Nathaniel Stevens and Mohammad Kohandel named winners of Faculty of Mathematics 2022 Awards for Distinction in Teaching

Nathaniel Stevens from the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science and Mohammad Kohandel from the Department of Applied Mathematics have been named winners of this year’s Awards for Distinction in Teaching from the Faculty of Mathematics.

The annual teaching award goes to faculty members who have consistently demonstrated outstanding pedagogical skills and a deep commitment to students. The winners are honoured by a public citation along with a cash prize.

The award announcement was made by Diana Skrzydlo, the Faculty of Mathematics teaching fellow.

One of this year’s two award winners, Nathaniel Stevens is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science.

Nathaniel is committed to educating students both inside and outside the classroom. He frequently runs a “Get a Job 101” session, helping students navigate salary negotiation and setting them up for successful careers, and is generous with his time and advice.

Throughout the pandemic, Nathaniel’s community-building and engagement in his online courses was exemplary. Almost 100 students provided comments to the committee on his caring, compassion, and organization. He uses the messaging platform Slack to provide a space for students to discuss the course material, raise awareness of larger statistical issues, and even share pictures of their pets.

Another of this year’s two award winners, Mohammad Kohandel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics.

Mohammad has taught a wide variety of students and had an enormous impact on them. In addition to his own teaching, his work on curriculum and course notes reaches beyond his own courses.

Letters from Mohammad’s students praise his efforts in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment in which to learn. He provides the opportunity for students at all levels from, first year to graduate, to engage with mathematical research, and encourages them to succeed.

Congratulations to both our recipients!

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