CLAS faculty and staff across the college are being honored with university-wide recognition and awards for their impactful work.
These awards reflect the breadth of teaching, research, mentorship, service, and innovation taking place across the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. From advancing space exploration and public policy research to strengthening student support, writing instruction, and university operations, this year’s honorees demonstrate the impact of CLAS faculty and staff across campus, throughout Iowa, and beyond the university.
CLAS staff recognition
Improving Our Workplace Award
The I.O.W.A. affords supervisors and co-workers the opportunity to recognize staff for initiative, innovation, measurable results, and lasting impact in their workplace. This award is open for nominations twice a year, and awardees are celebrated in the spring at the annual UI Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony.
Individual Winner
Maggie Vogel
Maggie Vogel received the Improving Our Workplace Award for managing multiple large-scale construction and renovation projects across the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences while maintaining uninterrupted teaching, research, and operations. Through innovative processes, including a collegewide furniture redistribution initiative, Vogel helped save an estimated $300,000 while improving spaces for dozens of departments.
Team Winners
The Mathematics Efficiency Team
The Mathematics Efficiency Team received the Improving Our Workplace Award for transforming operations within the Department of Mathematics through administrative innovation, redesigned workspaces, and cost-saving improvements. Team members Anna Kelly, Ryan Kinser, Amanda Marr, and Amy Simonson helped save nearly $200,000 while strengthening the department’s work environment and long-term sustainability.
ALT Executive Committee
The ALT Executive Committee received the Improving Our Workplace Award for strengthening communication, collaboration, and administrative effectiveness across the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Team members Justin Kahler, Ruthina Malone, Heather Mineart, Shonda Monette, and Lindsay Vella developed a sustainable structure connecting departmental administrators with college leadership across more than 35 departments.
University of Iowa Outstanding Staff Award
Merry Aarmodt
Merry Aamodt, a human resources leader in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, received the University of Iowa Outstanding Staff Award for leading the CLAS human resources transaction hub and supporting the university’s largest and most complex college. This award recognizes current staff for outstanding accomplishments and contributions that significantly benefit or bring honor or recognition to the university.
Her expertise in HR policy and processes helps ensure accurate and efficient employee transactions while supporting a positive employee experience. Known for her collaborative approach and commitment to mentoring colleagues, Aamodt has strengthened HR operations across CLAS and supported the success of faculty, staff, and administrators.
Richard E. Gibson Merit Staff Award for Innovation and Excellence in Customer Service
Kris Bevelacqua
Kris Bevelacqua, administrative professional in the Department of Rhetoric and the UI Writing Center, received the Richard E. Gibson Merit Staff Award for Innovation and Excellence in Customer Service for her contributions to the department’s academic and administrative operations. Known for her institutional knowledge, reliability, and warmth, she supports faculty, staff, and students while helping guide the department through major transitions, including Rhetoric’smerger with the Department of Communication Studies.
Bevelacqua also mentors and trains new staff while managing complex scheduling and enrollment needs, making her a trusted resource within the Rhetoric community.
David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award in Service to the University of Iowa
Shonda Monette
Shonda Monette, departmental administrator for the Department of Chemistry, received the David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award in Service to the University of Iowa for advancing operational excellence and collaboration across the university community. Monette supports faculty, staff, and students through strategic administration while serving as an active leader in shared governance through the CLAS Staff Council.
She also mentors new administrators and works across campus to improve policies, processes, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives.
CLAS faculty recognition
2026 University of Iowa Distinguished Chair
Colin Gordon
Colin Gordon, professor in the Department of History has been named a 2026 UI Distinguished Chair, one of the university’s highest faculty honors recognizing nationally and internationally distinguished scholarship, teaching, and service. Gordon is a leading historian of American public policy and political economy whose research examines how public policy has shaped cities, suburbs, and regional inequality.
His books, including Mapping Decline, Citizen Brown, and Patchwork Apartheid, combine archival research, data analysis, and mapping technology to explore housing policy, segregation, and economic change. Gordon also connects historical research to public policy conversations through digital humanities projects, public engagement, and student-centered research.
2026 Distinguished Mentor Award
This award honors mentors' dedication to making their students' research experiences successful.
Bingbing Zhang
Bingbing Zhang is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication whose research examines media effects, political communication, health communication, and science communication. Her work explores how strategic media messages influence public understanding, behavior, and democratic engagement, and has earned national recognition through major awards, research grants, and publications in leading communication journals.
