Outstanding Mentorship Awards

In partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Outstanding Mentorship Awards are presented to graduate students (master's and/or doctoral level) for exemplary mentoring of undergraduate and/or new or junior graduate students, which has had a demonstrated impact on the academic and/or professional development of a mentee or mentees. While mentorship occurs in many settings, this award focuses on mentorship in a research or scholarly setting.

Graduate College Award Winners

Abdullah Bilal Altundas
PhD Program in Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences

Jennifer Villareale
PhD Program in Digital Media
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design

College/School Finalists

Sara Blazejewski
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

Kanit Hantanasirisakul
PhD Program in Materials Science and Engineering
College of Engineering

Leah Kulp
PhD Program in Information Science
College of Computing and Informatics

Jamile Tellez Lieberman
DrPH Program in Community Health and Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health

Rasheda Likely
PhD Program in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies, STEM Education
School of Education

Bridget Milorey
PhD Program in Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences

Aakansha Nangarlia
PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems

Chad Pillai
Master's of Business Administration
LeBow College of Business

Hannah Spece
PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems

​Joseph Stanzione
PhD Program in Nutrition Sciences
College of Nursing and Health Professions

Rebecca Williams
PhD Program in Clinical Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences

Drexel Common Good Award

In partnership with the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, the Drexel Common Good Award is presented to graduate students (master's or doctoral level) who demonstrate academic excellence and who are committed to improving the world around them by making contributions to local, national or global communities through either scholarship or civic engagement.

Graduate College Award Winners

Samantha Joseph
PhD Program in Community Health and Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health

Olivia Ngo
PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems

College/School Finalists

Katie Elliot
PhD Program in Education Leadership and Policy
School of Education 

Ipek Eralp
Master's Program in Pharmacology and Physiology
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

M. Marie Mastrobattista
Master's Program in Interior Architecture and Design
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design

Ariann Neutts
Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
College of Nursing and Health Professions

Rita Santos
Master of Business Administration
LeBow College of Business

Asia Sarycheva
PhD Program in Materials Science and Engineering
College of Engineering

Research Excellence Awards

Research Excellence Awards are presented to graduate students who have completed original, innovative research, scholarship and/or creativity during their career at Drexel. The awards are designed to recognize widely disseminated student research with significant impact on the field or society.

Graduate College Award Winner - Post-Candidacy

Zhengqiao Zhao
PhD Program in Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering

College/School Finalists - Post-Candidacy

Amanda Barany
PhD Program in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies
School of Education

Genevieve Curtis
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

Robert Gray
PhD Program in Digital Media
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design

Greg Risser
PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems

Stephen Sclafani
PhD Program in Physics
College of Arts and Sciences

Joseph Stanzione
PhD Program in Nutrition Sciences
College of Nursing and Health Professions

Hamideh Talafian
PhD Program in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies, STEM Education
School of Education

Hongjun Ye
PhD Program in Business, Marketing
LeBow College of Business

Shuting Zhang
PhD Program in Physics
College of Arts and Sciences

Graduate College Award Winner - Pre-Candidacy

Ashley Opalka
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

College/School Finalists - Pre-Candidacy

Niki Torskiy
PhD Program in Economics
LeBow College of Business

Jennifer Villareale
PhD Program in Digital Media
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design

Ruxu Zhai
Master's Program in Drug Discovery and Development
Continuing through to the PhD Program in Pharmacology and Physiology
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

Graduate College Award Winner - Master's

Neha Khanna
Master's Program in Business Analytics
LeBow College of Business

College/School Finalists - Master's

Andrew Bishop
Master's Program in Digital Media
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design

Katie LaWall
Master's Program in Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health

Graduate College Award Winner - Most Original & Creative Work

Thelmelis Abreu
Master's Program in Design Research
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design

College/School Finalists - Most Original & Creative Work

Hemalatha Muralidharan
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

Outstanding Dissertation Award

The Outstanding Dissertation Awards are presented to PhD/doctoral students who have written original, innovative dissertations that reflect great research and have or are likely to be disseminated widely and have significant impact on the field and society. This award is open to all PhD/doctoral students who have achieved candidacy during this or previous academic years and are expected to complete, defend their dissertation, and graduate this academic year.

