Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Professor Diwakar Shukla has received the Stanley H. Pierce Award from the Grainger College of Engineering. The award is given in recognition of excellence in mentoring students and improving student-faculty cooperation.
Shukla has been on the faculty of the department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering since 2015. He is an affiliate faculty member at the Center for Biophysics & Computational Biology, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the department of Plant Biology, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, the Cancer Center at Illinois, the Center for Digital Agriculture, and the department of Bioengineering.
“This award carries a special significance because the award requires nomination and recommendation letters from the past and present students in my group. The selection committee for this award is also comprised solely of students.” Said Shukla.
Shukla has received numerous early-career awards from the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. At Illinois, Shukla has been recognized for his research and teaching: he has been awarded the Dean’s Award for excellence in research (2020, 2024); named a Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors (LEAP) scholar; and earned the School of Chemical Sciences’ Teaching Excellence Award.
The Stanley H. Pierce Award was established in 1969 by William L. Everitt, a former professor of electrical engineering and dean for The Grainger College of Engineering. As the associate dean of Grainger College, Stanley H. Pierce prioritized better relations between faculty and students.
The award was presented at Grainger College’s Annual Engineering Awards Convocation, which was held on April 29, 2024.