International Engagement Teaching Award
The International Engagement Teaching Award recognizes a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty member who demonstrates excellence in advancing international learning through teaching, mentorship, curriculum development, student support, study abroad and internship opportunities, or service that strengthens globally focused educational experiences.
Kristine Muñoz
Kristine Muñoz is a professor of Spanish and Portuguese and communication studies whose teaching and research center on intercultural communication, global health, and ethnographic storytelling. She has developed internationally focused learning experiences through long-term research in Colombia, bilingual digital humanities projects, and interdisciplinary work connecting language, culture, and public health.
Harry Stecopoulos
Harry Stecopoulos is a professor of English and director of undergraduate studies whose teaching and scholarship focus on modern American literature, cultural diplomacy, transnational American studies, and creative writing. His work examines literature’s relationship to internationalism, politics, and cultural exchange, including award-winning research on U.S. cultural diplomacy and global literary networks.
Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Award
Two CLAS faculty were recipients of the Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Award in 2026.
Casey DeRoo
Casey DeRoo, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, develops instruments for X-ray space telescopes that help scientists study exploding stars, black holes, and galaxy clusters only visible from space.
Since joining the University of Iowa in 2018, he has advanced technologies for future NASA missions and earned NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship in 2020, a recognition of emerging leaders in astrophysics mission development. DeRoo has secured more than $5.8 million in external funding, including support for new equipment at the Iowa Spaceflight Laboratory. He also mentors students and postdoctoral researchers who have earned competitive NASA fellowships, national awards, and research appointments.
Donika Kelly
Donika Kelly, associate professor in the Department of English, is an award-winning poet whose work has earned national and international recognition. Her collection, The Renunciations, received a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and the 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Her recent collection, The Natural Order of Things, received widespread acclaim, including national media coverage and a feature in Poets & Writers.
Kelly’s poetry explores personal experience alongside larger social and environmental forces. She also contributes extensively to Iowa’s creative writing community through literary programming, MFA preparation workshops, and advocacy for the humanities. Her current manuscript, Fluke, examines memory, family, and ecological disruption.
Three CLAS faculty were recognized with the Hubbard-Walder Award for Excellence in Teaching. This annual award recognizes faculty who have a minimum of six years of teaching, demonstrate excellence in a rich variety of university teaching, and contributed to curriculum and/or program development.
Elizabeth Heineman
Elizabeth Heineman, professor of history and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies and co-director of the Jewish Studies Certificate, teaches courses focused on civic belonging, historical learning, and democracy. Known for creating welcoming classroom environments, she adapts complex material for students with varying levels of experience while encouraging thoughtful discussion and debate.
Heineman developed the undergraduate certificates in Human Rights and Jewish Studies and established the Rapid Response History course, which helps students engage with current events through historical context. She also mentors students extensively and contributes to teaching initiatives and public scholarship across the university.
Brian Lai
Brian Lai, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, developed the international relations studies major and the political risk analysis certificate, and founded the Iowa Conflict Analysis and Research Lab. His teaching emphasizes critical thinking, writing, and real-world application through simulations, experiential learning, and partnerships with organizations including the U.S. Department of State and VoteSmart.
Lai teaches courses ranging from large introductory lectures to graduate seminars, and has mentored students who later pursued careers in Congress, the Department of Defense, and government relations.
Jan Steyn
Jan Steyn is an associate professor of instruction in literary translation and french, and director of graduate studies in the Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures. A translator, critic, and scholar of world literature, his work focuses on translation theory, contemporary literature, and multilingual literary exchange across Afrikaans, Dutch, English, and French.
2026 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence
The Iowa Board of Regents selected Alberto Segre and Carol Severino as two of six Iowa faculty recipients of the 2026 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, recognizing extraordinary contributions and sustained record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
Alberto Segre
Alberto Segre, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science, is a nationally recognized leader in computational epidemiology whose research strengthens how infectious diseases are detected and controlled. He co-founded the UI Computational Epidemiology Research Group, bringing together researchers across computing, medicine, public health, and the social sciences to model disease spread and improve health care decision-making. Segre has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and secured more than $16 million in external funding.
A dedicated educator and mentor, he regularly teaches introductory computer science courses, has supervised 19 doctoral students, and helped more than double the department’s faculty during his 16 years as chair.
