Faculty Success

Professor of jazz saxophone Brad Leali received the 2026 Ellis Marsalis Jr. Jazz Educator of the Year Award, which recognizes an “outstanding college or university educator in the field of jazz, who represents the highest standards of teaching and whose results have brought distinction to their institution and their students.”

Xin Cui, associate professor of organic chemistry, is working to make pharmaceutical drug development more efficient and less wasteful by improving how key molecules are built. Cui and his team were recently awarded a $470,000 NIH grant to advance their work.

“As a researcher, one needs to stay curious,” said Du, Distinguished Research Professor of materials science and engineering. “With that mentality, I’m learning new things that can lead to discoveries almost every day, and I use that as encouragement for my students.”