---
title: "Accolades: Faculty and Staff Awards and Honors"
date: 2026-09-16T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/accolades-faculty-and-staff-awards-and-honors-13"
section: Articles
---
# Accolades: Faculty and Staff Awards and Honors
*September 16, 2026* — by [Maryland Today Staff](/author/maryland-today-staff)
> A roundup of recent accomplishments.
Below are awards and honors University of Maryland faculty and staff have earned since mid-April:
Associate Professor and Clark Faculty Fellow **Damena Agonafer** (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Maryland Energy Innovation Institute Director and Distinguished University Professor **Eric Wachsman** were two of 15 Maryland engineers, inventors and scientists named 2026 RealLIST Innovators by Technical.ly.
**T. Leigh Anenson**, business law professor, received the 2026 Kay Duffy Award from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. She has worked with the academy for more than 20 years, recently completing a term as president.
**Melissa Andreychek,** senior associate director of communications in the A. James Clark School of Engineering, was recognized as a Stellar Speaker by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for her District I & II Annual Conference co-presentation, “60 Ideas In 60 Minutes: Researched, Road-tested Ideas for Your Print Publication.” Stellar Speakers are CASE members who earn average combined scores of at least 4.5 out of 5 on evaluations of their session.
**Vikrant C. Aute**, research professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, received the Dave Tree Distinguished Service Award at the 2026 Herrick Conferences at Purdue University. The award recognizes his exceptional service to Herrick’s three international conferences, spanning compressor engineering, refrigeration and air-conditioning, and high-performance buildings.
**Jordan Bell**, assistant professor of urban education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, was selected as one of eight members of the 2026-28 cohort of the Literacy Research Association’s STAR (Scholars of color Transitioning into Academic Research institutions) Mentoring Program. The STAR program is for scholars of color in the first two years of a tenure-track literacy appointment, who are matched with senior scholars of color in the field.
**Ryan Blaustein**, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, was elected vice chair of the Advanced Molecular Analytics Professional Development Group within the International Association for Food Protection.
Associate Director of Bands **Andrea E. Brown** was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association, one of the highest national honors for conductors. Brown also leads the UMD Wind Ensemble and serves as director of the Mighty Sound of Maryland.
Robert H. Smith Chair in Organizational Behavior **Gilad Chen** received the 2026 Outstanding Article Award (Practitioner-Oriented) from the Organization Development and Change’s Division of the Academy of Management.
**Kelly Colburn MFA ’18,** lecturer in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, led projections design for “The Inheritance: Parts One and Two” at Round House Theatre, which won Outstanding Production, Play, in the Helen Hayes Awards.
A two-decade review of bird flu in cats by **Kristen Coleman**, assistant professor in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health, was awarded Best of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Journals 2025.
**Conferences & Visitor Services** at the University of Maryland received Unique Venues’ Planner’s Choice Award for 2025 in the category of Best Academic Venue. More than 20,000 meeting planners are eligible to cast their votes for the “best of” venues in different categories. C&VS has won 17 Unique Venues Awards over the past 11 years.
**Evelyn Cooper**, assistant dean and chief of operations for the Graduate School, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in International Education Administration to South Korea for the 2026 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
**Jimena Cosso**, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, was named a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow for the 2026-27 academic year. The highly competitive fellowship recognizes 25 of the nation’s most exceptional early-career scholars, who are making significant scholarly contributions to education research.
Architecture Lecturer **Daniel Curry** won an American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (COTE) award for his professional design contributions to Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. Awarded to just 10 projects nationally a year, the COTE recognizes projects that demonstrate resilience and sustainability.
Mechanical engineering Professor **Siddhartha Das** was named the 2026 recipient of the AES Electrophoretic Society Mid-Career Award, which recognizes exceptional contributions to electrophoresis, microfluidics, and related fields.
**John Davis**, UMD Libraries' curator for Special Collections in Performing Arts, was listed as a PROSE award finalist in Media and Culture Studies for his book, “Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, DC.” Presented annually by the Association of American Publishers, the awards recognize publishers who produce books, nonfiction graphic novels, journals, digital products, and reference works of extraordinary merit that make a significant contribution to a field of study.
Associate Professor of communication **Ganga Dhanesh** has been accepted into the Arthur W. Page Society as an Educator member. The Page Society is the premier global professional association for senior strategic communication leaders.
Assistant Professor of Art **Brandon Donahue-Shipp** was selected as one of five finalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize. His work was exhibited at the Walters Art Museum from June-September 2026 and celebrated at an awards ceremony in August.
**Michelle M. Espino**, associate professor of student affairs in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, received a Pillar of the Profession Award from the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) Foundation.
