Seven honored with University Teaching Awards

Seven Northwestern faculty members — Elisa Baena, Connor Bain, David O’Neill, Sarah Rodriguez, Scott Sowerby, Aravindan Vijayaraghavan and Sadie Wignall — will be honored with 2026 University Teaching Awards. The annual recognition is given to professors who demonstrate excellence and innovation in undergraduate teaching.

“Our honorees’ uncompromising commitment to teaching at the highest levels not only creates impactful classroom experiences for our students, but it also brings distinction upon Northwestern — contributing to our excellent reputation and attracting future classes of the brightest students,” Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. “We are truly grateful for these talented faculty members for going above and beyond for the University.”

The recipients were nominated by the deans or department chairs of the schools or colleges in which they have principal appointments. Honorees were selected by a committee chaired by the provost and made up of senior faculty members, University administrators and a student representative.

“These exceptional faculty members are being recognized by colleagues and students for their significant impact on undergraduate education at Northwestern,” said Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Karen Smilowitz. “Their innovative approaches to teaching and thoughtful mentorship undoubtedly will be lifelong sources of inspiration for their students.”

The award includes a salary stipend for the next three years as well as funds for professional development. The term begins at the start of the 2026–2027 academic year.

The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 19, in Guild Lounge in Scott Hall on the Evanston campus. The event will be livestreamed and a live link will be available on the University Teaching Awards website the day of the event.

The 2026 honorees

Elisa Baena
Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Elisa Baena, professor of instruction in the department of Spanish and Portuguese, believes students learn most effectively “when they feel ownership over their learning” and “make personal, relevant connections with Spanish.” She often uses humor to lower anxiety and create an environment conducive to taking risks. 

Her chair, Emily Maguire, commended Baena for being “one of the most active and dedicated members of my faculty, not only in terms of her superlative teaching performance, but also in terms of her significant contributions to program development and pedagogy at all levels.” Among her contributions, from 2019 to 2023, Baena chaired the overhaul of the Spanish Language program curriculum. 

Students praise the Summer Language and Culture program in Barcelona, which Baena has directed for almost 20 years.

“Professor Baena curated a compelling course that explored Spanish culture, enhanced my language skills and expanded my critical thinking,” a participant said. Another student called Baena’s love for Spanish and Iberian language and culture “simply magnetic.” 

Connor Bain
Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

In all his classes, Connor Bain, assistant professor of instruction in computer science, centers the idea that “teaching is learning.” Drawing on a software engineering concept called “rubber duck debugging,” which asks practitioners to pretend they are explaining their code to a rubber duck, he stresses the importance of complete understanding and has been known to hand out actual rubber ducks to his students. 

“Bain is an incredibly talented and dedicated teacher who handles a crushing student load with empathy and grace,” according to his chair, Samir Khuller. Gary Saul Morson, who was chair of Willard Residential College, where Connor was assistant chair, shared, “Connor is the one who makes everything run well and people feel good, without calling attention to himself or taking credit.” 

Students appreciate Bain for making courses fun and for his dedication. One noted, “I have watched him command a lecture hall of hundreds with the same intimacy and enthusiasm as he did our small upper-level seminar.” Another student said that Bain’s approach “proves that high-level teaching can be both joyous and intellectually demanding.” 

David O’Neill
Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

For David O’Neill, professor of instruction in biomedical engineering, teaching is defined by a single commitment: “helping students draw out understanding from themselves rather than receiving it.” He wants his students to leave not only with technical competency, but “a love for what engineering gives them — tools for understanding the world that no other discipline provides in quite the same way.”

Mitra Hartmann, the chair of biomedical engineering, calls O’Neill “the most versatile faculty member in the department.” He has taught courses ranging from experimental design to biomechanics to pharmaceutical engineering. As Hartmann noted, “He is not merely teaching material, he is shaping how students understand themselves as engineers.” 

That orientation shapes how O’Neill structures every element of his courses — lectures, projects and laboratory work alike. As one student said, “The labs were not treated as procedural exercises, but as opportunities to connect abstract systems concepts to real-world biomedical applications.” Students consistently note that his courses are demanding, and they welcome that: “Professor O’Neill is hard on students, but it’s because he wants us to come to conclusions on our own, wants to make sure we are learning.” 

