DJ Biddle

Geographic and Environmental Sciences

“DJ is a seasoned employee within the Center for GIS, as a former student and dedicated employee of over 12 years. As his direct report, I witness DJ’s tireless efforts in all duties and responsibilities as the new Director of the Center for GIS. As he multitasks leadership, teaching, and consultation, his dedication to an enjoyable, fulfilling workplace for us both to grow and collaborate is central in all he takes on. Whether we read and discuss a relevant article or choose to change up our location for a meeting as a change of scenery, DJ prioritizes our working relationship through an ability to check in and adjust based on our current dispositions.”

Joshua Boydstun

Comparative Humanities

"Josh has been an extremely valuable member of the administrative team in A&S at both the department and college level, where he has dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy towards the well-being of the administration, faculty, and students of A&S. He goes above and beyond his job description every day and has exhibited a steadfast commitment to the students of A&S and his university colleagues (both faculty and staff). He takes the time and goes out of his way to be helpful to his colleagues while being unfailingly courteous. He extends the same courtesy to students who come to our office”

Robin Carroll

A&S Business Office

“Sometimes the outstanding contributions to an organization made by people who quietly go about their daily business without fanfare can get overlooked. In my capacity as an A&S Chair, I really appreciate the work of Robin Carroll. She exemplifies the criteria for the Outstanding Performance Award—not in a flashy way but in the kind of reliable, meticulous work and dependability that is indispensable to the smooth operation of any large organization. I hope that Robin’s ability to anticipate the needs of her departments, to exceed the literal duties of her job description, and to be a quiet leader on the financial team of the Dean’s Office can be recognized.”

Lisa Cox

English

“Lisa has always been reliable and helped maintain a level of continuity for a graduate student population that has been finding its legs in the wake of the pandemic. I always know I can turn to Lisa with a concern and, on days I’m on campus, for a smile or a buoyant chat. We graduate students are so lucky to have her in our corner, and I am so grateful for all the work she has done for us, from the visible events like Graduate Student Appreciation days to the dozens of invisible tasks.”

Maggie Leahy

Psychological and Brain Sciences

“Since starting in this role in 2013, Maggie has gone above and beyond her normal job duties on a daily basis by producing extremely high-quality work across her many responsibilities, anticipating students’ and DGSs’ needs, serving as a key resource for a range of student questions and issues, and coordinating the very complex accreditation process for one of our programs. In short, our programs function smoothly in large part due to Maggie’s tireless efforts, and we hope she will be rewarded for her outstanding performance.”

Chad White

History

“As the Administrative Associate for the Department of History, Chad does so much to keep the department running smoothly with patience, dedication, and good humor. He is deeply invested in this department and its well-being, well beyond what we could reasonably expect given the compensation.... We in the History Department are extremely fortunate to have Chad White in the office dealing with the everyday running of the department as well as the extraordinary challenges of inhabiting an historic building. We would quite literally be lost without him...”

Daniel Brian

Dean's Office
Outstanding Supervisor Award (Staff)

“Daniel places A&S first, but always helps me to come up with a working solution for family needs. He is constantly encouraging me to pursue industry accepted certifications and keeps me updated on his expectations for my daily work routine. Daniel has always treated me and others with the utmost respect. I do my best to emulate his interpersonal style in my own interactions. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the volume of support A&S Tech provides. Daniel has a natural gift in helping me to not become lost in the work. His attitude keeps the work flowing, and me smiling.”

Megan Poole

English
Community Engagement Award (Faculty)

“Dr. Poole’s work as co-founder of the Environmental Health Literacy Coalition, or Air Justice, encompasses all three of the award’s areas: service, community-engaged research, and community-engaged teaching. Dr. Poole co-founded Air Justice with a transdisciplinary team of researchers and community activists: Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey, Rubbertown Emergency ACTion, UofL law professor Shavonnie Carthens, and UofL business professor Dr. Abby Koenig. Air Justice has received a $250,000 grant from the Humana Foundation (2021) and a $100,000 grant from the UofL Health Equity Hub (2022).”

Melanie Gast

Sociology
Diversity Champion

“Dr. Gast is an integral force championing diversity and inclusion work in the Department of Sociology, in the community, and in the university as a whole. Since Dr. Gast arrived at UofL in 2016, she has continually engaged in teaching, mentoring, service, and research efforts focused on dismantling intersectional dimensions of power and inequality and addressing racial inclusion, equity, diversity, and justice in education. Her teaching, service, and research all work toward racial inclusion – the integration, understanding, and valuing of people of color as part of efforts to address racism and to ensure racially inclusive learning environments. ”

Joshua Boydstun

Comparative Humanities
Diversity Champion Award

“Josh is extremely conscientious, meticulous, and thorough in every aspect of his work, and he brings these qualities to DEI considerations in ways that make the College a more welcoming workplace.”

