The Excellence in Educational Leadership Awards, Excellence in Teaching Awards, and Excellence in Research Awards were announced at the event, which was emceed by Gerald Audette, associate dean, Faculty Affairs, and included welcome remarks by Rui Wang, dean of the Faculty of Science and a keynote speech by Scott Tanner, winner of a 2024 91��ɫ U Alumni Award.

More than 300 students were also invited and honoured at the event for the awards and scholarships they received in 2023-2024.

The recipients of this year’s Faculty of Science Excellence Awards are:

Excellence in Educational Leadership Award (Faculty category)

• Professor Tamara Kelly, Department of Biology

Excellence in Educational Leadership Award (Graduate category)

• MSc student Milong Wang, Faculty of Health

Excellence in Teaching Award (Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category)

• Assistant Professor Jade Atallah, Department of Biology
• Associate Professor Robin Marushia, Department of Science, Technology and Society

Excellence in Teaching Award (Senior Tenure Stream Faculty category)

• Associate Professor Hovig Kouyoumdjian, Department of Chemistry
• Associate Professor Nicole Nivillac, Department of Biology

Excellence in Teaching Award (Contract Faculty category)

• Contract Faculty Angela Cope, Department of Science, Technology and Society

Richard Jarrell Award of Excellence for Teaching Assistants

• PhD student Britney Picinic, Department of Biology
• PhD student Emily Anacleto, Department of Chemistry

Early Career Research Award

• Associate Professor Trevor VandenBoer, Department of Chemistry

Established Research Award

• Distinguished Research Professor Sergey Krylov, Department of Chemistry
• Professor Wendy Taylor, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Read the full story in YFile.

For more details about the awards and a full list of recipients honoured at the event, view the ceremony program booklet.

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The ceremony recognized about 400 postdoctoral Fellows and undergraduate and graduate Science students who received awards and scholarships between September 2022 and August 2023. In his welcoming remarks, Faculty of Science Dean Rui Wang expressed admiration for the students in attendance, saying: “As I look out at our students in the audience, I feel honoured to be in the presence of our future inventors, problem solvers, practitioners, activists, and community convenors who will help us secure a future that is sustainable, equitable, and just for all.”

As the award recipients were named, including in three categories at the postdoctoral level, 20 at the graduate level, 32 at the undergraduate level, and 30 at the departmental level, they came up to the stage to be congratulated and applauded by their peers, supporters and mentors.

Master of ceremonies and Associate Dean of Students Michael Scheid and Associate Dean of Research & Partnerships Vivian Saridakis also announced the recipients of the Faculty of Science Excellence in Educational Leadership Awards – an inaugural award category – as well as the Excellence in Teaching Awards and Excellence in Research Awards. The recipients of these awards were

• Excellence in Educational Leadership Award, Faculty category: Associate Professor Amenda Chow, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, and Chair and Associate Professor Vera Pavri, Department of Science, Technology and Society
• Excellence in Educational Leadership award, Graduate student category: PhD students Laura Keane and Yohana Solomon, Department of Mathematics & Statistics
• Excellence in Teaching Award, Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category: Assistant Professor Stephanie Domenikos, Department of Science, Technology and Society
• Excellence in Teaching Award, Contract Faculty category: Sessional Assistant Professor Charlotte de Araujo, Department of Biology
• Richard Jarrell Award of Excellence for Teaching Assistants: recent MSc graduate Amanvir Virdi, Department of Biology
• Early Career Research Award : Associate Professor Elizabeth Clare, Department of Biology
• Established Research Award: Professor Randy Lewis, Department of Physics & Astronomy
• Excellence in Graduate Mentorship Award: Associate Professor Iain Moyles, Department of Mathematics & Statistics

At the end of the event, Scheid expressed thanks to the Faculty of Science Dean’s Office staff for leading the planning and execution of the event, as well as the Faculty’s executive team, department chairs, and faculty members, and senior leaders from the University who assisted in announcing and congratulating the award winners. In addition to Scheid and Saridakis, the award announcers and presenters included Associate Dean of Faculty Gerald Audette, Associate Vice-President Research Jennifer Hyndman, Assistant Vice-President of Facilities Services Brad Parkes, Assistant Vice-Provost and University Registrar Darran Fernandez, Assistant Vice-President of Global Engagement and Partnerships Vinitha Gengatharan, and department Chairs Vera Pavri (Science, Technology, Society), Robert Tsushima (Biology), Jennifer van Wijngaarden (Chemistry), Michael Haslam (Mathematics & Statistics), and Patrick Hall (Physics & Astronomy), and professors Elizabeth Clare, Derek Jackson, Iain Moyles, Randy Lewis, and Jill Lazenby.

