Arts and Sciences faculty honored for teaching, research, and service
Congratulations to the Arts and Sciences faculty honored for excellence in teaching, research, and service by Rutgers University in 2021. From Africana and American Studies to Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Mathematics, and Physics and Astronomy to our renowned writing program in the Department of English, these dedicated Rutgers professionals are developing new knowledge, creating programs, and inspiring students as mentors and in the classroom and lab.
See below all the awards earned by Arts and Sciences.
The Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award honors newly-promoted to full professor 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.
Allan P. Isaac, Professor and Associate Dean of the Humanities, Departments of American Studies and English, in recognition of his award-winning scholarship, including his field-defining work in transnational Asian American Studies and his capacity to synthesize across multiple disciplines, from sociology to political economy to cultural studies; his remarkable teaching, mentoring, and curriculum building within American Studies and across multiple departments in the School of Arts and Sciences; and his tireless service and commitment to his colleagues, institution, and greater intellectual community.
The Rutgers Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research honors faculty members who have made distinguished research contributions to their discipline or society.
Megerditch Kiledjian, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, in recognition of his outstanding and impactful research, including his groundbreaking work on defining fundamental pathways and factors that are critical for the processing of mRNA, and whose novel findings have led to his leading reputation in the field of mammalian post-transcriptional regulation.
The Board of Trustees Research Fellowships for Scholarly Excellence honors faculty members who have recently been promoted with tenure and whose work shows exceptional promise.
Kristen Hendricks, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, in recognition of her remarkable and cutting-edge research contributions to algebraic topology, including her amazing technical knowledge and imaginative power in developing techniques for classifying low dimensional manifolds and extending the Heegaard Floer homology theory.
The Presidential Fellowships for Teaching Excellence honors newly tenured faculty members for outstanding teaching and scholarly work.
Matthew Buckley, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, in recognition of his dedication to teaching and his ability to present difficult subject matter with humor and passion, his great success in designing meaningful research projects that can be undertaken by students at all levels, and his unwavering commitment to mentoring and advising students.
Noura S. Erakat, Associate Professor, Department of Africana Studies, in recognition of her impactful and engaging teaching, including her mastery in conveying complex concepts and encouraging critical thinking while fostering an accessible and supportive learning environment; and her thoughtful course development and pedagogy around politically sensitive issues, enabling students of all backgrounds and political persuasions to engage with some of the world’s most pressing topics.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to non-tenure-track, full-time faculty members for outstanding teaching skills in classroom instruction, clinical instruction, curriculum development, or mentoring.
Nela Navarro, Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director, Rutgers English Language Institute, Department of English, Writing Program, in recognition of her expertise in multilingual learning and linguistic justice, her inspirational teaching and empathetic mentoring, including her innovative curriculum design, and her courageous advocacy for equity and inclusion.
