Our faculty work hard to ensure our students receive the highest quality education in mathematics. Below you can find the numerous accolades our faculty has received for their teaching efforts. See also our Faculty Honors & Awards, Internal Honors & Awards, and the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students.

Campus Instructional Awards

Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Faculty

  • 2025 Nathan Dunfield
  • 2023 Eugene Lerman
  • 2020 Zoi Rapti
  • 2019 Philipp Hieronymi
  • 2017 Tom Nevins
  • 2016 Lee DeVille
  • 2011 A.J. Hildebrand
  • 2009 Bruce Reznick
  • 2005 John D'Angelo (Honorable Mention)
  • 2003 Richard Laugesen
  • 2002 Douglas B. West
  • 2000 Joseph B. Miles
  • 1996 Donald R. Sherbert
  • 1993 Stephanie Alexander
  • 1983 Tony Peressini

Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Instructional Staff

  • 2022 April Hoffmeister
  • 2020 Aldo Manfroi
  • 2017 Bob Murphy
  • 2014 Jennifer McNeilly
  • 2009 Katherine Wahl

Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants

  • 2025 Maddy Ritter
  • 2023 Mina Nahvi & Marissa Chesser
  • 2020 Elizabeth Field
  • 2018 Nima Rasekh
  • 2017 Cara Monical
  • 2016 Nickolas Andersen
  • 2015 Elyse Yeager
  • 2014 Katherine Anders
  • 2012 Jane Butterfield and Andrew Hunte
  • 2001 Kristine Bauer Baxter
  • 2000 Boris Petracovici
  • 1999 Dennis A. Eichhorn
  • 1995 Steven W. Knox

Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching

  • 2017 Richard Laugesen

Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring

  • 2012 Bruce Berndt

Campus Award for Excellence in Off-Campus Teaching

  • 2010 Debra Woods

Campus Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Instruction

(formerly the Amoco Foundation Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education)

  • 1996 J. Jerry Uhl (winner)
  • 1995 C. Ward Henson (nominee)
  • 1994 George Francis (winner)

Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

  • 2015 Rick Gorvett
  • 2001 E. Graham Evans, Jr.

Campus Award for Excellence in Guiding Undergraduate Research 

(formerly the Oakley-Kunde Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education)

  • 1995 Nigel Boston

Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) Award

  • 2012 Wendy Harris
  • 2009 Alison Ahlgren

Illinois Student Senate Faculty Award for Excellence in Dedication

  • 2008 Supawadee Prugsapitak

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Instructional Awards

LAS Dean's Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

  • 2025 Nathan Dunfield
  • 2023 Eugene Lerman
  • 2020 Zoi Rapti
  • 2019 Philipp Hieronymi
  • 2017 Tom Nevins
  • 2016 Lee DeVille
  • 2015 Hal Schenck
  • 2014 Nathan Dunfield
  • 2012 Jeremy Tyson
  • 2011 A.J. Hildebrand
  • 2010 Alexandru Zaharescu
  • 2009 Bruce Reznick
  • 2008 Rick Gorvett
  • 2007 Matthew Ando
  • 2006 Scott Ahlgren
  • 2005 John D'Angelo
  • 2003 Richard S. Laugesen
  • 1997 Bruce Reznick
  • 1994 Philippe Tondeur
  • 1993 Stephanie Alexander
  • 1991 Joseph B. Miles
  • 1990 Dan Grayson
  • 1989 Ray Langebartel
  • 1986 Pat Martin
  • 1985 Don Sherbert

LAS Dean's Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Instructional Staff

  • 2022 April Hoffmeister
  • 2014 Jennifer McNeilly
  • 2009 Katherine Wahl

LAS Dean's Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants

  • 2025 Maddy Ritter
  • 2023 Marissa Chesser
  • 2020 Elizabeth Field
  • 2019 Simone Sisneros-Thiry
  • 2018 Nima Rasekh
  • 2017 Cara Monical
  • 2016 Nickolas Andersen and Sarah Yeakel
  • 2015 Thomas Mahoney
  • 2014 Katherine Anders
  • 2012 Jane Butterfield and Andrew Hunte
  • 2008 Melissa Dennison
  • 2007 Chetan Pahlajani
  • 2005 Micah James
  • 2003 Mark D. Anderson
  • 2002 Elizabeth J. Denne
  • 2001 Kristine E. Baxter
  • 1998 Christopher B. Hill

LAS Lynn M. Martin Award for Distinguished Women Teachers

  • 2015 Elyse Yeager
  • 2014 Neha Gupta

Department of Mathematics Instructional Awards

N. Tenney Peck Teaching Award in Mathematics

Established by the Department of Mathematics in 2007-2008 and awarded to tenure-track faculty.