For more details about the awards and a full list of recipients, view the ceremony program booklet.

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Congratulations to PhD student Farwa Sajadi, who was recognized during the Faculty of Science Spring Convocation Ceremony with a President’s University-Wide Teaching Award (Teaching Assistant category) for enhancing the quality of learning and demonstrating innovation in teaching.

Sajadi, who recently completed a PhD in biology, was honoured with the Teaching Award for being a TA who fosters an academically enriched environment for learning, advancing student critical thinking and implementing creative approaches to promote student scholarship and engagement. According to her nominator, Professor Jean-Paul Paluzzi, she excelled in her roles as lab demonstrator, lab coordinator and course director in biology for undergraduate students.

“She is also highly innovative and collaborative in her teaching practices, as is demonstrated by her work during the COVID-19 pandemic to plan for labs being delivered in a hybrid format with limited in-person occupancy and students spread across three different rooms,” the Senate Committee on Awards said in the announcement. She was further known to take initiative to help students and was a leader in volunteerism. In 2022, she earned the Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award from the Faculty of Science.

Sajadi will have her name engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques displayed in Vari Hall.

Read the full .

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The mandate of the Committee on Teaching & Learning (CoTL) is to enhance the quality of the student learning experience by providing leadership in promoting and recognizing educational excellence in science, and fostering a rich and vibrant teaching and learning community.

CoTL initiatives aim to raise the profile of teaching and learning in the Faculty of Science through the Faculty's Excellence in Teaching & Leadership Awards, as well as hosting events for learning and collaboration, such as speaker series, workshops, and informal teaching-related socials for faculty and graduate students.

For questions, please contact the CoTL Chair at scicotl@yorku.ca.

CoTL Membership

Learn about the committee mandate and current members.

Teaching & Learning Awards

Every year, the Faculty of Science proudly recognizes faculty members and graduate students who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and excellence in teaching and learning within our programs.

Award Recipients

Read more about the previous recipients of our Excellence in Teaching Awards, as well as other awards and honours.

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The Faculty of Science proudly recognizes faculty members and graduate students who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and excellence in teaching and learning within our programs. These outstanding educators employ innovative techniques and actively engage students, creating dynamic and impactful learning experiences.

Nominate a faculty member for an award

The Faculty of Science honors esteemed faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to teaching and learning in our programs.

Faculty of Science
Excellence in Teaching
Award

SUBMIT A NOMINATION

Faculty of Science
Excellence in Educational
Leadership Award

SUBMIT A NOMINATION

Nominate a graduate student for an award

The Faculty of Science recognizes the remarkable contributions of graduate students who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and learning within our programs. We are pleased to present two award categories exclusively for graduate students.

Richard Jarrell
Excellence in
Teaching at the
Graduate Level Award

SUBMIT A NOMINATION

Faculty of Science
Excellence in Educational
Leadership Award at the Graduate Level

SUBMIT A NOMINATION

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More than 150 guests joined the evening event at the Second Student Centre, which featured a keynote address by Earle Nestmann, 91��ɫ alumnus (MSc ’71, PhD ’74), board member and donor, and president of Health Science Consultants Inc.

After Mike Scheid, associate dean of students, and Rui Wang, dean of the Faculty of Science, welcomed guests, the recipients of the Faculty of Science Dean’s Special Recognition Awards, Excellence in Research Awards and Excellence in Teaching Awards were announced.

“These awards recognize the brilliance of our instructors, researchers and staff who work very hard to serve our students and make a positive impact on science and our community,” said Wang. “Our Faculty is committed to fostering scientific discovery and tackling global challenges to create positive change in our world. And we are so lucky to have talented researchers, teachers and staff on our team to help us achieve this.”

The awardees were

• Professor Stephen Watson, Chair of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics –Dean’s Special Recognition Award
• Hugo Chen, director of International Collaborations & Partnerships – Dean’s Special Recognition Award
• Professor Christopher Jang, Department of Biology – Excellence in Teaching Award in the Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category
• Professor Alireza Rafiee, Division of Natural Sciences – Excellence in Teaching Award in the Contract Faculty category
• Graduate student Farwa Sajadi – Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award
• Graduate student Evangelia Tzamali – Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award
• Professor Jude Kong, Department of Mathematics & Statistics – Excellence in Research Award in the Early Career Researcher category
• Professor Neal Madras, Department of Mathematics & Statistics – Excellence in Graduate Mentorship Award

The ceremony continued with Science faculty, staff and department chairs announcing and congratulating the postdoctoral Fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students who had received awards and scholarships during the 2021-22 academic year. More than 230 students and trainees and 95 adjudicated awards were recognized.

