KU scholars named Faculty of the Year by Kansas Board of Regents
TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents has named eight Faculty of the Year award recipients for 2024, four of whom are affiliated with the University of Kansas. This program recognizes the outstanding contributions of faculty at state universities to teaching, student success, research and Kansas communities.
“The Regents are excited to introduce the Faculty of the Year award and recognize the accomplishments of the outstanding faculty nominated in 2024,” said KBOR Chair Carl Ice.
“Faculty equip students with valuable skills and prepare them for success after graduation. They also conduct groundbreaking research and perform incredibly important work in communities across our state.”
The nominations for the winners emphasized their strength as teachers and commitment to students, their contributions to research and their service to Kansas communities. Current KU faculty winners are Linda D'Silva, Tera Fazzino and Catherine Siengsukon.
D'Silva is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science & Athletic Training.
Her research aims to develop rehabilitation interventions to improve mobility and balance, especially in individuals
with mild traumatic brain injury.
Fazzino is an associate professor of psychology and associate director of the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research & Treatment at the KU Life Span Institute.
Her work in the field of psychology has focused on hyperpalatable foods and their impact on health.
Siengsukon is a professor and the director of research in the Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science & Athletic Training.
Her research has advanced understanding of the impact of sleep on health-related outcomes, particularly in individuals with neurological conditions.
Also recognized for contributions at KU is Taejoon Kim, who previously was a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and a researcher at the Institute for Information Sciences. At the time of his nomination, Kim was researching 6G networked systems, federated learning and zero trust security.
The Kansas Board of Regents asked the faculty senates at the state universities to develop criteria for selecting Faculty of the Year. Each faculty senate was invited to choose and submit two nominees, one tenured faculty member and one tenure-track faculty member. Four faculty senates submitted the eight nominees for the Board’s consideration. The Regents approved all eight nominees during their September meeting.