Announcing Recipients of the 2025-2026 Drexel Faculty Recognition Awards

This message was shared with faculty and professional staff members on March 19, 2026.

As a means of recognizing excellence and supporting the ongoing development of our faculty, the Office for Faculty Excellence & Academic Culture is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025-2026 Drexel Faculty Recognition Awards. Awardees will be celebrated during President Antonio Merlo’s Inauguration Week in April, shifting our annual awards cycle to align with other events honoring academic excellence.

Provost Awards for Outstanding Scholarly Productivity

Early Career

• Niharika Sravan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
• Amanda McMillan Lequieu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences

Mid-Career

• Hasan Ayaz, PhD, Professor, College of Engineering and Computing

Advanced Career

• Elise Ciner, OD, Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry

New This Year: Provost Award for Faculty Excellence

• Sandhya Kortagere, PhD, Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine

Provost Award for Pedagogical Innovation

• Christina Love, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor, Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
• Ni Ou, Associate Teaching Professor, Global Studies and Modern Languages, College of Arts and Sciences

Provost Award for Undergraduate Teaching Impact

• Johanna Casale, PhD, Assistant Teaching Professor, Construction Management Program, Engineering, Leadership, and Society Department, College of Engineering and Computing
• Kevin Smith, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor, Biology, College of Arts and Sciences

Adjunct Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence

• Beth Huerta, Adjunct Professor, Photography, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
• Gregory Probst, MFA, Adjunct Professor, English & Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences
• Dixie Schexnaildre, DHSc, Adjunct Professor, Complementary and Integrative Health Program, Graduate Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Professions

2024-2026 Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

2024-2025 Awardees, awarded in Spring 2026

• Matthew McCarthy, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, College of Engineering and Computing
• Todd Strochlic, VMD, PhD, Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine
• Jonathan Ziegert, PhD, Professor, Department of Management, Bennett S. LeBow College of Business

2025-2026 Awardees, awarded in Spring 2026

• H. Bernard Hall, PhD, Assistant Professor, Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, College of Arts and Sciences
• Caitlin Howe, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy, College of Medicine
• Joanne Mathiasen, PhD, Professor, Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine