. 

“Through my commitment to vocational psychology and workforce development, I try to work to improve people’s lives,” says Ali. “I am grateful that I get to do this through all the roles that I hold at UI. I hope that I can foster positive change and create opportunities for growth and success in the lives of those I serve.”

Ali also teaches practicum courses for counseling psychology students, where she helps them deepen their clinical expertise. She co-coordinates the program’s practicum sequence, which involves interfacing with dozens of clinics at the UI and across Eastern Iowa. Additionally, Ali is deeply committed to mentoring students, chairing or co-chairing 35 dissertations during her tenure as a UI faculty member.

In addition to teaching, Ali has served as the college’s associate dean for research since 2017. In this role, she provides leadership to advance the research mission of the college. Some of her responsibilities include oversight of the Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment and the Grants and Research Services Center. She also serves as the college’s liaison with UI’s Office of the Vice President for Research.

“I cannot say enough good things about Saba. She is an outstanding professor and scholar who has contributed substantially to our university, state, and profession. She has made an extraordinary impact on middle and high school students throughout the state of Iowa and on doctoral students in our Counseling Psychology program who go on to practice and teach across the nation,” says colleague Megan Foley Nicpon, a counseling psychology professor and director of the college’s Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. “Her scholarship is known throughout the world. She is committed to student learning and knowledge and is eager to assist colleagues. She puts others before herself – always.”

The UI Distinguished Chairs will be recognized at the University of Iowa Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony, which will take place at Hancher Auditorium on Tuesday, May 6.

Read additional information about UI's 2025 Distinguished Chairs.