Graduate College Award Winners

Adrian Curtin
PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University & Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China

Ishan Ghosh
PhD Program in Economics
LeBow College of Business
"Essays in Empirical International Trade and Entrepreneurship"

College/School Finalists

Eram Albajri
PhD Program in Nutrition Sciences
College of Nursing and Health Professions 

Amanda Barany
PhD Program in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies, STEM Education
School of Education 

Nicholas Grodsky
PhD Program in Communication, Culture and Media
College of Arts and Sciences

Marisa Felsher
PhD Program in Community Health and Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health

Kyle Juretus
PhD Program in Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering

Eugene Mironets
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine

Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards

Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards are presented to graduate students who serve as Teaching Assistants (TAs) and who exhibit exemplary commitment to student learning through reflective teaching practices, innovative teaching methods, academic support, leadership and a commitment to their professional growth and development as an educator.

Graduate College Award Winners

Lutfi Agartan
PhD Program in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics
College of Engineering
For Classroom Instruction

Evan Arena
PhD Program in Physics
College of Arts and Sciences
For Classroom Instruction

May Cheung
PhD Program in Nutrition Sciences
College of Nursing and Health Professions
For Classroom Instruction

Steve Earth
PhD Program in Computer Science
College of Computing and Informatics
For Classroom Instruction

Tiffany England
Master's Program in Interior Architecture and Design
Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
For Academic Support

Alyssa Leggieri
Master's Program in Nursing, Nursing Education and Faculty Role
College of Nursing and Health Professions
For Online Instruction

Dominick Macaluso
PhD Program in Mathematics
College of Arts and Sciences
For Classroom Instruction

Nancy Mack
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies
College of Medicine
For Classroom Instruction

Yulia Malkova
PhD Program in Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering
For Classroom Instruction

Hongjun Ye
PhD Program in Business, Marketing
LeBow College of Business
​For Classroom Instruction​

Continuing Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award

Katherine Fiocca
PhD Program in Biology
College of Arts and Sciences

Highly Commended - College/School Finalists

Alia Ammar
PhD Program in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies, Educational Leadership and Policy
School of Education
For Online Instruction

Yueyue Chen
PhD Program in Business, Decision Sciences
LeBow College of Business
For Classroom Instruction

Rennie Joshi
PhD Program in Epidemiology
Dornsife School of Public Health
For Classroom Instruction

Matthew Mieles
PhD Program in Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
For Classroom Instruction

Reza Pejman
PhD Program in Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering
For Academic Support

Joel Pepper
PhD Program in Computer Sciences
College of Computing and Informatics
For Academic Support

Cheng Wang
PhD Program in Business, Management
LeBow College of Business
For Classroom Instruction

Hamed Yassaghi
PhD Program in Architectural Engineering
College of Engineering
For Classroom Instruction

Teck-Kah Lim Award

Dr. Teck-Kah Lim is the former Associate Vice Provost of Graduate Studies and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics. He served as a dedicated leader in the Office of Graduate Studies for over a decade. Among Teck’s signature achievements are the provost pre-doctoral fellowship program, the health insurance subsidy program for PhD students, Teaching Assistant training and mentorship programs and the establishment of graduate student policies and enhanced interdisciplinary collaborations. The Graduate College also offers a graduate student conference travel support award in his name.

