The Graduate School has presented its annual Teaching Awards to 10 Princeton graduate students, recognizing their exceptional skill, dedication and impact as instructors.

Adriana Dropulic (physics) was honored with the Quin Morton Graduate Teaching Award for instructors in the Princeton Writing Program, and Kelly Carlton (religion) received the Collaborative Teaching Initiative (CTI) Graduate Teaching Award. The eight other recipients of teaching awards are Narek Alexanian (economics), Elizabeth Bachman (politics), Giulia Crippa (operations research and financial engineering), Sean Gill (English), Honghao (Ham) Huang (psychology), Grace Monk (comparative literature), Samuel Pavelites (chemistry) and Kit Sum (Katie) Wu (mechanical and aerospace engineering.)

“As preceptors and teaching assistants, this year’s awardees have made significant contributions to undergraduate learning,” said Lisa Schreyer, deputy dean of the Graduate School. “Their commitment not only deepens undergraduate engagement but also strengthens their own growth and development as scholar-educators.”

The award selection committee, chaired by Schreyer, is composed of academic affairs deans from the Graduate School and staff from the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. The committee reviewed nominations submitted by academic departments and programs, including personal letters of recommendation from faculty and undergraduate students. Each award carries a $1,000 prize.

Narek Alexanian

Expected to graduate next year with a Ph.D. in economics, Narek Alexanian was recognized for his work as head teaching assistant for “Financial Investments,” one of Princeton’s largest undergraduate courses.

Instructor Motohiro Yogo, the Hughes-Rogers Professor of Economics, noted that the complex concepts can leave some students feeling overwhelmed. “This is exactly where Narek excels,” said Yogo, who has worked with Alexanian for four years. “He has a special ability to help the students who are lost and to make the material more interesting and relatable.”

“What truly set Narek apart was his unwavering commitment to ensuring every student could follow along,” one student wrote. “Narek’s approachability and patience, paired with his vibrant energy and dynamic teaching style, made every session something to look forward to.”

Elizabeth Bachman 

Elizabeth Bachman, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in politics, was commended for her “simply superb” work as a preceptor for “Chinese Politics,” taught by Rory Truex, associate professor of politics and international affairs.

Bachman received the highest rating Truex had ever seen for a preceptor in this course. “The student responses revealed a teacher who is engaged, responsive, and deeply knowledgeable,” Truex said.

Students described Bachman’s teaching as transformative. “Elizabeth’s teaching not only enhanced my understanding of Chinese politics but also fundamentally changed how I view academic discussions,” one student wrote. “Her classes are a testament to the fact that great teaching is not merely about delivering information but about inspiring students to think critically and creatively.”

Kelly Carlton

Kelly Carlton

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Tori Repp/Fotobuddy

Expected to complete her Ph.D. in religion this year, Kelly Carlton was honored with the CTI Graduate Teaching Award for “Buddhist Cosmology & Rebirth,” a new introductory undergraduate course she co-designed and co-taught with Stephen F. Teiser.

“I can say unabashedly that Kelly Carlton is the most talented teacher I have had the pleasure of mentoring, and learning from,” said Teiser, the D.T. Suzuki Professor in Buddhist Studies and professor of religion.

Carlton fostered an environment that invited deep exploration in a class where not one enrolled student was a religion major. “I left class each week feeling like I had come to a new, more specific understanding of the course material,” one student wrote. “And I felt empowered knowing that I had done some of the reasoning myself to get there.”

Solo photo caption: Kelly Carlton was recognized by the Collaborative Teaching Initiative in the Humanities and Social Sciences for her extraordinary contributions as a co-instructor in “Buddhist Cosmology & Rebirth.”

Giulia Crippa

Giulia Crippa, a fourth-year Ph.D. in operations research and financial engineering, demonstrated “rare teaching talents” as a teaching assistant (TA) for “Energy and Commodities Markets.”

Earning students’ respect and admiration, “she brought mathematical, statistical, and computational skills that she imparted with care and patience,” said course instructor Ronnie Sircar, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering.

Sircar praised a guest lecture in which Crippa shared her research on environmental, social and governance investing — a highlight that inspired several students. “Giulia was so genuinely passionate about her work and sharing her expertise and excitement with curious undergraduates like me,” one student remarked.

Another said, “She naturally embodies being a scholar and a teacher at the same time, all while making a profound impact on her students’ lives.”

