Celebrating Excellence: The 2024 Faculty Awards

Professor Yan Li received the Thayer Diversity and Inclusion Award for outstanding leadership, a deep commitment and determined efforts in addressing and raising awareness about issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community. (Photo by Mark Washburn)

"This year's faculty award recipients demonstrate the profound dedication to teaching and research that Dartmouth so strongly values," says Provost David Kotz '86. "Their commitment to students and their impactful scholarship resonate throughout the institution, their fields of study, and beyond."

This year's awardees from engineering sciences are:

Distinguished Research Award for Faculty

Honors scholarly achievements that demonstrate notable discoveries or research accomplishments through publication, citation, or issued patents.

• Geoffroy Hautier, the Hodgson Family Professor of Engineering

Professor Hautier's leading-edge work on accelerated materials screening and design has raised predictive computational materials science to a new level. He collaborates seamlessly with colleagues across Dartmouth and at institutions around the world, while securing research funding and publications to advance materials science research at Thayer—all while actively advising post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students in his lab.

Diversity and Inclusion Award

Recognizes outstanding leadership, commitment, and efforts to raise awareness for and address issues of equity and inclusion at Thayer.

• Yan Li, assistant professor of engineering

Professor Li puts significant effort to support women and underrepresented minorities in engineering. She is the faculty advisor to Thayer's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. In her role, she helps foster female faculty-student relationships and actively mentors a diverse group of students. For her work, she earned the 2024 Jubilee Global Diversity Award from The American Ceramic Society.

Outstanding Service Award for Faculty

Honors service and dedication that have enhanced the quality of our education, research, and community.

• Laura Ray, Myron Tribus Professor of Engineering Innovation and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development
• George Cybenko, the Dorothy and Walter Gramm Professor of Engineering
• Hui Fang, associate professor of engineering
• Klaus Keller, Hodgson Distinguished Professor of Engineering
• Vikrant Vaze, Stata Family Career, Development Associate Professor of Engineering, and faculty director, Master of Engineering Management Program

As members of Thayer's Faculty Search Committee, their tireless service included reviewing over 800 applications and conducting 22 interviews while adhering to process and priorities of each faculty search. As chair, Professor Ray carved out time and coordinated numerous meetings, while continuing to teach and advise to her highest standards.

Professor Geoffrey Luke received the Woodhouse Excellence in Teaching Award for his commitment to students and love for teaching. (Photo by Mark Washburn)

Woodhouse Excellence in Teaching Award

Honors the best teacher-scholar among the engineering faculty.

• Geoffrey Luke, associate professor of engineering

His students' remarks speak for themselves:

• Professor Luke was one of the best lecturers I have had at Thayer.
• His mix between theory and computation was perfect…This class should be the model for more graduate courses.
• He was always available to help, and he made sure to be around before assignments were due.
• I loved how he presented papers that had just come out, exposing students to where the field is headed.