Carol Severino
Carol Severino, professor of rhetoric and longtime director of the UI Writing Center, has spent more than three decades advancing writing instruction at Iowa and beyond. An internationally recognized scholar of writing pedagogy and second-language writing, she has published extensively, delivered keynote addresses, and led professional development workshops for educators across the Americas.
At Iowa, Severino expanded the Writing Center’s reach and co-founded the Honors Writing Fellows Program, strengthening writing support across campus. A dedicated teacher and mentor, she has served on more than 50 doctoral committees and is widely respected for guiding students and instructors with rigor, insight, and compassion.
Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence and Service
This award was established to recognize outstanding faculty who have made exceptional contributions to the university and community.
Edward Gillan
Edward Gillan is a professor in the Department of Chemistry whose research focuses on inorganic materials chemistry, particularly catalytic materials for energy and environmental applications. His work examines electrocatalysis (using electricity to drive chemical reactions) and photocatalysis (using light to trigger chemical reactions), with an emphasis on developing materials that support cleaner and more efficient chemical processes.
At Iowa, Gillan has served as Faculty Senate vice president and president. He has also served on editorial boards for chemistry journals and received awards recognizing his research, teaching, and laboratory safety.
Marion L. Huit Award
This award recognizes a tenured faculty member who has made contributions to university and community life, exemplifying the wualities and dedication to, concern for, and interaction with students.
Nicole Esposito
Nicole Esposito is a professor of flute and head of the woodwinds area in the School of Music whose international career spans solo, chamber, and orchestral performance, as well as teaching and mentorship. An award-winning educator and internationally recognized pedagogue, she has performed and taught across the United States, Europe, Central and South America, and Asia, while guiding students who have gone on to careers as performers, educators, and arts leaders.
2026 Discovery and Innovation awards
Five CLAS faculty and staff were honored for excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activities as a part of the Discovery and Innovation awards program by the Office of the Vice President for Research.
David Miles
David Miles, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been named the 2026 Scholar of the Year, recognizing nationally distinguished achievement in research and scholarship. In 2023, Miles became principal investigator for TRACERS, the $171.6 million NASA-funded mission and the largest externally funded project in university history. He guided the mission through major organizational and technical challenges, leading to a successful spacecraft launch in July 2025.
Miles is also a leader in space physics instrumentation, developing advanced magnetometer technology that helps scientists better understand Earth’s magnetic field and space weather phenomena such as auroras.
Jessica Gorzelitz
Jessica Gorzelitz, assistant professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Human Physiology, has been named the 2026 Early Career Scholar of the Year. Her research examines how physical activity can improve health outcomes for cancer survivors, particularly those living in rural communities. Major media outlets, including the BBC, Time, and Newsweek, have featured her work.
Gorzelitz also led the creation of the Exercise Oncology Clinic, an initiative that combines research and patient care through support from the university’s Public-Private Partnership program.
Robert Bork
Robert Bork, professor in the School of Art, Art History, and Design, received the Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Humanities Research Award for his interdisciplinary scholarship on medieval Gothic architecture. Drawing on training in physics and art history, Bork studies the geometric principles behind Gothic design through original drawings and landmark buildings including Notre-Dame de Paris and Reims Cathedral.
Using computer analysis and 3D digital models created through laser scanning, he explores architectural proportions while involving undergraduate students in research. Bork is the sole author of four books, with a fifth forthcoming in 2026, and has published 19 peer-reviewed articles in the past five years.
Bingbing Zhang
Bingbing Zhang, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, received the Distinguished Mentor Award for her commitment to undergraduate research and student development. Zhang actively involves students in research examining how emerging technologies and artificial intelligence are reshaping news production and media consumption.
Through hands-on mentorship, she helps students strengthen critical thinking and research skills while encouraging them to pursue ambitious academic opportunities. Students describe her as a supportive mentor who creates an environment where they feel valued, challenged, and confident pursuing research beyond the classroom.
Richard Dvorsky
Richard Dvorsky, aerospace principal engineer and interim research administrator in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, received the 2026 Distinguished Research Professional Award for his contributions to major NASA missions and spaceflight engineering at the University of Iowa. Since 2009, Dvorsky has supported projects including the Juno mission and the Van Allen Probes.
In 2023, Dvorsky became project systems engineer for the TRACERS mission, helping guide the spacecraft through technical challenges leading to its successful 2025 launch. Dvorsky also helped establish the Iowa Spaceflight Laboratory, which supports the design, testing, and integration of spaceflight instrumentation.