Nanotechnology Engineering professor wins two teaching excellence awards
The Nanotechnology Engineering Program is proud to announce that Professor Pendar Mahmoudi is the 2025 recipient of the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award and the Boyce Family Teaching Award.
“I feel truly honored and humbled to win these awards. Getting rewarded for a job I enjoy doing is a blessing. I am extremely thankful for the support of my colleagues in the department who will happily listen to new ideas or issues and offer assistance or advice.”
Mahmoudi’s passion for teaching emerged during her graduate studies at the University of Waterloo. She arrived at the university at just twenty-two, focused on completing her PhD.
Mahmoudi began doing teaching assistant positions during her PhD and soon realized that she enjoyed explaining concepts and helping students understand challenging material. She went on to further develop her skills through instructional courses at the Centre for Teaching Excellence.
Mahmoudi’s teaching philosophy is shaped by her own experiences as a student. She remembers what it feels like to be a student trying to figure out life and stay focused in lectures. With that in mind, she uses a variety of teaching methods.