**Nima Farshchi,** executive director in the Robert H. Smith School of Business’ Office of Experiential Learning and director of the Center for Social Value Creation, was named chair of Leaders of Experiential Project-Based Education. The volunteer-led network of faculty, staff, and administrators is committed to advancing project-based experiential learning in business education.
**Anny Gaul,** associate professor of Arabic in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, won a 2026 James Beard Media Award in the Reference, History and Scholarship category for her book, “Nile Nightshade: An Egyptian Culinary History of the Tomato.” The recognition followed other honors for the book, including the 2026 First Book Award from the Association for the Study of Food and Society and Best Culinary History Book at the 2025 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
**Ellie Geraghty** led the Alumni Association’s efforts in a Silver award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's (CASE) 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards program for Terp Author Engagement.
The Division of University Relations was recognized with a Gold award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's (CASE) 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards program for its initiative to engage students on campus throughout the launch week of *Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless*.
College of Information Professor **Jennifer Golbeck** was selected as one of 15 speakers worldwide for TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures, a special TED event marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Her talk, "How Surveillance Tech Erodes Your Privacy," examined how corporations and governments built a system of "data colonialism" that tracks people's movements, searches and habits.
**Samuel Graham**, Nariman Farvardin Professor and dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, was named the 2026 recipient of the Richard Chu Award for Excellence in Thermal and Thermo-Mechanical Management of Electronics given by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was also named an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Distinguished University Professor of Physics **Richard L. Greene** was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for outstanding accomplishments in quantum science. He has made fundamental breakthroughs in understanding and measuring superconductivity, a condition in which an electrical current can flow without any resistance.
**Abba Gumel**, Distinguished University Professor and the Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed E-Nnovate Chair in Mathematics, was elected president of the Society for Mathematical Biology.
Distinguished University Professor and Minta Martin Professor of Engineering **Ashwani Gupta** was elected an international fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is a leading authority on swirl flows and distributed combustion for cleaner energy conversion.
Mechanical engineering Professor **Jin-Oh Hahn** was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s class of 2026 fellows. He was honored for his seminal contributions to the understanding of autonomy in physiological system monitoring and closed-loop control.
**Mohammad Hajiaghayi**, the Jack and Rita G. Minker Professor of Computer Science, received two Test of Time Awards from the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Economics and Computation for papers that helped shape the modern field of algorithmic economics and online mechanism design.
Mechanical engineering Professor **Bongtae Han** was selected by the Electronic Packaging Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to receive its Outstanding Sustained Technical Contribution Award. He was honored for his contributions to electronic packaging design for reliability and workforce development, especially measurement of advanced package behavior and material properties.
Minta Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering **Christine Hartzell** was named to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 class of 2026, which recognizes young alums who have excelled in their fields and demonstrated significant leadership and impact. Hartzell, the founding director of ASTRA-UMD, earned her B.S. from Georgia Tech in 2008 and is an internationally recognized researcher in asteroid science and space exploration technologies.
College of Information Professor **Paul Jaeger** received the 2026 Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award from the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Round Table for his article, "The Immortality of Hatred and Revenge: The Interconnections of Censorship, Disinformation, and Cultural Erasure in the Book Bans Targeting Marginalized Populations." The award honors the best published work in the area of intellectual freedom.
Dean's Chair in Marketing Science and Distinguished University Professor **P.K. Kannan** and Dean's Professor of Marketing **Wendy Moe** are the new co‑executive directors of the Marketing Science Institute.
Communication Professor **Sahar Khamis** won the Outstanding Woman in Journalism and Mass Communication Award from the Commission on the Status of Women. Khamis also earned two 2026 Outstanding Article Awards from the Intercultural Communication Division and the Ethnicity and Race in Communication Division of the International Communication Association.
Associate Clinical Professor of fire protection engineering **Bill Koffel ’79** received the 2026 Industry Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals who have contributed to the fire life safety industry, from Siemens.
**Erin Kopacz '10**, senior program manager in the Office of Emergency Management and Business Continuity, was recognized by the International Association of Emergency Managers as a 2026 40 Under 40 honoree for outstanding leadership and notable contributions to the emergency management profession.
**Bill Lamp**, professor of entomology, was elected an honorary member of the Entomological Society of America. He has been an ESA member since 1977 and has served in leadership positions at the national and branch levels. As ESA's Eastern Branch president, he created EntoQuest, an annual meeting that brings together students and ESA members in a natural setting.
**Stephanie Lansing**, professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology, was named a fellow of the American Ecological Engineering Society. The honor recognizes her sustained leadership and contributions that have advanced the field of ecological engineering. She previously served as AEES president.
