Announcing the Winners of the 2026 Faculty Mentoring Awards

Supporting effective faculty mentoring of graduate students is one of Rackham’s top priorities. Outstanding mentors guide students throughout their professional training with respect and concern, serving as advisor, teacher, advocate, sponsor, and role model. To recognize excellence in mentorship, Rackham asks graduate students and faculty for nominations for three awards: the Rackham Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award, the Rackham Master’s Mentoring Award, and the John H. D’Arms Faculty Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring in the Humanities. The following faculty are being recognized for their records of excellence as mentors of graduate students:

Rackham Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award

Rachel Best, Associate Professor of Sociology

Julie Biteen, Janine Maddock Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and Biophysics

Dragan Huterer, Professor of Physics

Mingyan Liu, T. C. Chang Professor of Engineering, Alice L. Hunt Collegiate Professor of Engineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Natalie Tronson, Professor of Psychology

Rackham Master’s Mentoring Award

Nicole Koropatkin, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Christian Lastoskie, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

John H. D’Arms Faculty Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring in the Humanities

Giorgio Bertellini, Professor of Film, Television, and Media and Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures

Colleen Conway, Professor of Music Education

Matthew Lassiter, Louis Evans Professor of History, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning