Provost’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring
2024
Dr. Michael Kesden (NSM)
Tenure-Track
Dr. Michael Kesden is an associate professor of physics. His theoretical research focuses on gravitational-wave emission by binary black holes and stellar tidal disruption by supermassive black holes. He also is deeply interested in how technology can promote physics education and outreach and has developed the software STEPP (Scaffolded Training Environment for Physics Problem-solving) and VIGOR (Virtual Interaction with Gravitational waves to Observe Relativity).
Dr. Syed Kaazim Naqvi (IS)
Non-Tenure
Dr. Syed Kaazim Naqvi is associate professor of instruction in American studies and head of the Master’s of Interdisciplinary Studies program. He is happy to have had the opportunity to be a mentor to two new faculty members this academic year and has enjoyed getting to attend faculty mentoring program events. Naqvi is honored to have been nominated for the award by his mentee, Dr. Lance Lusk, who has thanked him for giving advice with regards to courses and professional development during his first year at UTD.
2023
Dr. Rashaunda Henderson (ECS)
Dr. Henderson, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is the inaugural winner of this award. She is a very engaged mentor, attending several faculty mentoring program activities and participating in both career development and social events. Her mentee, Dr. Ifana Mahbub, said Dr. Henderson generously allowed mentees to use and borrow equipment from her lab and called her “a wonderful colleague, mentor and friend.”