Engineering Program Manager of Creative Strategy **Matt Laumann** is featured in a Telly Award-winning video about his MFA thesis project on craft beer design for the University of Baltimore's Centennial. The video is a 2026 silver winner in the Non-Broadcast Educational Institution category.
**Michael Lavery,** assistant professor of Russian in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, was awarded a 2026 ACLS Fellowship. His project, “Translating the Blazing Continent: Latin American Fiction and Soviet World Literature,” explores how Latin American fiction influenced and was reframed by Soviet culture.
**Jioni A. Lewis**, associate professor of counseling psychology in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, received the Foremothers Mentorship Career Excellence Award from the Society for the Psychology of Women (American Psychological Association Division 35), Section 1 (The Psychology of Black Women). This award recognizes professionals who significantly contribute to mentorship, particularly in the professional development of Black women in psychology.
Epidemiology Professor **Hongjie Liu** won a Fulbright Specialist Award from the State Department to conduct a variety of educational and training activities within the field of public/global Health at Mahidol University in Thailand.
**Jessica Magidson**, associate professor in the Department of Psychology and director of the Center for Substance Use, Addiction and Health Research (CESAR), received a James McKeen Cattell Fund Sabbatical Fellowship from the Association for Psychological Science. It allows researchers who are taking sabbatical leave to extend their leave period in pursuit of activities that will enhance their research endeavors.
**Steven Mansbach**, distinguished university professor emeritus in the Department of Art History and Archaeology, received the highest award from the Czech Academy of Sciences, *De scientia et humanitate optime meritis*, which honors people “who have pushed the boundaries of knowledge and made their mark in their fields."
The Office of Marketing and Communications netted eight honors in the 2026 Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s Circle of Excellence awards competition. *Terp* magazine earned a silver in the category of Magazines: Alumni/General Interest: Four-Year Colleges and Universities (Printed Three+ Times a Year); **John T. Consoli** won a silver for Individual Photographs; **Stephanie Cordle** won a bronze in Photography: Portraits; **John Tucker** won gold awards for Writing: News/Feature (1,000+ Words) and for Writing: Research, Medicine, & Science; and videos from the team of **Lauren Knapp**, **Eric Kruszuski** and **Lancelot Lin** on Giving Day and Kermencement won gold and silver, respectively.
**Maryland Athletics**’ Broadcast & Production department won three Capital Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter. Led by Associate Athletic Director, Broadcast & Production **Michael Farrell**, the department won for Sports Excellence for its work highlighting the Terps. **Albert Tong**, assistant athletic director for Football Creative Video, won for Sports Story: Long Form Content for his work on “NFL Dreams: Tai Felton.” Videographer **Noah Vasington** received recognition for his efforts on the piece.
Electrical and computer engineering Professor **Thomas Marzetta** has won the IEEE Communications Society Test of Time Paper Award for Advances in Communications for his paper, "Cell-Free Massive MIMO Versus Small Cells."
**John Moult**, professor emeritus in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Generics, will receive the 2027 DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Lecturer of aerospace engineering **Colleen Murray Ph.D. ’24** was named the 2026 Young Professional of the Year by the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering.
**Susan Parker**, professor in the School of Public Policy, was appointed joint editor-in-chief of the *Journal of Development Effectiveness*. The appointment reflects Parker’s expertise in development economics and her research evaluating major social programs in Latin America. Her work includes an evaluation of Mexico’s Progresa/Opportunidades conditional cash transfer program, one of the world’s most influential poverty alleviation initiatives.
Distinguished University Professor of mechanical engineering **Michael Pecht** is among the top international scientists included in Research.com’s 2026 Best Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Scientists ranking, reflecting his long-standing contributions to reliability engineering, prognostics and health management, electronics reliability, battery safety, and risk assessment. The organization ranked him No. 40 in the world and No. 21 in the United States.
University President **Darryll J. Pines**, the Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
**Martin C. Rabenhorst**, professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology, was issued a patent for "Systems, Methods and Indicator Materials for Assessing Reduction State in Soils."
**Michael Raupp**, professor emeritus of entomology, received the Mighty Oak Award for Excellence in Conservation from the Herb Society of America.
**Rachel Rhodes**, senior agent associate with University of Maryland Extension, received the Distinguished Coordinator Award at the National Extension Master Gardener Coordinators Conference. She was honored for expanding the reach of the Queen Anne's County Master Gardener Program, including distributing hundreds of native plants to homeowners, educating hundreds of residents on sustainable gardening, and coordinating the donation of more than 900 pounds of produce to local food banks.
**Rachel Romeo**, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, is one of two recipients of the 2026 International Mind, Brain, and Education Society Early Career Award, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of mind, brain and education.
**Alan Sactor**, fire marshal and assistant director of the Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk, was named a life member of the National Fire Protection Association. He has been an active member of the association since 1982.
