Congratulations to PhD student Farwa Sajadi, who was recognized during the Faculty of Science Spring Convocation Ceremony with a President’s University-Wide Teaching Award (Teaching Assistant category) for enhancing the quality of learning and demonstrating innovation in teaching.

Sajadi, who recently completed a PhD in biology, was honoured with the Teaching Award for being a TA who fosters an academically enriched environment for learning, advancing student critical thinking and implementing creative approaches to promote student scholarship and engagement. According to her nominator, Professor Jean-Paul Paluzzi, she excelled in her roles as lab demonstrator, lab coordinator and course director in biology for undergraduate students.

“She is also highly innovative and collaborative in her teaching practices, as is demonstrated by her work during the COVID-19 pandemic to plan for labs being delivered in a hybrid format with limited in-person occupancy and students spread across three different rooms,” the Senate Committee on Awards said in the announcement. She was further known to take initiative to help students and was a leader in volunteerism. In 2022, she earned the Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award from the Faculty of Science.

Sajadi will have her name engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques displayed in Vari Hall.

Read the full yfile story.