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Indian-origin faculty honored at UT Dallas teaching ceremony
The ceremony recognized educators for accomplishments during the academic year and included President’s Teaching Excellence Awards
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Staff Reporter - Thu, 21, May 2026
- 03:52 EDT
- 18
Clockwise: Dr. Pankaj Choudhary, Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, Jigarkumar Patel and Dr. Amandeep Sra / UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas honored Indian-origin faculty members Dr. Pankaj Choudhary, Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, Jigarkumar Patel and Dr. Amandeep Sra during its ninth annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence on May 12, recognizing achievements in teaching, mentoring and instructional leadership.
The ceremony recognized educators for accomplishments during the academic year and included President’s Teaching Excellence Awards, mentoring honors and UT System distinctions. The event was held at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center.
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Six educators received President’s Teaching Excellence Awards for instruction, classroom innovation and course development. Additional faculty members were recognized for mentoring and leadership, including recent UT System honorees and a Piper Professor award recipient.
UT Dallas President Prabhas V. Moghe and Provost Inga H. Musselman presented the awards during the ceremony, which was organized by the Center for Teaching and Learning.
“Teaching excellence here is inseparable from our excellence in research, our excellence in innovations and our excellence in translational work,” Moghe said.
Dr. Pankaj Choudhary, a professor of mathematical sciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, received the President’s Teaching Excellence Award in Graduate/Professional Instruction.
Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, a professor of public and nonprofit management in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, received the Provost’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Graduate Research Mentoring.
Jigarkumar Patel, a professor of instruction in mathematical sciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, was recognized as part of the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers and also received the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.
Dr. Amandeep Sra, a professor of instruction in chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, also was recognized as part of the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
Dr. Karen Huxtable-Jester, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and professor of instruction in psychology, said the university places significant emphasis on teaching.
“I’m so thrilled that [Moghe] is always quick to emphasize the importance of teaching,” Huxtable-Jester said. “It’s not an afterthought for him.”
During the ceremony, Moghe asked audience members to raise their hands if a teacher had positively affected them. Nearly all attendees responded.
“Teaching is transformative, transformational,” Moghe said.
“It doesn’t just transfer knowledge. It also does something quite unique to you — it builds confidence. It invites more questions.”
He added that teaching “creates a virtuous cycle between curiosity, confidence and asking more questions.”
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