**Delida Sanchez**, associate professor of counseling psychology in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, has received the National Latinx Psychological Association Presidential Citation.
**Ashley Sankowski**, coordinator of student orientation, was selected to serve as one of the educational programming co-chairs for the NODA 2027 Spring Learning Conference in Amherst, Mass. This conference will be held for undergraduate student leaders and professional staff members in the field of orientation, transition, and retention.
**Amanda Scala**, associate director for parking administration and IT in the Department of Transportation Services, has been selected to receive the 2026 IPMI Chair Award, one of the International Parking & Mobility Institute’s highest individual honors. It recognizes current and future leaders whose accomplishments and engagement are helping advance the parking, transportation and mobility profession.
**Sehrish Shikarpurya**, assistant professor of special education in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, received a Sesqui Award for Policy from the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). She was also elected a member and co-chair of the Student and Early Career Network of AAIDD.
**Ivania Stack MFA ’09**, assistant professor in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, won Outstanding Costume Design at the Helen Hayes Awards for “Merry Wives” at the Shakespeare Theatre Company.
College of Information Professor **Mega Subramaniam** received a U.S. Fulbright Scholar award supporting her sabbatical in Indonesia, where she was based at Universitas Gadjah Mada and delivered lectures, workshops and talks on AI literacy, digital inclusion, and LIS education at institutions across the country.
**Stephen B. Thomas**, professor of health policy and management, and interim director of Nyumburu Cultural Center, received the Watkins-Saunders Award, from the Baltimore and Greater Maryland American Heart Association, recognizing leadership and lasting impact on advancing equitable health. Thomas was also named to the College Park Airport Authority.
Fire engineering Professor and department Chair **Arnaud Trouvé** received the Dougal Drysdale Award for Extraordinary Service to the International Association for Fire Safety Science. He was honored for his longtime service to the organization as committee chair of its annual symposium and as co-founder of the first IAFSS working group; he is currently a trustee. Trouvé was also named to the Society of Fire Protection Engineers’ 2026 class of fellows.
UMD’s Resilient Adaptation across Culture and Context Lab, led by Department of Psychology Assistant Professor **Fanita Tyrell**, received a community service award from the Ebenezer Church of God of Landover Hills, Md. Twice a year, faculty and students from the lab attend its events to share information about brain and child development and mental health via trivia games with community members.
**Vessela Valiavitcharska**, associate professor in the Department of English, was awarded a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study. She will work on her book project, “Logos and Rhetoric in Middle Byzantine Rhetorical Thought.”
Research Professor Emeritus **Eric Vermote** in the Department of Geographical Sciences has received the 2025 Pecora Award for his pioneering atmospheric correction methods that have shaped how scientists read satellite data. The award ceremony took place during the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.
**Todd Waters**, agricultural technician supervisor in the Department of Entomology, was awarded the Steve Prchal Memorial Scholarship by the Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group at its Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference. Through his leadership of the Insect Zoo, he reared more than 100 species of arthropods and conducted more than 80 events across the DMV this year.
Minta Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering **Norman Wereley** was selected as a 2026 fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. He was recognized for his pioneering contributions to smart composite materials and adaptive structural systems and his sustained leadership in materials research, manufacturing innovation and education.
The Honorable Judge **Alexander Williams, Jr.**, namesake of the Center for Education, Justice & Ethics, received the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Liberty Achievement Award, which celebrates individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and excellence within the legal profession. Last year’s recipient was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
**Psyche Williams-Forson**, professor in the Department of American Studies, was selected for the 2026 Sydney Mintz Prize for Mentorship in Food Studies by the American Studies Association. In addition, the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking book "Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food, and Power" was celebrated by the Association for the Study of Food and Society in June and will be recognized by the American Studies Association in October for its role in transforming the study of food, race, gender and cultural power.
Psychology Assistant Professor **Henry Willis** received the 2026 Early Career Contributions to Diversity Science Award from the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
**Janelle Wong**, director of the Asian American Studies Program and a professor in the departments of Government and Politics and of American Studies, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Recognized by the academy for political science research, she has produced groundbreaking research on public opinion, religion and immigrant integration, and the civic engagement of Asian American and other immigrant populations.
**Chunyan Yang,** associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, was recently elected a member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology.
Electrical and computer engineering Professor **Kaiqing Zhang** received the 2026 Donald P. Eckman Award from the American Automatic Control Council for his work in reinforcement learning in multi-agent systems and dynamic games, and applications in generative-AI agents and robotics.
*Know of a faculty or staff honor that should be included in this quarterly compilation? Please contact your unit’s communications lead and* [*accolades@umd.edu*](mailto:accolades@umd.edu)*.*
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