2020-2021 Faculty Year-End Excellence Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2020-2021 Faculty Awards recipients, outstanding members of the Rutgers community selected by their colleagues for exceptional contributions to teaching, research, or public service.

The Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching

Named to honor the memory of the noted historian and Rutgers University professor, Warren I. Susman, this award is given annually to tenured faculty members in recognition of outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual development of students at Rutgers University.

Patricia O. Akhimie,  Associate Professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark 

Waheed U. Bajwa, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Regina M. Marchi, Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Danielle E. Warren, Professor, Department of Management and Global Business, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers University–Newark

The Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence Award

The award recognizes the exceptional research accomplishments of newly-promoted and tenured (as of July 1, 2021) faculty members.

Valerio Bacak, Associate Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University–Newark

Jordan Casteel, Associate Professor, Department of Arts, Culture and Media, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Nataki Douglas, Associate Professor and Director, Translational Research, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Health, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

Kristen Hendricks, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Steffani Jemison, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence

The award honors newly-promoted and tenured (as of July 1, 2021) members of the faculty who have made truly outstanding contributions to teaching during their early years at Rutgers.

Matthew Buckley, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Noura S. Erakat, Associate Professor, Department of Africana Studies, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Nicole Karapanagiotis, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Brooke Maslo, Associate Extension Specialist, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jonathan Singer, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award

The award honors newly-promoted to full professor (as of July 1, 2021) members of the faculty whose breadth of academic portfolios reflect outstanding research, scholarship or creative work, as well as truly outstanding contributions to teaching along with extensive service to the Rutgers community and beyond.

Elizabeth A. Demaray, Professor, Department of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Grace L. Guo, Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

Allan P. Isaac, Professor and Associate Dean of the Humanities, Departments of American Studies and English, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Julia M. Ritter, Professor, Department of Dance, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Michal L. Szostak, Professor, Department of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

The Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research

The award honors tenured faculty members who have made distinguished research contributions to their discipline and/or society at large.

Melissa L. Cooper, Associate Professor, Department of History, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Yuan Gao, Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Megerditch Kiledjian, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Division of Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Benedetto Piccoli, Distinguished Professor, Joseph and Loretta Lopez Chair Professor of Mathematics, and Vice Chancellor for Research, Department of Mathematical Sciences and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Nancy Y. Rao, Professor, Department of Music, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award

The award honors tenured faculty members who have made outstanding synergistic contributions in research and teaching. This award recognizes those who make visible the vital link between teaching and scholarship, by contributing to the scholarship of teaching and by bringing together scholarly and classroom activities.

Eva D. Giloi, Associate Professor, Department of History, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Melinda M. Mangin, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Administration, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching 

The award is awarded annually to non-tenure-track, full-time faculty members in the arts and humanities, sciences, and social sciences who have demonstrated outstanding teaching skills in classroom instruction, clinical instruction, curriculum development, or mentoring.

Kimberlee S. Moran, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Nela Navarro, Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director, Rutgers English Language Institute, Department of English, Writing Program, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Ines Rauschenbach, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Rutgers College Class of 1962 Presidential Public Service Award

The award is funded by the Class of 1962 of Rutgers College and honors members of the faculty, student body, or staff in recognition of distinguished and non-compensated service to government bodies, professional or scholarly organizations, and/or the general public, such as voluntary community leadership, or personal acts of heroism.

Julie E. Kendall, Professor of Management, School of Business–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

The Ernest E. McMahon-Class of 1930 Award

The award is funded by the Class of 1930 of Rutgers College. The award is named in honor of Ernest E. McMahon (RC '30) who was a dean of University College, dean of the University Extension Division, and director of the Institute of Management and Labor Relations, and who demonstrated a commitment to extending the mission of Rutgers to new populations. In the spirit of Ernest McMahon, this award is given to an individual or a group within Rutgers University that has made a significant and creative contribution to the extension of the educational resources of the University to the people of New Jersey through such means as continuing education or extramural programs.

Christopher J. Agans, Executive Director, The New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons Consortium (NJ-STEP), Center for Law and Justice, Rutgers University–Newark