Jonsson School Recognizes Faculty, Staff Contributions at Annual Awards Ceremony
Leaders at the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science recognized outstanding staff and faculty via Teams in April, emphasizing their important roles as the school enrollment has continued to grow. Elaine Pearson, associate dean for administration, honored staff members. Dr. John Hansen, associate dean for research, recognized research faculty according to their rank, and department heads recognized both teaching faculty and teaching assistants.
At the beginning of the academic year in August 2021, the school announced a commitment to improving the student experience through Leveraging Our Attention to Undergraduate and Graduate Needs, Challenges and Hopes (L.A.U.N.C.H.), particularly as students returned to in-person instruction on campus. During the event, Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and holder of the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair reflected on the mission of L.A.U.N.C.H. as she candidly described her quest to attract more highly qualified faculty to meet the needs of the expanding school, while highlighting that staff members have a long-term influence on the school’s operations.
Each award winner was nominated by their peers, with teaching awards incorporating student feedback. Both classified staff and administrative staff were recognized. Tenure system faculty were highlighted for their research efforts, according to their rank.
University Doctoral Dissertation Awards
Nastaran Nikooienejad PhD’21
Best Dissertation Award Winner
advisor: Dr. Reza Moheimani
Yeonghun Lee PhD’21
Best Dissertation Award (Honorable Mention)
advisor: Dr. Kyeongjae (KJ) Cho
David Daniel Thesis Award Winners
Badrinath Jagannath PhD’21
David Daniel Thesis Award Winner
advisor: Dr. Shalini Prasad
Arian Azarang PhD’21
David Daniel Thesis Award (Honorable Mention)
advisor: Dr. Nasser Kehtarnavaz
Classified Staff Awards
Nasreen Hasan
academic advisor II
undergraduate advising
Chiara Munoz
administrative assistant II
electrical and computer engineering
Norma Richardson
business manager
computer science
Viktorija Smitiene
administrative assistant II
computer science
Administrative and Professional Staff Award Recipient
Dr. Mette Posamentier
assistant dean of assessment
dean’s office
Faculty Research Awards
Dr. Xianming (Simon) Dai
assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Dr. Vibhav Gogate
associate professor of computer science
Dr. Baowei Fei
professor of bioengineering
Department of Bioengineering Teaching Awards
Best Teacher
Dr. Girgis Obaid
assistant professor of bioengineering
Best Teaching Assistant
Keerthana Velmurugan
Department of Computer Science Teaching Awards
Best Teachers
Dr. Ebru Cankaya
professor of instruction in computer science
Dr. Kangkook Jee
assistant professor of computer science
Dr. Jessica Ouyang
assistant professor of computer science
Best Teaching Assistants
Rishita Bansal
Hideo Kobayashi
Brian Dennis Malouf
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Teaching Awards
Best Teachers
Dr. Ben Carrion-Schaefer
assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
Dr. Lakshman Tamil
professor of electrical and computer engineering
Best Teaching Assistants
Shruthi Raghavendra
Anton Kovalyov
Department of Mechanical Engineering Teaching Awards
Best Teacher
Dr. Rodrigo Bernal
assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Best Teaching Assistant
Jonas Wagner
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Teaching Awards
Best Teacher
Dr. Julia Hsu
professor of materials science and engineering
Best Teaching Assistant
Youhwan Jo