Faculty, Staff and Student Awards

Nominate your colleagues for the 2025 College of Engineering Awards!

Deadline: November 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (Nominations open October 1)

The College of Engineering acknowledges the outstanding contributions of faculty, staff, and students. Each year, the College honors those who have shown exceptional performance in a particular area.

The latest award recipients were announced in February 2024.

Award Name Type
Outstanding Service Award Faculty
Outstanding Teaching Award Faculty
Outstanding Early-Career Research Award Faculty
Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award Faculty
Outstanding Career Research Award  Faculty
Outstanding Innovation Award Faculty
Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award Adjunct Faculty
Inclusive Excellence Award Faculty/Professional Staff
Outstanding Academic Advising Award Professional Staff
Outstanding Professional Staff Award Professional Staff
Outstanding PhD Student Award PhD student
Outstanding Master’s Student Award MS student
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award BS student
Outstanding BS/MS Student Award BS/MS student

Nomination Guidelines

  • Nominations may be submitted by any College of Engineering faculty member (tenure-track, tenured, teaching, research, adjunct, Dean, Associate Deans, etc.) or professional staff member with the exception of the Director, Policy & External Affairs and Associate Dean, Faculty Advancement.
  • No self-nominations are permitted.
  • Anyone who received the award in the previous year may not be considered for this year’s awards. Research awards may only be received once by a person per category.
  • Nominations must include:
    • A resume/CV for the nominee (Not to exceed two pages – If submitting an NSF-style two-page CV, please be sure that the qualifications and synergistic activities listed provide evidence for the criteria listed for the specific award. An NSF-style CV may not be appropriate for the award nomination, so please review the criteria carefully.)
    • A nomination letter (1-2 pages) describing why and how the nominee fits the outlined criteria – please be specific and refer back to the criteria
    • Optional support letters from colleagues (faculty or staff) or students, not to exceed two pages each
  • All nomination materials must be submitted as PDFs.
  • Deadline for nominations is  November 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.
  • Please contact Dorilona Rose with questions.

