Universitywide Faculty Awards Celebrate Research, Teaching and Service 

President Jonathan Holloway and Prabhas Moghe, executive vice president for academic affairs, recently announced the recipients of the Universitywide Faculty Awards for 2020-21. These awards recognize the excellence of educators at Rutgers in every stage of their careers for the work they do guiding the intellectual development of students, for their exceptional research accomplishments and for the difference they make in the community. 

“The impact our faculty have in the classroom with their students and in their fields of research is of immeasurable value that directly contributes to the excellence at Rutgers,’’ Holloway said. “It is important to recognize all that they do at Rutgers and how they are working to make the world a better place.’’ 

The awards recognize 31 outstanding members of the Rutgers community selected by their colleagues for exceptional contributions to teaching, research or public service. For each award category, the recipients receive a commemorative certificate and an honorarium.  

This year the awards include a new category, the Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award, to honor five faculty members who have been newly promoted to full professor and 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.

“The faculty, staff and students of Rutgers collectively advance the academic mission across the university,’’ Moghe said. “The Office of Academic Affairs is committed to recognizing the varied academic talents at Rutgers and driving the continuous arc of academic excellence that abounds here.” 

2020-2021 Faculty Year-End Award Recipients 

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 

This 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 

This 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  

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 

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 and associate provost for research, Department of Mathematical Sciences, 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 

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 

This honor 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 

This recognition 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, funded by the Class of 1930 of Rutgers College, 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, New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons Consortium (NJ-STEP), Center for Law and Justice, Rutgers University–Newark