  • 2026 Daniel Cooney
  • 2025 Felix Leditzky & Sarah Rasmussen
  • 2023 Dan Berwick-Evans
  • 2022 Chris Dodd
  • 2020 Jeremiah Heller
  • 2019 Partha Dey
  • 2018 Anush Tserunyan
  • 2017 Patrick Allen
  • 2016 Kay Kirkpatrick
  • 2015 Philipp Hieronymi
  • 2014 Pierre Albin
  • 2013 Zoi Rapti
  • 2012 Jayadev Athreya
  • 2011 Paul H. Johnson, Jr.
  • 2010 Lee Deville
  • 2009 M. Burak Erdogan
  • 2008 Christopher Leininger

Distinguished Teaching Award in Mathematics for Tenured Faculty

Established by the Department of Mathematics in 2007-2008.

  • 2026 AJ Hildebrand
  • 2025 Burak Erdogan
  • 2024 Sasha Kostochka
  • 2023 Rui Fernandes
  • 2022 Bruce Reznick
  • 2020 Eugene Lerman
  • 2019 Chris Leininger
  • 2018 Denka Kutzarova and Alex Yong
  • 2017 Zoi Rapti
  • 2016 Richard Laugesen
  • 2015 Lee DeVille
  • 2014 Jared Bronski
  • 2013 Thomas Nevins
  • 2012 Nathan Dunfield
  • 2011 Jeremy Tyson
  • 2010 Slawomir Solecki
  • 2009 C. Ward Henson
  • 2008 Alexandru Zaharescu

Distinguished Teaching Award in Mathematics for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

Established by the Department of Mathematics in 2007-2008.

  • 2026 Laura Placzek
  • 2025 Ravi Fernando 
  • 2024 Theresa Dobbs & Jenny Srikant
  • 2023 Kim Whittlesey
  • 2022 Sarka Petrickova
  • 2020 Karen Mortensen
  • 2019 April Hoffmeister
  • 2018 Jason Anema and Jing Wang
  • 2017 Ivan Contreras and Rebecca Tramel
  • 2016 Ikemefuna Agbanusi
  • 2015 Rebekah Gilbert and Armin Straub
  • 2014 Javid Validashti
  • 2013 Bob Murphy
  • 2012 Aldo Manfroi
  • 2010 Andrew Schultz
  • 2009 Jennifer McNeilly
  • 2008 Katherine A. Wahl

Brahana TA Instructional Award

The Brahana TA Instructional Award was established in 2005 with funding from the H. Roy Brahana Fund. It is presented to graduate teaching assistants for exemplary teaching. A committee of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students determines the winners. Awards are based on classroom observation, comments from students, and a written report by the nominees describing their teaching goals. Two graduate students can be awarded the Brahana TA Instructional Award each year.

Recipients

  • 2025 Maddie Farris & Vincent Villalobos
  • 2024 Maddy Ritter & Raghav Bhat
  • 2023 Marissa Chesser
  • 2022 Jenna Zomback
  • 2020 Emily Heath & Heejoung Kim
  • 2019 Elizabeth Field
  • 2018 Vanessa Rivera Quinones & Yang Song
  • 2017 Melinda Lanius & Simone Sisneros-Thiry
  • 2016 Andrew McConvey & Cara Monical
  • 2015 Thomas Mahoney & Dominic Searles
  • 2014 Meghan Galiardi & Benjamin Reiniger
  • 2013 Neha Gupta & Sarah Yeakel
  • 2012 Victoria Reuter & Elyse Yeager
  • 2011 Johann Thiel
  • 2010 Jane Butterfield & Thomas Cooney
  • 2009 William R. Green & Jason McCullough
  • 2008 Valerie Peterson & Daniel Saharopol
  • 2007 Timothy Kilbourn & Melissa A. Simmons
  • 2006 D. Jason Gibson & Bart Snapp
  • 2005 Yelda Aydin & Jennifer Vandenbussch

Department TA Instructional Award 

The Department TA Instructional Award was established in 1979. It is presented to graduate teaching assistants for exemplary teaching. A committee of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students determines the winners. Awards are based on classroom observation, comments from students, and a written report by the nominees describing their teaching goals. As of 2005, up to two graduate students can be awarded the Department TA Instructional Award each year.