Awards Descriptions

  • Outstanding Service Award
    • The Outstanding Service Award is awarded to a faculty member who has engaged in service work in the College of Engineering that is deemed to be truly significant. The faculty member must have either 1) engaged in sustained service at the department, college, or University level that has had a long-term positive impact or 2) engaged in service at the department, college, or University level above and beyond the expectations of their position. The faculty member may be at the level of tenured, tenure-track, or teaching faculty and must have been at Drexel for a minimum of two years.
  • Outstanding Teaching Award
    • The Outstanding Teaching Award is awarded to a faculty member who has engaged in excellence in teaching at the graduate or undergraduate level. The nomination letter should include evidence that the faculty member has had a positive impact on the learning environment and whether the faculty member has applied or created any novel teaching methods. Student comments included in the nomination letter or as additional support letters are encouraged. The faculty member may be at the level of tenured, tenure-track, or teaching faculty and must have been at Drexel for a minimum of two years serving as a tenured, tenure-track, or teaching faculty member.
  • Outstanding Early-Career Research Award
    • The Outstanding Early-Career Research Award is awarded to a tenure-track faculty member at the Assistant Professor level who has engaged in excellence in research in all areas. The faculty member must be at the Assistant Professor level at the time of award and must have been at the Assistant Professor rank at Drexel for a minimum of two years. A faculty member may only receive this award once and cannot be renominated once they have received the award. Evidence of excellence in research may include, but is not limited to: publications in peer reviewed high impact journals, book chapters or other significant publications; activity in professional societies; invited talks and public dissemination of research; strong record of external funding; evidence of positive impact of their research activity on their discipline; and high profile awards.
    • Please be sure the CV includes the candidate's top five publications and that the CV or nomination letter include information about how many PhDs have graduated and where they have gone on to be employed.
  • Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award
    • The Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award is awarded to a faculty member at the Associate Professor level who has engaged in excellence in research in all areas. The faculty member must be at the Associate Professor level at the time of award and in that position for a minimum of two years. Additionally, the nominee must have been at Drexel for a minimum of two years. A faculty member may only receive this award once and cannot be renominated once they have received the award. Evidence of excellence in research may include, but is not limited to: publications in peer reviewed high impact journals, book chapters or other significant publications; activity in professional societies; invited talks and public dissemination of research; strong record of external funding; evidence of positive impact of their research activity on their discipline; and high profile awards. Candidates should also show evidence of substantial positive impact of mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs and contributions as a colleague and to the research environment of the College.
    • Please be sure the CV includes the candidate's top five publications and that the CV or nomination letter include information about how many PhDs have graduated and where they have gone on to be employed.
  • Outstanding Career Research Award
    • The Outstanding Career Research Award is awarded to a faculty member at the Professor level who has engaged in excellence in research in all areas. The faculty member must be at the Professor level at the time of award and in that position for a minimum of two years. Additionally, the nominee must have been at Drexel for a minimum of two years. A faculty member may only receive this award once and cannot be renominated once they have received the award. Evidence of excellence in research may include, but is not limited to: publications in peer reviewed high impact journals, book chapters or other significant publications; activity in professional societies; invited talks and public dissemination of research; strong record of external funding; evidence of positive impact of their research activity on their discipline; and high profile awards. Candidates should show evidence of substantial positive impact of mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs and contributions as a colleague and to the research environment of the College. Candidates should also have received national and/or international recognition within the academic community for exemplary scholarly accomplishments (significance, originality, shaping/furthering the field) in the respective discipline as evidenced by the body of their work.
    • Please be sure the CV includes the candidate's top five publications and that the CV or nomination letter includes information about how many PhDs have graduated and where they have gone on to be employed.
  • Outstanding Innovation Award
    • The Outstanding Innovation Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated significant activity towards the commercialization of research discoveries or designs including patent applications, business plan competitions, and/or start-ups. The faculty member may be at the level of tenured or tenure-track and must have been at Drexel for a minimum of two years.
  • Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award
    • The Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award is awarded to an adjunct faculty member who exemplifies a high quality of teaching and mentorship of students. Student comments included in the nomination letter or as additional support letters are encouraged. 
  • Inclusive Excellence Award
    • The Inclusive Excellence Award is designed to recognize significant contribution by one faculty (tenured, tenure-track, teaching) and one professional staff member towards creating a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and/or socially just community. Nominees should exhibit one or more of the following criteria in their daily work:
      • Establishing diversity and inclusiveness into a structural/institutional aspect of Drexel or the Philadelphia community (e.g., policy, procedure, tradition, vision statement, curriculum, assessment activity, accountability measure, outreach effort, professional development, etc.) 
      • Recruitment and retention of an excellent and diverse staff, faculty, or student body
      • Fostering equal opportunity within Drexel or the Philadelphia community
      • Encouraging or giving voice to diverse perspectives
      • Creating a welcoming and supportive campus or Philadelphia community environment 
      • Scholarly endeavors or creative activities in the area of diversity and inclusiveness
    • Two awards will be given – one for faculty and one for professional staff. Nominations are accepted for both categories.
  • Outstanding Academic Advising Award
    • The Outstanding Academic Advising Award is awarded to a professional staff member who exemplifies the qualities and characteristics of an exceptional advisor. Such qualities include, but are not limited to: creating a strong advising relationship with advisees, the ability to appropriately recommend Drexel and other resources to advisees as needed, a proactive approach to problem solving, monitoring students’ success over time, possessing comprehensive knowledge of Drexel’s policies and procedures as they relate to advising, having a positive impact on the retention of students within the college, and serving as a resource for other advisors within the college and at Drexel. Student comments included in the nomination letter or as additional support letters are encouraged.   
  • Outstanding Professional Staff Award
    • The Outstanding Professional Staff Award is awarded to a professional staff member for excellence in service to the college. The qualified candidate will have performed their duties above and beyond what is expected of their position and will set an example to others as a leader within their area of expertise. Examples of excellence in service include, but are not limited to: high quality work that contributes to the overall mission of the college, a willingness to assist others, contributions towards a positive work environment, carrying out a project or task with results that have a significant positive impact on the college, and a collaborative approach to problem solving.
  • Outstanding PhD Student Award
    • The Outstanding PhD Student Award is awarded to a post-candidacy doctoral student who has demonstrated excellence in research, mentorship, leadership, teaching, and/or service. Students should be well-rounded and show evidence of making an impact in their fields, as well as in the lab and on the College of Engineering and broader community as a whole.
    • Nominees should be sure their CVs reflect the accomplishments and contributions for which they are being nominated. Likewise, nominators should make sure their nomination letters accurately back up the award criteria.
  • Outstanding Master’s Student Award
    • The Outstanding Master’s Student Award is awarded to a master’s student (a student not pursuing a BS/MS) who has demonstrated excellence in one or more of the following areas: research, mentorship, leadership, teaching, and/or service. Students should be well-rounded and show evidence of making an impact in their fields as well as on the College of Engineering and broader community as a whole.
  • Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award
    • The Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award is awarded to an undergraduate student (a student not pursing a BS/MS) who has demonstrated excellence in one or more of the following areas: research, mentorship, leadership, and/or service. Students should be well-rounded and show evidence of making an impact in their fields as well as on the College of Engineering and broader community as a whole.
  • Outstanding BS/MS Student Award
    • The Outstanding BS/MS Student Award is awarded to a BS/MS student who has demonstrated excellence in one or more of the following areas: research, mentorship, leadership, and/or service. Students should be well-rounded and show evidence of making an impact in their fields as well as on the College of Engineering and broader community as a whole.