Adriana Dropulic     

Adriana Dropulic

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Tori Repp/Fotobuddy

Expected to graduate this year with a Ph.D. in physics, Adriana Dropulic served as the Quin Morton ’36 Teaching Fellow in the Princeton Writing Program. A theoretical physicist, she taught a popular writing seminar titled “Here Be Dragons” that challenged first-year students to explore the boundary between the known and unknown.

“Adri engenders in her students a deep appreciation for shared discovery and inspires with her enthusiasm for the difficult — and rewarding — work of writing as thinking,” said Amanda Irwin Wilkins, director of the Princeton Writing Program.

As one student put it, Dropulic took fundamental writing topics like “establishing motive, incorporating evidence, and scholarly sources and turned them into lessons that a class full of STEM majors could not just understand but enjoy.”

Solo photo caption: Theoretical physicist Adriana Dropulic received the Quin Morton Graduate Teaching Award for instructors in the Princeton Writing Program.

Sean Gill

Sean Gill earned high praise from William Gleason, the Hughes-Rogers Professor of English and American Studies, for leading six precepts for “American Television.” Gleason described him as “an extraordinarily gifted and inventive instructor who devotes himself tirelessly to helping students thrive in the classroom.”

Expected to graduate this year with a Ph.D. in English, Gill thoughtfully crafted engaging learning experiences that students called “unique and unforgettable.” One student said, “Sean ‘gamified’ creativity, making it feel less overwhelming and more like a skill we could develop.”

Gill also provided detailed feedback on every assignment, including a summary letter that struck “a perfect balance between encouragement and critique,” Gleason said. “That he did this for more than 70 students remains mind-boggling to me.”

Honghao (Ham) Huang       

Only in his second year as a Ph.D. student in psychology, Honghao (Ham) Huang made quite an impression as a TA for “The Cognitive Neuroscience of Selective Attention.”

Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Timothy Buschman called Huang the “best [TA] I have worked with at Princeton,” lauding his creativity and skill in communicating complex concepts in neuroscience. “Ham didn’t just clarify concepts — he made them stick,” as one student said.

Students described his office hours as essential and his precept as a true learning space. He challenged students while giving them the confidence to succeed. “Thanks to his mentorship and dedication, I earned my first A+ at Princeton — but more importantly, I gained the confidence to apply neuroscience to clinical problems, pursue medicine, and better engage with research,” one student said.

Grace Monk

A fourth-year Ph.D. student in comparative literature, Grace Monk was recognized for her work in “Phenomenology” as a co-instructor with Gayle Salamon, associate chair of the English Department and professor of English. “It may have been the most successful course I have ever taught, in no small part because of Grace’s pedagogical skill,” Salamon said. “The steadiness she demonstrated with students and her openness with their questions would have been admirable in a seasoned professor; they seemed nothing short of miraculous in a graduate student.”

Students described Monk as “gifted and motivating.” Although most of the students had no prior experience with phenomenology, she ignited their curiosity and nurtured confidence. “With great ease, she brought together pieces from centuries apart and illuminated a worldview that neither my classmates nor I had previously considered,” one student said.

Samuel Pavelites

Samuel Pavelites, a second-year Ph.D. student in chemistry, distinguished himself as a precept TA in the new Integrated Science Curriculum. “TA’ing a new curriculum brings many challenges, and Sam rose to the occasion,” said course instructors Michael Skinnider, Martin Wühr and Ben Zhang.

Skinnider is an assistant professor in the Ludwig Princeton Branch and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Wühr is an associate professor of molecular biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. Zhang is a lecturer and Integrated Science Curriculum manager in the Lewis-Sigler Institute.

Feedback from students highlighted his patience, his ability to break down challenging topics into digestible pieces and his emphasis on collaborative problem-solving. “Their feedback further emphasized that Sam helped demystify the thinking processes that drive research — a central mission of the course,” the instructors said.

In addition to his intellectual rigor, students appreciated his encouragement and support. “He recognizes that learning is not just about mastering textbook material, but also about fostering a sense of community, which he continues to practice and promote,” said one student.       

Kit Sum (Katie) Wu

A fifth-year Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Kit Sum (Katie) Wu went “far beyond the call of duty” as a TA for “Mathematics in Engineering I,” taught by Howard Stone, the Neil A. Omenn ’68 University Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

“Katie’s many science and engineering talents, coupled with her creativity and desire to share her understanding with others — as exemplified through her [TA] activities — strongly suggest to me the great positive impact she will have in the years ahead,” he said.

Students praised her for going the extra mile. “Our understanding was her highest priority,” one student said. “While her intelligence was very apparent, it never deterred students from approaching her. Her love of math was infectious and brought some much-needed energy to differential equations.”