Celebrating Excellence: Meet This Year’s Faculty Awards Recipients
Renowned scholars. Exceptional Educators. Impactful Leaders. At the annual Faculty Awards Ceremony on Nov. 19, Auburn University will bestow its highest honors to faculty who epitomize these qualities.
The awards highlight nearly 20 outstanding faculty members who embody Auburn’s mission of teaching, research and scholarship, leadership and service. Now in its 23rd year, the event celebrates faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in innovation and a strong commitment to advancing Auburn’s mission over the past year.
“Auburn’s awards program applauds our culture of innovation, impact and service, which are hallmarks of our institution,” Provost Vini Nathan said. “As dedicated faculty, this year’s honorees are driving research and creative endeavors while providing transformative student experiences in the classroom and beyond.”
This year’s recipients, representing a wide range of disciplines across nine colleges, are celebrated for their significant contributions to their fields, their impact on communities across the state and their demonstrated success in advancing student learning. The awards include categories in undergraduate and graduate education, research and creative scholarship, outreach and leadership.
In 2024, the program expanded to include new awards that recognize faculty from all ranks, acknowledge emerging faculty scholars and celebrate excellence in faculty leadership. Recipients of these highly competitive awards are selected by committees of faculty, staff, students and alumni and include stipends to support professional development and program enhancements.
Meet this year’s Auburn Faculty Award Recipients:
Dr. Lisa Kensler
President's Award for Distinguished Faculty Leadership
College of Education
By Mary Kate Hughes
Lisa Kensler has a clear definition of leadership – one that has guided her well since she first articulated it as a doctoral student 20 years ago.
“I define leadership as cultivating conditions where everyone grows and achieves both personal and collective goals through learning and transformation,” said Kensler, the Emily R. and Gerald S. Leischuck Endowed Professor in Educational Leadership in Auburn University’s College of Education. “Leadership is not simply about having authority, power or position over others, but rather about designing systems and processes that support learning, innovation and change within a vibrant culture and climate.” Read more.
Dr. Kerry Inger
President's Award for Distinguished Faculty Leadership (Joint Recipient)
Harbert College of Business
By Troy Turner
Inger and Narayanan co-chaired efforts to craft an ambitious ten-year strategic plan for Auburn University, a collaborative undertaking that demonstrated their steadfast dedication to the university's future. They invested thousands of hours beyond their faculty responsibilities, facilitating meetings and leading work sessions crucial to shaping the plan’s goals. Inger and Narayanan actively participated in dozens of feedback sessions, meetings, and interviews, attentively listening to the voices of the Auburn Family to truly understand the university's challenges and opportunities. Read more.
Dr. Kathryn Floyd
The Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching
College of Liberal Arts
By Charlotte Tuggle
Our world is dominated by images. The next generation of professionals entering the visual world will need a great teacher to help them navigate it. Kathryn Floyd, an associate professor of art history in the College of Liberal Arts' Department of Art & Art History, has received Auburn University's highest teaching honor for giving her students the right directions. Read more.
Dr. Kellye S. Joiner
The Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching
College of Veterinary Medicine
By Amy Burtch
Established in 2005 by Dr. Gerald and the late Emily Leischuck, both 1964 graduates and former university administrators, the awards honor two full-time Auburn faculty members who have demonstrated effective and innovative teaching methods, as well as a continued commitment to student success through advising and mentoring.
Joiner, whose research interests focus on genetic resistance or susceptibility to several common poultry diseases, has been a faculty member in the Department of Pathobiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine since 2007. In addition to coordinating multiple courses in both the DVM program and graduate curricula, she serves as an instructor in various team-taught courses. Read more.
Dr. JoEllen Sefton
Award for Excellence in Faculty Outreach
College of Education
By Miranda Nobles
Sefton’s outreach and community-engaged scholarship focuses on improving performance, enhancing health and wellness, and reducing injury among tactical athletes—including military personnel, police, firefighters and first responders. Her work through the Warrior Athlete Training program has impacted over 860,000 soldiers, treating over 510,000 new injuries and saving 1,692,872 soldier training hours by reducing lost training time due to injury, reflecting a savings to the US Army in over $30,518,419 in medical costs. Sefton has also developed specialized training programs for the Auburn University ROTC program, the City of Auburn’s Police and Fire Departments as well as area college and school systems. Sefton’s distinguished academic, research and outreach engagement is having a positive and lasting impact on military, tactical athletes and students, and she serves as an exemplar of Auburn’s commitment to outreach and community engagement. Read more.
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Dr. Panagiotis Mistriotis
Emerging Faculty Creative Research and Scholarship Awards
Dr. N. Hari Narayanan
President's Award for Distinguished Faculty Leadership (Joint Recipient)
Dr. Nima Shamsaei
Creative Research and Scholarship Award
By Joe McAdory
Hari Narayaran, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Nima Shamsaei, the Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Panagiotis Mistriotis, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, are among 19 distinguished faculty members from nine colleges to be honored. Read more.
