Honors and Awards
April 2025
Professors Erin E. Carlson (chemistry) and Lian Shen (mechanical engineering) were named Distinguished McKnight University Professor for the University of Minnesota.
Assistant Professors Jessica Lamb (chemistry), Ju Sun (computer science and engineering), Honghong Tinn (electrical and computer engineering), Natasha Wright (mechanical engineering) and Boya Xiong (civil, environmental, and geo- engineering) were named University of Minnesota McKnight Land Grant Professors.
Professor Aaron Massari (chemistry) and Lecturer Eman Ramadan (computer science & engineering) were awarded the Provost’s Unit Service Award. These awards are given in recognition of exceptional service that has strengthened the functioning and climate of the recipient’s unit at the University of Minnesota.
Associate Professor Sebastian Behrens (civil, environmental, and geo- engineering), Science and Outreach Coordinator Kat Cantner (earth & environmental sciences), Teaching Professor Michael Manno (chemical engineering and materials science), Professor Jean-Philippe Richard (industrial and systems engineering), Teaching Professor Aaron Wynveen (physics and astronomy) and Assistant Professor Kyoko Yoshida (biomedical engineering) were recognized with the Award for Excellence in Academic Unit Service. These awards are given in recognition of exceptional service that has strengthened the functioning and climate of the recipient’s unit at the University of Minnesota.
Assistant Professor Raphael Stern (civil, environmental, and geo- engineering) was awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Assistant Professor Nadja Strobbe (physics and astronomy) was awarded the Guillermo E. Borja Career Development Award.
Assistant Professors Ryan Caverly (aerospace engineering and mechanics) and Courtney Roberts (chemistry) were awarded the George W. Taylor Career Development Award.
Professor Bharat Jalan (chemical engineering and materials science) was awarded the George W. Taylor Award for Distinguished Research.
Professor Donna Whitney (earth and environmental sciences) received the George W. Taylor Award for Distinguished Service.
Professor David Fox (earth and environmental sciences) received the George W. Taylor Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Professor Cari Dutcher (mechanical engineering) and Associate Professor Kia Bazargan (electrical and computer engineering) received the Charles E. Bowers Faculty Teaching Award.
Professor Joe Labuz (civil, environmental, and geo- engineering) received the College of Science and Engineering Distinguished Professor Award.
Associate Professor Matt Anderson (mechanical engineering) received the College of Science and Engineering Instructional Faculty Teaching Award.
Professor Matthew Neurock (chemical engineering and materials science) was named the recipient of the 2025 Herman Pines Award, presented by the Catalysis Club of Chicago. This award recognizes researchers who have made significant advances and achievements in catalysis.
Assistant Professor Nick Arnosti (industrial and systems engineering) received the 2025 Russell J. Penrose Excellence in Teaching Award.
Undergraduate students Akshara Molleti (biomedical engineering and computer science and engineering), Olivia Peche (chemical engineering and materials science), Shivangi Pandey (mechanical engineering) and graduate students Zaid Dameh (industrial and systems engineering) , Ayaka Moriyama (chemical engineering and materials science), MaKenna Koble (chemistry), Marcella Manivel (mathematics), Nithya Murikinati (computer science and engineering), and Tonushree Dutta (electrical and computer engineering) received President’s Student Leadership & Service Awards.
Professor Pavlo Pylyavskyy (mathematics) was awarded the 2025 Simons Fellows in Mathematics from The Simons Foundation.
Assistant Professors Nick Arnosti (industrial and systems engineering) and Michelle Calabrese (chemical engineering and materials science) received the McKnight Presidential Fellow Award from the University of Minnesota. The McKnight Presidential Fellows Program is targeted at the most promising faculty who have been newly granted tenure and promotion to associate professor, to recognize their accomplishments and support their ongoing research and scholarship.
Undergraduate student Simeon Shaffar (Aerospace engineering and mechanics) won the 2025 University of Minnesota BizPitch Competition.
Executive Assistant to the Dean Allison Bohn (Office of the Dean) and Professor Wayne L. Gladfelter (chemistry) received one of twelve of the President’s Awards for Outstanding Service.
Professor Steven Koester (electrical and computer engineering) was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Professor Qi Zhang (chemical engineering and materials science) was selected to be part of the ACS journal Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research's (I&ECR) 2024 Class of Influential Researchers.
Professor Marie Johnson (biomedical engineering) was elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
March 2025
Director of Academic Advising Amy Gunter received the John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising.
Professor Christine Berkesch (mathematics) was honored with the 2025 Sara Evans Leadership Award in recognition of her outstanding mentorship efforts, research achievements, and leadership contributions at the University of Minnesota.
Associate Professors Julianna Abel (mechanical engineering) and Samira Azarin (chemical engineering and materials science) were awarded the Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award for their outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.
Professor Prodromos Daoutidis (chemical engineering and materials science) was awarded the Graduate & Professional Teaching Award.
The Physics Force received a 2025 Societal Impact Award from the University of Minnesota Office for Public Engagement. The award recognizes projects or programs for exemplary community-engaged service and outreach.
Professor Svitlana Mayboroda was honored with an election to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
Assistant Professor Ben Margalit (physics and astronomy) was part of a team that won an award from the first year of the Scialog: Early Science from the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA).
Professor Douglas Arnold (mathematics) and collaborator Kaibo Hu (Royal Society University) received the 2025 Frontiers of Science Award from the International Congress of Basic Science.
February 2025
Assistant Professors Rene Boiteau and Courtney Roberts (chemistry) received the prestigious 2025 Sloan Research Fellowship from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Professors Arthur Erdman (mechanical engineering) and Roger Ruan (bioproducts and biosystems engineering) were elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Alumnus Marcelo H. García (M.S. civil engineering) was also elected to NAE this year.
Professor Douglas Arnold and collaborator Kaibo Hu (mathematics) won the 2025 Frontiers of Science Award, recognizing it as a major breakthrough in the field of numerical analysis.
Assistant Professor Michelle Chu (mathematics) was awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
January 2025
Professor Vipin Kumar (computer science and engineering) earned the 2025 IEEE Computer Society Taylor L. Booth Education Award. Kumar was selected for his contributions to computational science and engineering through his foundational textbooks, outstanding mentoring, and exceptional scientific leadership.
Professor Maria Gini (computer science and engineering) with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from The White House.
Professors R. Lawrence "Larry" Edwards (earth and environmental sciences) and David Tilman (College of Biological Sciences) were honored with the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest recognition for scientists and engineers.
ATP-Bio (mechanical and biomedical engineering) was awarded the prestigious ASME Edward Grood Interdisciplinary Team Science Medal in Bioengineering for 2025.
Assistant Professor Alexander Watson (mathematics) won the 2023 Journal of Mathematical Physics (JMP) Young Researcher Award.
Assistant Professor Natalie Boehnke (chemical engineering and materials science) was awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).