Academy of Sciences of Heroesland

Firstly, again, knowledge and experience are two different things. A person with experience, in this case, a professor, possesses extensive knowledge in the field he works in, but that doesn't mean he has more knowledge about other fields. So, this test of yours doesn't prove anything.

You can read in Wikipedia that respect is reverence. And the fact that reverence is, to some extent, humiliation is also true, because you acknowledge that there is a person whose merits surpass yours and you lower your self-esteem.

I meant specifically _experience in the industry_, read carefully.

And regarding the second point... hmm. Let me explain.
For a strong person, acknowledging that someone is stronger than them and striving to become stronger than that person is normal. This doesn't humiliate, it shows that there is something to strive for. In turn, the strongest person doesn't humiliate those who are weaker; they themselves were weaker than their current selves.
For a weak person, acknowledging that someone is stronger than them is worse than drinking poison, because they are already aware of their weakness, and any extra reminder can kill them.
The question is about one's own self-esteem at the moment of making the judgment.

An example from my experience: at the beginning of my first year, I clearly understood that there were three people in the group who were smarter than me. As a result, I acknowledged this fact and delved into my studies; now I am on equal footing with them.
My classmate, upon realizing that there were people smarter than her, fell into depression, abandoned her studies, and was expelled.

Understand that it's foolish to make a mountain out of a molehill. Respecting someone who truly knows and can do more than you is normal, but if this respect grows into a desire to serve, that's servility.