The Academic Senate and Academic Federation have made their selections for the campus’s most prestigious academic awards for 2023, honoring 17 members for exceptional research, teaching and mentoring, and public service. Brian Gaylord, a professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, was recognized for supporting collaborative learning among his students. Mona Monfared, an associate professor of teaching in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, was acknowledged for bringing humor to her classes, which makes the challenging biochemistry subject matter more relatable and accessible.   

Unique among UC campuses, the Academic Federation represents academic appointees in titles such as lecturer (Unit 18), adjunct professor and librarian, agronomist and specialist, professional researcher and project scientist, and academic administrator and academic coordinator — about 2,000 members total. The UC Davis Academic Senate, representing some 3,000 ladder-rank faculty members, is one division of the systemwide Academic Senate, with each campus constituting a division.

The Academic Senate and Academic Federation will hold a joint awards reception in the spring, with details to be announced at a later date.

Brian Gaylord

Professor, Department of Evolution and Ecology
Distinguished Teaching Award: Undergraduate

An enthusiastic and passionate lecturer, Professor Gaylord creates a learning environment that supports students tackling difficult topics, together. He emphasizes critical thinking and understanding processes over memorization, and he engages students in effective and thought-provoking ways. All of this happens in the supportive, welcoming climate Professor Gaylord creates in his classrooms, and as his student nominators explain, he offers them the most personalized approach to student evaluation they have encountered at this university. For example, Professor Gaylord organized his EVE 120 class around a term paper of the student’s choice, providing individual written feedback at each step of the process, which helped students feel invested in the course and themselves.

Faculty profile

Mona Monfared

Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Distinguished Teaching Award: Undergraduate

Associate Professor of Teaching Monfared has positively impacted her undergraduate students and mentored many. Her innovative, active-learning approach emphasizes developing visual media to supplement traditional course material. She brings humor to her biochemistry course, making the class less daunting and the material more relatable for her students. During recent difficult circumstances on campus (e.g., wildfire smoke), she quickly adapted the learning environment by holding virtual office hours with YouTube livestreams. In the words of one of her students, “Professor Monfared’s innovation and dedication to teaching has set a new bar for instructional excellence in our department and college.”

Faculty profile