Faculty & Staff
In Celebration of Faculty Excellence
Members of the Columbia Engineering faculty are honored for excellent teaching and service.
During the season that graduating students celebrate their academic accomplishments, several Columbia Engineering faculty members are being recognized as outstanding teachers and leaders by the engineering school and the University.
Excellence in teaching
David Yao, Piyasombatkul Family Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, is one of just five winners across the University to be recognized with the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching from Columbia University. Just five faculty members at Columbia are awarded this high honor each year. Yao will receive a certificate signed by President Minouche Shafik, a formal citation written by their department, and an honorarium of $20,000.
Credit: Duke University
The Columbia Engineering Alumni Association honored two faculty members, Lauren Heckelman, lecturer in the discipline of biomedical engineering, and Shaina Kelly, assistant professor of earth and environmental engineering, with the Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award. Established by CEAA in 1996, the award is presented annually by the Board of Managers in recognition of excellence in teaching and dedication to undergraduate students.
Excellence in service
Kathleen McKeown, Henry and Gertrude Rothschild Professor of Computer Science, was awarded the Edward and Carole Kim Faculty Involvement Award from Columbia Engineering. This award, established in 2000 by Edward and Carole Kim, honors a single faculty member who not only is an excellent teacher but also shows a special, personal commitment to students.
Elisa Konofagou, Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering and professor of Radiology (Physics), is the recipient of the Faculty Service Award. The award recognizes full-time faculty whose extraordinary and creative voluntary service has contributed significantly to the University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Ngai Yin Yip, Lavon Duddleson Krumb Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering, was honored with the Janette and Armen Avanessians Diversity Award from Columbia Engineering. Established by engineering alumnus and former University Trustee, Armen Avanessians MS’83, and his wife, Janette, this award honors faculty members who have made a significant contribution to the diversity of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.