New awards honor faculty excellence

This year, five new awards have been established to honor outstanding members of the faculty. The recipients were nominated by faculty and staff members.

Patricia Reiff

Marjorie Corcoran Award

Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy, received the inaugural Marjorie Corcoran Award. The award is given to a Rice faculty member who has made major contributions to the advancement of women or underrepresented minorities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, either in support of students at Rice or through local, state or national programs, with a particular commitment to engaged mentoring.

Faculty Award for Excellence in University Service and Leadership

Susan McIntosh

Kathleen Matthews

Recipients of the Faculty Award for Excellence in University Service and Leadership are Kathleen Matthews, the Stewart Memorial Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Susan McIntosh, the Herbert S. Autrey Professor in Anthropology. This award will be bestowed annually on a faculty member(s) who has made significant and distinctive contributions to the mission of Rice through exceptional university service and leadership.

Faculty Award for Excellence in Professional Service and Leadership

Moshe Vardi

Brett Ashley Leeds

Brett Ashley Leeds, and professor and department chair of political science, and Moshe Vardi, director of Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, the Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor of Computational Engineering and professor of computer science, won the Faculty Award for Excellence in University Professional Service and Leadership. This award will be bestowed annually on a faculty member(s) making significant contributions to the academic profession or to the wider community (local, national or international) through professional service and leadership.

Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service 

Richard Baraniuk

Anthony Pinn

The Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service was given to Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religion and fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This award will be bestowed periodically on a faculty member(s) who fulfill the Rice academic ideal by exhibiting exemplary achievement in all aspects of faculty responsibilities: research, teaching and service.

Douglas Schuler

Teaching Award for Excellence in Inquiry-Based Learning

Douglas Schuler, associate professor of business and public policy in Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, was chosen for the Teaching Award for Excellence in Inquiry-Based Learning. The award was established to bring attention to the efforts across campus to fold inquiry and research into the curriculum; it recognizes faculty who demonstrate excellence in the use of inquiry-based learning methods in undergraduate teaching.