Dr. Peter Hastie
Creative Research and Scholarship Award
College of Education
By Miranda Nobles
A fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology, Hastie is recognized as a world-renowned researcher in the field of sport education. Hastie has authored 10 influential textbooks and 19 book chapters, and his work has been cited nearly 15,000 times. He has published globally, and research by Hastie and his students has enhanced school intramural and physical education programs domestically and in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and China. He currently serves on five journal editorial boards and is known by colleagues as a leader in the advancement of sport pedagogy scholarship. Read more.
Dr. Jessica Darby
Emerging Faculty Creative Research and Scholarship Award
Harbert College of Business
By Laura Schmitt
An accomplished researcher who explores how institutions influence supply chain operations in agriculture, retail, manufacturing, and healthcare, Jessica Darby has won the 2024 Auburn Emerging Faculty Creative Research and Scholarship award.
This new award recognizes two early-career faculty members among Auburn’s nearly 400 assistant professors who have demonstrated excellence in research, scholarly work, and creative contributions. Read more.
Dr. Miranda Reed
Provost Award for Faculty Excellence in Research Mentoring
Harrison College of Pharmacy
By Matt Crouch
Committed to developing the next generation of investigators and leaders in pharmaceutical sciences, Dr. Miranda Reed has made a significant impact in students’ lives in her nearly 10 years as a faculty member in the Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy.
Joining the college in 2015, she has mentored more than 60 undergraduate students and chaired or co-chaired 18 graduate students. A professor in the Department of Drug Discovery and Development and a co-founder of the Center for Neuroscience Initiative at Auburn, her research focuses on aging and neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and consequences of prenatal exposure to cannabis. Read more.
Dr. Christopher Lepczyk
Provost Award for Faculty Excellence in Research Mentoring
College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment
By Jamie Anderson
With more than 20 years of research and teaching experience, Lepczyk is an accomplished researcher and productive scholar with 131 refereed journal articles and many book chapters. His publications have been cited over 10,000 times, and he has authored five ISI Highly Cited articles and received two best paper awards from the Ecological Society of America (the Sustainability Award) and the North American Section of the International Association for Landscape Ecology. He has won numerous awards, including the Auburn Author Award and the Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching from Auburn University, as well as the Harry Murphy Award for Excellence in Research, the Harry Murphy Award for Excellence in Extension and Outreach and the Harry Murphy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Advising. Read more.
Ben Bush
Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award
College of Architecture, Design and Construction
By Madison Champion
Sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association, the annual award recognizes outstanding teaching of undergraduates by Auburn faculty members nominated by their department heads, deans and former and current students. A committee of retired faculty selects the recipients.
Bush was credited repeatedly by those recent and former students nominating him as a professor whose teaching talents were without parallel, but also as a role model whose influence affected them far beyond just the classroom. Read more.
Dr. Muralikrishnan Dhanasekaran (Dr. Murali)
Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award
Harrison College of Pharmacy
By Matt Crouch
Until recently, the Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy did not offer undergraduate courses, but one faculty member has passionately pursued undergraduate teaching for more than 15 years.
In recognition of his commitment and innovative approach to classroom teaching, Dr. Muralikrishnan Dhanasekaran, known by his students simply as Dr. Murali, was recently recognized with the Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award, one of the prestigious and competitive Auburn University Faculty Awards. Read more.
Claire Thompson
Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award
College of Nursing
By Latha Sushil Bhavnani
Claire Thompson, an assistant clinical professor in the College of Nursing (AUCON), will receive the Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award. The Teaching Excellence Awards recognize the outstanding teaching of undergraduates from nominations made by department heads, deans, alumni and students. Three faculty members are selected each year and this year, for the first time ever, the university selected four recipients: an associate professor in the School of Industrial + Graphic Design, a professor and director of International Programs in the Harrison College of Pharmacy, an associate clinical professor in the School of Kinesiology, and an assistant clinical professor in AUCON. Read more.
Dr. Christopher Wilburn
Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award
College of Education
By Miranda Nobles
A highly dedicated and innovative educator, Wilburn is known for his excellence in teaching, mentorship, and research. With a doctoral degree in Kinesiology from Auburn, Wilburn has made substantial contributions both within the College of Education and to the broader academic community. As a core course instructor, he has made complex subjects like biomechanics accessible and engaging through interactive lectures, tailored exams and personalized support, fostering critical thinking and real-world application. His passion for the material and commitment to student success are further reflected in his mentorship of undergraduate and graduate researchers, preparing students for future careers and encouraging leadership in academic settings. Read more.
Master of Real Estate Development Program
President’s Outstanding Collaborative Units Award
College of Architecture, Design and Construction
Harbert College of Business
By Troy Turner
A collaboration between the Harbert College of Business and the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, the program's success is attributed to the unique partnership that combines the strengths of both colleges, offering a comprehensive approach to real estate education. Read more.