Another student said, “Professor O’Neill molded so many of the skills I boast about in job interviews.” His supportive approach stands out as well: “He understands that students learn best when they feel heard, engaged and at ease.” 

Sarah Rodriguez
Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

With every class Sarah Rodriguez teaches, she narrows her teaching goals to three words: compassion, context and curiosity. Each lecture, reading and assignment serves to motivate her students “to keep asking questions and to leave classes querying the historical background of — or ethical questions raised by — a current event, medical research article or even a TikTok.” 

As associate professor of instruction in the Program in Global Health Studies, Rodriguez most frequently teaches Global Bioethics and History of Reproductive Health. For an annual course called Maternal Health in the 20th Century, students pursue a research question under her guidance during a one-week trip to London. Noelle Sullivan, the director of the Program in Global Health Studies, lauds Rodriguez for being “innovative, committed and prolific” and for providing close mentorship for students. 

Students agree. One noted, “Professor Rodriguez’s mentorship has not only made me a better researcher, but a passionate one.” Another said, “Whether by holding class outdoors on warm days or encouraging students to bring in baked goods, she transformed an otherwise intimidating research seminar into a welcoming space.” 

Scott Sowerby
Alumnae of Northwestern Teaching Professor

Before each lecture in his popular course Pirates, Guns, and Empires, Scott Sowerby, associate professor of history, plays a recording of a sea shanty; he ends the quarter by singing a comic song about Oliver Cromwell. These are playful examples of the rigorous primary sources that are at the heart of his courses, according to his chair, Kevin Boyle, who describes Sowerby as “quite simply, a superb teacher” who masterfully draws his students out of their comfort zone. 

Sowerby believes that the past is “a narrative that is shaped by the way we tell it,” and his goal is to get his students to see that “the past was just as complicated as the present and that there were many ways of living in it.” 

Sowerby’s approach resonates. One student said, “I walked out of his final lecture the fall quarter of my freshman year and pronounced on the spot that I would study history — something my undecided self would not have fathomed just 10 weeks earlier.” 

Aravindan Vijayaraghavan
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

As Aravindan Vijayaraghavan, associate professor of computer science, has witnessed the computer science discipline “become more interdisciplinary and data-centric,” his teaching philosophy has evolved. 

“I enjoy creating and teaching new courses; students are also excited about taking courses that cover new scientific advances in computer science,” he said. At the same time, his focus remains on ensuring that “students are exposed to foundational ideas that underlie these major developments.” Teaching these courses, he added, has also deepened his own understanding of where the field is headed.

Referring to Vijayaraghavan’s unwavering commitment to excellence, his chair Samir Khuller pointed out that, “Academia thrives on a few overachievers doing the work, not just to advance their own research, but also to enable those around them to succeed… Vijayaraghavan is one of those overachievers.”

His students echo this sentiment. “Not only does Professor Vijayaraghavan have complete command over the subject matter he teaches, but he is exceptionally skilled in communicating it,” said one. Another said, “Professor Vijayaraghavan is kind. Although he has overwhelming research obligations, he would come into class with a smile on his face every day, excited to teach.”

Sadie Wignall
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Professor of Molecular Biosciences Sadie Wignall’s first teaching assignment at Northwestern was Advanced Cell Biology. But after receiving tenure in 2019, she asked to switch to Introductory Cell Biology, a course with 350-400 students. Her goal was to reinvent this core-series class in partnership with her colleague Laura Lackner, and bring her passion for the subject matter to a wider audience.

According to Wignall’s chair, Amy Rosenzweig, the response from students was overwhelming. Wignall was described as an “amazing,” “passionate,” “incredibly knowledgeable” and “phenomenal” instructor who “did a great job of keeping the class engaging and highly relevant.”  

Beyond curriculum development, Wignall has devoted extensive efforts to inclusivity and to mentoring students in her lab, which pays dividends for the entire discipline. A former student of hers, now a graduate student, said, “When I mentor undergraduate students now, I strive to do so with as much care and patience as Dr. Wignall had with me, knowing how inspirational and impactful scientific mentors can be.”