Recipients

  • 2025 Lara Lahey & Ploy  Wattanawanichkul 
  • 2024 Yigal Kamel & Jason Liu.
  • 2023 Abhra Kundu
  • 2022 Maria Siskaki
  • 2020 Ravi Donepudi & Martino Fassina
  • 2019 Vaibhav Karve & Nigel Pynn-Coates
  • 2018 Hannah Burson & Ruth Luo
  • 2017 Matthew Mastroeni & Nima Rasekh
  • 2016 Caglar Uyanik & Juan Villeta-Garcia
  • 2015 Nickolas Andersen & Nathan Fieldsteel
  • 2014 Michael Santana & Sineenuch Suwannaphichat
  • 2013 Katherine Anders & Joseph Vandehey
  • 2012 Kelly Funk & Andrew Hunte
  • 2011 Geremias Polanco Encarnacion
  • 2010 Timothy LeSaulnier & Paul Wenger
  • 2009 Michael Dewar & Gregory A. Kelsey
  • 2008 Michael Barrus & Naeem Sheikh
  • 2007 Eric J. Landquist & Samuel M. Kadziela
  • 2006 Malgorzata Konwerska
  • 2005 Thomas Carty & Nicholas Dzhelepov
  • 2004 Michael Bush, Colin Ferguson, Jennifer Paulhus, L. Pedro Poitevin, & Bart Snapp (Honorable Mention)
  • 2003 Alison Champion, Micah James, John Maki, & Joe Mileti
  • 2002 Mark Anderson, Parthena Avramidou, & Dominika Polkowska
  • 2001 David Murphy & Radhika Ramamurthi
  • 2000 Elizabeth Denne, Lia Petracovici, & Sandy Spiroff
  • 1999 Darrin Doud, Alfio Giarlotta, Andre Kundgen & David Perry
  • 1998 Dennis Eichhorn, Donough Kilmurray, Boris Petracovici, & Susan Plisch
  • 1997 Kristine Baxter, Christopher Hill, Dimitrios Kalikakis, & Rich Stankewitz
  • 1996 William Hinkley, Lisa Murphy, Marjorie Obermayer, & Ralph Wojtowicz
  • 1995 Ross Christofferson, Paul Gies, Abigail Hoit, & Bryan Mosher
  • 1994 Brian Habing, Judy Holdener, & Steven Knox
  • 1993 David Atkinson, Paul Kapitza, Bradford Kline, & Thomas Schwegler
  • 1992 Catherine Cavagnaro, Peter Jaskowiak, & Matthew Frueh
  • 1991 Qiyue Bu & William Harris
  • 1990 Timothy Hendrix, Teri Jo Murphy, David Peifer, & Georg Reinhart
  • 1989 Mark Fritz, Mark Gockenbach, & Mary Reed
  • 1988 Tamara Hummel & Raymond McEachin
  • 1987 Kenneth Feuerman, Maria Girardi, William Haight, & Pedro Nebres, Jr.
  • 1986 Steven Benson, Kwok-Pat Choi, Lisa Graber, & Michael Seyfried
  • 1985 Russel Blyth, Denny Leung, Enid Steinbart, & Cassandra Toplin
  • 1984 David Challener, Jamil Hashimi, & J. Scott Sportsman
  • 1983 Lorraine Adney, Kevin Gough, & Robert Megginson
  • 1982 Jon Snader & Carl Weaver
  • 1981 Andy Brendler, Jeff Katz, & Larry Riddle
  • 1980 Bob Haring-Smith, Donna Hilgendorf, Dennis Rhoads, & David Whitney
  • 1979 Richard Brown, Robert Geitz, Dennis Karney, & Robert Marble

Other Awards

Graduate College's Graduate Student Leadership Award

  • 2016 Michelle Delcourt

ICTM Post-Secondary Mathematics Teaching Award

  • 2022 April Hoffmeister
  • 2012 Jennifer McNeilly

Alpha Lambda Delta, Outstanding Teacher of Freshmen Award

  • 1986 Stephanie Alexander
  • 1991 Joseph Miles

Unsung Hero Award

  • 2022 April Hoffmeister