SoE Professors Among 2024-2025 University-wide Faculty Year-end Excellence Award Recipients
Each spring, Rutgers University faculty members selected by their colleagues are awarded Faculty Year-end Excellence Awards. Two School of Engineering professors have been honored this year for their outstanding scholarship and research contributions.
Anand Sarwate, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is a recipient of the Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award, which recognizes his outstanding contributions to research, scholarship, and teaching, as well as to his service to the Rutgers community and beyond.
“Perhaps it is the engineering mindset, but I have always looked for ways to help grow the environment around me,” says Sarwate. “Post-tenure, I’ve had more opportunities to deepen my engagement in mentoring, teaching, and service – both inside and outside Rutgers. This award feels like a validation of these efforts.”
While his research interests focus on mathematical methods for learning from data, as a teacher he wants his students to “view learning as a collaborative effort.”
He says, “The material I teach can seem too abstract and theoretical, but I think of it as a different lens through which you can look at a lot more than just engineering. I try to contextualize the theory through examples and use case studies.”
The Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research honors tenured faculty who have made distinguished contributions to their disciplines and/or society at large. Jonathan Singer, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is a recipient of this annual award. “It’s really gratifying to feel your work is being recognized and appreciated,” he says. “
“It’s been a long arc on two projects that aren’t necessarily at the forefront of popular science involving electrostatic sprays and resin compounds,” he explains. “But to be at this point where the community is starting to take notice is quite rewarding.”
As Singer sees it, the future is already here.
“I think the two technologies – advanced resins and conformal electrospray – have diverse applications. For electrospray, I’m excited to realize dermal delivery of vaccines, via coated micro-needle patches. For advanced resins, we’re looking at next-generation solid rocket fuel for more compact launch vehicles.”
He adds, “When you study fundamental science it’s important to realize as engineers that our goals are to find applications that deliver benefits to society.”