Graduate College Award Winner

Asia Sarycheva
PhD Program in Materials Science and Engineering
College of Engineering

Graduate College Recognition Awards

In recognition of volunteer contributions to the Doctoral (D) Forms Working Group and support of doctoral and PhD students and streamlining processes and procedures: 

Elizabeth Goralczyk
Software Development Engineering
Drexel University Information Technology

Christopher Laincz
Director, PhD Program and Professor of Economics
LeBow College of Business

In recognition of outstanding service and advocacy for graduate student instructors, Remote Course Facilitators (RCFs), Teaching Assistants (TAs), and for continued support for graduate students in remote and online teaching and learning environments:

Alan Hecht
Director of Instructional Technical Services
LeBow College of Business

Johanna Inman
Director, Teaching and Learning Center
Office of Faculty Affairs

Valerie Klein
Chair, Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards Committee
Assistant Clinical Professor & Program Director for Teacher Education Programs
School of Education

Michael Shelmet
Director of Instructional Technology
Drexel University Information Technology

In recognition of outstanding service to the graduate community:

Anne Converse Willkomm
Chair, Graduate Student Excellence Awards Committee
Assistant Clinical Professor and Department Head of Graduate Studies
Goodwin College of Professional Studies

In recognition of volunteer service and continued engagement with the Drexel graduate, postdoc and alumni communities:

Valerie Tutwiler
Drexel Alumni, BS/MS '13, PhD '17 Biomedical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Co- Founder, Drexel Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference
Elected Director, Drexel University Board of Governors
Postdoctoral Fellow, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

For outstanding leadership, service, advocacy and commitment to the graduate community at Drexel this year:

The Executive Board of the Graduate Student Association 2019-2020

Graduate Student Association (GSA) Awards

In prior years, the Drexel community has gathered near the end of the spring quarter to celebrate the accomplishments of graduate students and honor members of the community who are extensively dedicated to graduate student success. Although we are not able to gather in festivity at Graduate Student Day this year, GSA would like to acknowledge the people who contribute their time, creativity, and expertise to the graduate community. The importance of this community to the graduate student population is especially palpable today when we cannot be together on our campus. We appreciate what you all do to make this community unique, and we especially appreciate your enduring commitments to graduate student success.  
 
The GSA executive board congratulates the following winners of the 2020 GSA Awards:
 
Scholars Share Award – Meghan Barrett, PhD Candidate in Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Most Collaborative Organization – Drexel Peer Health Educators and Maternal Child Health Student Organization
Most Academically Driven Organization – ChemGSA
Graduate Community Impact Award – SoE Gnomes
Outstanding Professional Staff Mentor Award – Brenna Martin, PhD Programs Manager, Academic Advisor, College of Computing and Informatics
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award – Ana Martinez-Dontae​, Associate Professor, Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health
 
GSA would also like to honor other nominated outstanding mentors to Drexel graduate students:  

Chalice Rhodes, Assistant Clinical Professor, College of Nursing and Health Profession, recognized for Teaching Methods 
Christopher Laincz, Associate Professor, LeBow College of Business, recognized for Support towards Doctoral Students
Lauren D'Innocenzo, Assistant Professor, LeBow College of Business, recognized for service to LeBow College of Business DBA Program 
Gladys Clapano-Mozdzonek, College of Nursing and Health Professions, recognized for service to the College of Nursing and Health Professions 
Heejun Kim, Postdoctoral Fellow, College of Computing and Informatics, recognized for service to MSDS
Jake Williams, Assistant Professor, College of Computing and Informatics, recognized for service to Mentorship to graduate and undergraduate students
John Gould, Clinical Professor, School of Education, recognized for Teaching Methods
Kimberly Garcia, Assistant Clinical Professor, College of Nursing and Health Profession, recognized for service to Mental health post-grad NP program
Michael Ryan, Associate Teaching Professor, College of Engineering, recognized for service to International Graduate Student Association
Patti Zuzelo, Clinical Professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions, recognized for service to Advising on DNP program
Raquel Arredondo, Associate Director, LeBow College of Business, recognized for service as Graduate Advisor
Thomas Heverin, Associate Teaching Professor, College of Computing and Informatics, recognized for service to Women in Computing Society
Toni Sondergeld, Associate Professor, School of Education, recognized for service to SoE GNOMES
Yvonne Michael, Associate Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health, recognized for service to Public Health Doctoral Students Advisory Group

GSA sincerely thanks you for your dedication to graduate student success at Drexel.