Karen Chandler

English

“I find that Professor Chandler does not simply excel at all the things that Directors of Undergraduate Studies do as a matter of course (she hits all deadlines for SLOs, the Program Review, submission of catalog changes, etc., and she provides academic advising to our majors), but she has been ready to step up, innovate, and think about how to connect with our students (and with prospective students) to provide a meaningful experience for them.”

Sara Bufferd

Assistant Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

“Dr. Bufferd is one of the most collaborative members of the psychology faculty. She encourages independent investigation in her students and advocates for our unique new research interests, even going so far as to bring in other mentors to assist with new topics. Dr. Bufferd goes above and beyond to provide care and show genuine concern through difficult transitions and includes graduates and undergraduates in lab projects and research decisions. Due to Dr. Bufferd’s mentorship, many undergraduates have gone on to pursue independent research projects or graduate degrees in psychology or medicine.”

Gamini Sumanasekera

Physics and Astronomy

“Dr. Sumanasekera is an accomplished scholar and an outstanding mentor in the field of Experimental Nanoscience. Students in his research group receive rigorous scientific and technical training in the synthesis and characterization of nanoscale materials, including device fabrications. Since the inception of the Ph.D. program in 2009, Dr. Sumanasekera has graduated 16 physics Ph.D. students, which is an exceptional record by any standards. Students gravitate toward his research lab as soon they arrive at UofL because of his reputation as an exceptional mentor.”

Simona Bertacco

Comparative Humanities

“Although Dr. Bertacco possesses excellent organizational skills and is gifted when it comes to questions of curricular development, many of her accomplishments as DGS are due to her extraordinary abilities to work collaboratively and transparently. Colleagues and students trust her and admire her professional approach to her work. She does not seek the limelight but focuses on results and foregrounds the questions: what would make the experience of our graduate students better and the quality of our program better?”

Kaila Story

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching

“Professor Story commits to a learner-centered classroom and is well known for her pedagogical commitments to teaching in an intersectional and interdisciplinary way. She has designed her courses and assignments to connect with all types learners, including auditory-musical, verbal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal ones. She has incorporated both Pan-African and feminist pedagogies in her classes and turned her classrooms into communal spaces in which everyone’s presence and opinions are equally valued.”

Simona Bertacco

Comparative Humanities
Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity (Arts and Humanities)

“"Prof. Bertacco’s long-term research on the Caribbean entitled “Reading Lessons from the Caribbean” is part of her larger interest in the complex workings of postcolonial literature. As she states in her proposal, the stakes cannot be higher. Reading Caribbean literature with a postcolonial lens allows us to expand our experience and understanding of non-Western—and increasingly, Western—literature.”

Adam Enders

Political Science
Distinguished Faculty Award for Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity (Social Sciences)

“Adams Enders is a rising star in the field of political science and an extraordinary scholar by any measure. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Enders has published 3 book chapters and 27 peer-reviewed articles, and he has 17 forthcoming articles. He has also written 14 articles published in popular media outlets, such as the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and Newsweek.”

Craig Grapperhaus

Chemistry
Distinguished Faculty Award for Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity (Sciences)

“Adams Enders is a rising star in the field of political science and an extraordinary scholar by any measure. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Enders has published 3 book chapters and 27 peer-reviewed articles, and he has 17 forthcoming articles. He has also written 14 articles published in popular media outlets, such as the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and Newsweek.”

Lee Dugatkin

Biology
Distinguished Faculty Award in Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity (Career Achievement)

“Dr. Dugatkin is an internationally renowned scholar who has authored 13 books and over 150 peer-reviewed articles. His 175 invited lectures around the world, countless interviews, and invited publications in the popular press bring recognition to the department and college. Moreover, Dr. Dugatkin embodies interdisciplinarity; he combines results from his research on the evolution of complex behaviors with the history of biology to produce appealing and accessible books on topics such as Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees that explore cooperation in animals, including humans.”

Karen Hadley

English
Distinguished Faculty Award for Service to UofL

Rachel Hopp

Biology
Distinguished Faculty Award for Service to the Profession

Mary Carothers

Biology
Distinguished Faculty Award for Service to the Community, Kentucky, or Region

"This year (fall 2022), Carothers organized a major community-driven project titled Take This! in concert with PhotoVoice, an international nonprofit that aims to build a world in which everybody has the opportunity to represent themselves and tell their own story. The project constitutes an ambitious and impactful collaboration between UofL’s Hite Institute of Art and Design, Metro United Way, and The Social Practice Lab—a local community space in Shelby Park whose mission is to invest resources in underserved communities."

Shelby Pumphrey

Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

“Dr. Pumphrey’s project is an interdisciplinary study of African Americans’ interactions with state mental healthcare systems and will make a critical contribution to the study of race and mental illness and provide a solid foundation for future African American mental healthcare projects in the United States. . . . Dr. Pumphrey has an impeccable record of completing her projects successfully within a definite period. She has proved to be a capable manager of her time and resources and always gets things done effectively and economically.”