Steve Corcelli, Ph.D., William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science, has announced the college’s faculty award recipients for the 2025–26 academic year.
Father James L. Shilts, C.S.C./Doris and Gene Leonard Teaching Award
Bestowed annually on a faculty member in the College of Science, this award is named in honor of Father James L. Shilts, C.S.C., who taught in the Department of Physics from 1961 until his death in 1982. The award was endowed in 1984 by Dr. Eugene T. Leonard III in memory of his parents, Dr. Eugene and Doris Leonard. Leonard III served on the Science Advisory Council from 1976 to 1991. The award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching.
The 2026 recipient is Marya Lieberman, Nancy Dee Professor of Cancer Research.
Lieberman joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty in 1996 and was named the Nancy Dee Professor of Cancer Research in 2025. She has taught a broad range of courses across the chemistry and biochemistry curriculum, from introductory undergraduate classes to advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. She has also mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate student researchers.
The overarching theme of Lieberman’s career has been using chemistry to improve people’s lives. This commitment is reflected in both the courses she teaches and the mentoring relationships she builds with students. Through community-engaged courses and undergraduate research projects aimed at improving health and well-being for vulnerable communities, Lieberman embodies Notre Dame’s aspiration to educate the whole person—mind and spirit.
Lieberman is widely recognized for her contributions to education. In 2025, she received the American Chemical Society (ACS) Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest for her work developing paper analytical devices and training students and scientists to use them. She also received the 2022 J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education and the 2010 Joyce Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The 2026 James L. Shilts, C.S.C./Doris and Eugene Leonard Teaching Award further recognizes her sustained record of impactful teaching and student mentorship.
College of Science Outstanding Research Service Award
The College of Science Outstanding Research Service Award recognizes a scientist who has made a significant difference in supporting scientific research across the college. The award highlights a research faculty or staff member whose technical expertise, consulting, training, or guidance has meaningfully advanced the work of others.
The 2026 recipient is Evgenii Kovrigin, research professor, and director of the Magnetic Resonance Research Center.
Kovrigin joined the University of Notre Dame in 2018. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology in Moscow, Russia, in 1999. He held postdoctoral positions at the Institute of Protein Research in Pushchino, Russia; UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas; and Yale University. Prior to joining Notre Dame as a research associate professor, he served on the faculties of the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University in Milwaukee. He was promoted to research professor in 2025 and serves as director of the Magnetic Resonance Research Center.
As director, Kovrigin supports eight instruments used by more than 200 researchers across the Colleges of Science and Engineering. He has also developed numerous software packages for analyzing NMR data that are used by researchers around the world.
In 2024, Kovrigin led the effort to build a custom helium storage system, the High Pressure Helium Reserve. Together with the Notre Dame Helium Recovery and Liquefaction Facility, the system helps prevent disruptions to NMR instrumentation caused by helium shortages. Beyond this work, Kovrigin hosted and co-organized the 8th Gateway NMR Conference at Notre Dame in 2023, bringing NMR spectroscopists from across the Midwest to campus. Through his technical leadership, infrastructure development, and support for researchers across disciplines, Kovrigin has made exceptional contributions to scientific research at Notre Dame.
Public Engagement in Science Award
This award recognizes a faculty member in the College of Science who has demonstrated a sustained record of excellence in public engagement by making noteworthy contributions that increase the public’s understanding of science and scientific progress. Such excellence may include innovative outreach or educational initiatives, meaningful partnerships with community groups, programs that broaden access to science, new mechanisms to engage the community with our researchers, or impactful efforts that reach audiences traditionally underserved or overlooked in STEM.
The 2026 recipient is Susan del Valle, associate teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Del Valle, who also serves as faculty advisor for both the Chemistry & Biochemistry Club and the Fighting Irish Science Olympiad, earned her B.A. in veterinary pharmacology from the University of Florida in 1996 and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California in 2004. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Université de Montréal before becoming an editorial assistant for the journal Organic Letters in 2006. After serving as an assistant professor of instruction at the University of Tampa, she joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2019.
At Notre Dame, del Valle’s mentorship and vision have enabled students to use their scientific knowledge and resources to make meaningful impacts across Northern Indiana and the Great Lakes region. Through the Chemistry & Biochemistry Club, she has organized monthly opportunities for students to volunteer, socialize, and develop career resources.
Each January, del Valle leads Notre Dame’s annual Fighting Irish Science Olympiad, which typically brings more than 200 students from 10–20 regional schools to campus to showcase their scientific knowledge. Her leadership and organization have made the event a sustained success, earning consistent praise from participants and the broader community.
College of Science Research Award
Each year, the College of Science recognizes an outstanding investigator who has made substantial recent contributions to their field. This award honors a highly productive faculty member whose research trajectory demonstrates growing national and international impact.
The 2026 recipient is Xin Lu, John M. and Mary Jo Boler Collegiate Professor.
Lu joined the University of Notre Dame in 2017. He earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University in 2010. Prior to his appointment at Notre Dame, he held postdoctoral positions at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He was promoted to associate professor in 2022 and rapidly promoted to professor in 2026.
Lu is a leader in cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology, with research focused on cancer-cell and microenvironment-driven mechanisms of immune evasion. His recent work has advanced both fundamental cancer immunology and new therapeutic strategies. Since earning tenure in 2022, Lu has published 44 papers, including original research, reviews, and editorials.
Further evidence of Lu’s research excellence can be seen in his robust funding record, which includes continuous support from the NIH and the Department of Defense, as well as several foundations, including Susan G. Komen and the Breast Cancer Alliance. His work has also been recognized through numerous honors, including the Rising Star Award from the Serican Academy of Urology in 2026 and the Coaches vs. Cancer Innovation Award from the American Cancer Society in 2025. At Notre Dame, he received the Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Excellence in Research Award.
Lu has also made significant service contributions to the scientific community. He serves as a standing member of the NIH Tumor Host Interactions Study Section and contributes to peer review as a guest editor and reviewer for numerous journals. As a Dean’s Fellow, he contributed to a review of graduate programs and student support across the College of Science. Through his research leadership, scholarly productivity, and service to the scientific community, Lu is highly deserving of the College of Science Research Award.
Sister Kathleen Cannon Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising
This award is named in honor of Sister Kathleen Cannon, O.P., D.Min., a longtime advisor for the science collegiate sequence majors and a tireless advocate for students from all backgrounds. Sister Kathleen served as associate dean of the College of Science from 1998 to 2022 and associate provost of the university from 1990 to 1997.
The 2026 recipient is David Veselik, associate dean of undergraduate advising.
Veselik has been a tireless advocate for Notre Dame students. He advised students during the final years of the Science Business major, a program closely connected to Sister Kathleen’s work. Students who nominated Veselik praised his kindness and thoughtful, patient, and encouraging approach to advising. One student nomination captured the sentiment shared by many: “Dr. V deserves this award because he goes beyond course scheduling or degree requirements and empowers students to make decisions that reflect their actual goals.”
After serving for two years as a visiting assistant professor, Veselik joined the faculty as an assistant teaching professor in 2009 and was promoted to associate teaching professor in 2016. He began his advising career in 2013 when he became advisor and director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Biological Sciences. In recognition of his excellence in that role, he received the 2017 Dockweiler Award for Undergraduate Advising.
As associate dean for undergraduate advising in the College of Science, Veselik is known for his student-centered focus, calm and positive demeanor, sound judgment, and strong leadership. He also continues to teach in the Department of Biological Sciences and, in 2023, received a Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Originally published by at science.nd.edu on May 19, 2026.