Six assistant professors have been recognized for their exceptional accomplishments in teaching and research as part of a new program to highlight and encourage the contributions of outstanding junior faculty in the College of LAS.
Selected faculty will retain the Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors Award for two years, receiving $5,000 in discretionary research funding each of those years. Five additional assistant professors—tenure track faculty who have not yet been reviewed for tenure appointments—will be selected for the spring semester.
The faculty selected for this fall’s awards are Ikuko Asaka, history; Stephen Chaudoin, political science; Alison Fout, chemistry; DANIEL HYDE, psychology; Lijun Liu, geology; and Darren Tanner, linguistics.
Feng Sheng Hu, professor of plant biology and Ralph E. Grim Professor of Geology, and associate dean for physical and life sciences in LAS, said recipients were determined by a committee of six distinguished senior faculty, who selected LEAP Scholars based on scholarly productivity and contributions to the educational mission of their departments and the college. Nominations for the award came from college department heads, in response to an open call.
“In particular, we sought nominations for faculty who have demonstrated exceptional promise of becoming a leading scholar and teacher,” Hu said.
DANIEL HYDE: Early in his career, Hyde is already gaining an international reputation for his research in developmental cognitive neuroscience. His work focuses on developmental relationships between core cognitive systems that operate in early infancy, and cognitive achievements in the preschool and school years. He’s also been ranked as excellent by his students, developing a new graduate course and modifying an undergraduate course to improve their understanding of research.