Twenty-four Cornell University engineering faculty members were honored at a campus reception for their work with students.
The Sept. 16 recognition in the Statler Ballroom included awards for classroom instruction, academic advising and student project-team mentorship. Alan Zehnder, senior associate dean for undergraduate programs, said the nominations showed the time and care faculty members put into supporting students.
Eighteen faculty members received Teaching Awards, including first-time and repeat recipients from engineering schools and departments across the college.
Teaching awards span engineering fields
Jeffrey Varner was recognized for work in core chemical engineering courses and leadership in curriculum changes. Alyosha Molnar was honored for contributions to undergraduate and graduate teaching in integrated circuits, analog and mixed-signal design, radio-frequency circuits and large-scale integration.
Traci Nathans-Kelly received an award for expanding access to engineering communication instruction through online courses, professional development and published scholarship. Matthew Pritchard was recognized for redesigning field geophysics courses with active and community-engaged learning involving The History Center, a local farm and other partners.
Yu Zhong was honored for teaching in polymers and organic electronics after joining Cornell in 2022. Shane Henderson was recognized for redesigning an operations research modeling course around case studies from his research, while Chris Schaffer was cited for classroom teaching and work connecting biomedical engineering students with science communication and advocacy.
Carolina Munoz-Saez and Soroosh Shafiee were recognized for student engagement and instruction in mathematical programming, data-driven learning and reinforcement learning. Eric Dufresne was honored for teaching soft materials and encouraging students to think beyond mastering course content.
Perrine Pepiot received an award after redesigning a fluids and heat-transfer laboratory course as a more integrated and open-ended engineering experience. Guy Hoffman was recognized for modernizing a mechanical-design course, introducing machine-learning instruction for mechanical engineering students and teaching human-robot interaction.
Christopher Batten was honored for using active learning in lecture courses and teaching digital logic. Jacob Mays was recognized for connecting research and teaching in energy markets and renewable energy, and Ankit Disa was cited for mathematical physics instruction.
Joseph Skovira received an award for practice-oriented teaching, project-based curriculum and mentorship of Master of Engineering students. Alex Kwan was honored for bringing neurotechnology into the biomedical engineering curriculum, and Anastasia Bizyaeva was recognized for her teaching after joining the college in 2025.
Cornell said donors supported the Teaching Awards, including alumni and families whose gifts established or funded the recognition program.
Advisers and project-team mentors recognized
The Canaan Family Award for Excellence in Academic Advising went to Brenda Dietrich, Mason Peck and Mohamed Ibrahim. The award honors the late K. Bingham Cady, a longtime nuclear engineering professor and Cornell Engineering leader.
Dietrich was recognized for building relationships that shape the undergraduate experience. Peck was cited for sustained availability and individualized guidance, and Ibrahim was honored for advising the Cornell Custom Silicon Systems student project team.
The James McCormick Family Advising Award, based on nominations from first-year undergraduate students, went to Eda Celik Akdur and Anne Bracy. Akdur was recognized for academic and career advice, while Bracy was honored for welcoming and supportive guidance.
Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee received the Albert R. George Endowed Faculty Award for Student Project Teams Mentorship. Cornell said he advises three teams: Cornell Assistive Technologies, Mars Rover and CUAir.
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