Several prestigious postdoctoral fellowships were spotlighted, such as the American Association of University Women Fellowship, which supports women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication. Chinwendu Emilian Madubueze was honoured as the recipient of this award.

In the graduate awards category, highlights included congratulating Emily Anacleto, Makunaima Diaz Cevallos, Kyra Dougherty and Cassandra Withers for receiving the Dean's Scholarship for Women in Science, which supports female doctoral and master's students in the Faculty of Science. And, Gehrig Carlse and Alexander Pouliot were congratulated for receiving the Iristel Graduate Physics Award, which supports promising graduate students in the field of optical physics.

In the undergraduate awards category, highlights included recognizing Veronica Aharon, Daniel Aliee, Sophie Eisen, Minoosh Fathi, Jacob Fine, Karina Kofman, Anita Misrop and Sarah Pullano for receiving the 91��ɫ President’s Scholarship, which is presented to incoming first-year students with the highest entrance averages. And, Nicole Frias was congratulated for receiving the Canadian Society for Chemistry Silver Medal in Biochemistry, which is presented to students in their penultimate year with the highest academic standing.

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The celebration recognized awards adjudicated from Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021.

More than 110 people joined the event, which featured a keynote by alumnus J. Mark Lievonen (BBA ’79, MBA ’87, LLD [Hon.] ’15 ), former president of Sanofi Pasteur and current co-Chair of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. 

The ceremony kicked off with welcoming remarks from Mike Scheid, associate dean of students, and Rui Wang, dean of the Faculty of Science.

“Today, we recognize academic and research excellence in the Faculty of Science,” said Wang. “The awards, scholarships and honours you received in the past year are a testament to your commitment and hard work. This afternoon, we celebrate together and congratulate each other.”

The recipients of the Faculty’s Dean’s Special Recognition Award and the Excellence in Teaching and Research Awards were first announced, they are:

• Ashley Nahornick, educational development specialist, received the Dean’s Special Recognition Award for her outstanding support of teaching and curricular excellence across the Faculty.
• Professor Dawn Bazely, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award in the Senior Tenure Stream Faculty category.
• Assistant Professor Andrew Skelton, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award in the Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category.
• Sessional Assistant Professor Tanya Da Sylva, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award in the Non-Tenure Stream Faculty category.
• Laura Keane, PhD student in mathematics & statistics, for receiving the Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award.
• Jenna LeBlanc, PhD student in biology, for receiving the Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award.
• Associate Professor Sapna Sharma, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Research Awards in the Established Researcher category.
• Assistant Professor Raymond Kwong, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Research Awards in the Early Career Researcher category.
• Assistant Professor Conor Douglas, Department of Science & Technology Studies, for receiving the Excellence in Graduate Mentorship Award.

The ceremony continued with science faculty members and department chairs congratulating students and trainees for their hard work and achievements in receiving awards and scholarships during the 2020-21 academic year.

For instance, several prestigious postdoctoral fellowships were spotlighted, including the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, which Mohammad Naderi and Vasily Panferov received. These fellowships provide funding to the very best applicants, nationally and internationally, to develop their leadership potential and to position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow.

In the graduate awards category, highlights included Christopher Cavanagh and Deniz Sadighbayan being congratulated for receiving the Elia Scholars Award, 91��ɫ’s most prestigious graduate award for incoming domestic or international doctoral students. And, Georg Zoidl was congratulated for receiving the Nestmann Scholarship, which is awarded to graduate students entering or continuing in the Graduate Program of Biology whose research specializes in molecular biology or genetics.

In the undergraduate awards category, highlights included Katrina Carver and Quinton Weyrich being congratulated for receiving the Iristel Undergraduate Scholarship, established to reward academic performance and lab proficiency and to encourage students in their third and fourth year of study to pursue a career in optical physics or biophotonics. And, Muzi Li was congratulated for receiving an Alumni Award of Distinction, one of 91��ɫ’s most prestigious entrance scholarships.

Scheid concluded the ceremony by thanking everyone who had attended and all of the staff who helped support and execute the event.

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