Postdoc and Faculty Mentor Awards Program

Nominees must demonstrate excellence in research, scholarship or creative expression as evidenced by one or more of the following:

• Recent publications, publication contracts, and/or works of creative expression
• Presentations: papers or posters at local, regional, national or international conferences/meetings
• Awards and honors: internal and/or external recognition of excellence in research, scholarship, or creative expression
• Other unique contributions to scholarship (e.g., presentations, grants, publications) or pedagogy in their field

Nominee eligibility:

• The nominee must be in the rank of “postdoctoral associate” at Virginia Tech at the time of the award luncheon (mid-September each year), began in their role prior to July 1, 2024 (ie, greater than 1 year as a postdoc at Virginia Tech), and has demonstrated scholarly productivity as a Virginia Tech postdoc.

Who can nominate?

• Virginia Tech faculty who are either on the tenure-track, tenured, or otherwise eligible to serve as a principal investigator on grant submissions through Virginia Tech.

What is required in the nomination?

• Name and contact information for both the nominee and the faculty nominator
• Updated CV of the nominee
• A 500-1000 word statement that speaks to the nominee’s scholarly excellence and contributions to their field, specifically focused on the work they have performed while a postdoctoral associate at Virginia Tech

Awardees will be selected based on meeting one or more of the following criteria:

• Engages in exceptional mentorship of the next generation of researchers (undergraduate & graduate students) in their field
• Provides outstanding support to other postdoctoral scholars, their teaching or research community, and/or the Virginia Tech community
• Service to the postdoctoral community at large, including advocating for postdoctoral scholars and including postdoctoral voices in key decision making or other endeavors

Nominee eligibility:

• The nominee must be in the rank of “postdoctoral associate” at Virginia Tech at the time of the award luncheon (mid-September each year) and began in their role prior to July 1, 2024 (ie, greater than 1 year as a postdoc at Virginia Tech) 

Who can nominate?

• Any Virginia Tech student or employee

What is required in the nomination?

• Name and contact information for both the nominee and the primary nominator
• A 500-1000 word statement that speaks to the qualification of the nominee to be considered for the Postdoc Service Excellence award along one or multiple criteria detailed above. This statement could also include testimonials the nominator solicits from other individuals within or outside Virginia Tech who can speak to the service the postdoc has performed to their field and/or community. 

This award recognizes faculty mentors who have gone above and beyond to support Virginia Tech postdoctoral associates.

Awardees will be selected based on meeting one or more of the following criteria:

• Empowers postdoc mentee to reach their career goals
• Supports postdoc mentee through collaborative scholarship (e.g., grant writing, publications, presentations) and teaching, where relevant
• Offers constructive feedback and expertise in support of their postdoc mentee
• Service to the postdoctoral community at large, including advocating for postdoctoral scholars and including postdoctoral voices

Nominee eligibility:

• The nominee must be a Virginia Tech faculty who are either on the tenure-track, tenured, or otherwise eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator on grant submissions through Virginia Tech

Who can nominate?

• Current and/or past Virginia Tech postdoctoral associates who are currently or were previously supervised by the nominee. Group nominations (from more than one current and/or past postdoctoral associate) are allowed and encouraged.

What is required in the nomination?

• Name and contact information for both the nominee and postdoc nominator
• A 500-1000 word statement that speaks to the qualification of the nominee to be considered for the Faculty Mentor Award along one or multiple criteria detailed above. This statement could also include testimonials the nominator solicits from current and past postdoc mentees of the nominee who can speak to their mentorship.

Eduardo Camps Moreno, Mathematics 

Faculy Mentor and Nominator: Gretchen Matthews

Nomination Statement: “Dr. Camps Moreno has delivered 24 research presenations and contributed to 14 publications and papers while a postdoc at Virginia Tech. He has also fostered international collaborations with researchers across the globe. Beyond being an excellent researcher he is constantly considering how to support budding researchers through his outreach and engagement efforts with one notable example being a Fall School of Coding Theory he organized that reached hundreds of students in Mexico in 2024.”

Courtney Sexton, Population Health Sciences

Faculy Mentor and Nominator: Audrey Ruple 

Nomination Statement: “Dr. Sexton is committed scientific communication and outreach efforts in addition to strong scholarly productivity. She has given a number of guest lectures at university in the Washington DC Metro Area where she lives, delivered a TedX talk on her research with the Dog Aging Project at Virginia Tech (that has received 2,200+ views), and works as a freelance science write and communications consultant. Whether speaking to fellow scientists, students, or the public, Dr. Sexton communicates her research with clarity, passion, and a remarkable ability to connect across disciplines.”

Freya Olsson, Biological Sciences

Faculy Mentors and Nominators: Cayelan Carey and Quinn Thomas

Nomination Statement: “Dr. Olsson has empowered the ecological research community to forecast lake and stream water quality across the world. In a recent analysis of the number of environmental forecasts that have been submitted to the NEON Challenge across all variables, the number of aquatic forecasts numerically dominates, which is largely due to Dr. Olsson’s efforts to train aquatic scientists in this field.”

Jorge Reyes, Mathematics

Faculty Mentor and Nominator: Traian Iliescu 

Nominaton statement: "In the 2024-2025 academic year Reyes served as Vice President of the Virginia Tech Postdoctoral Association (VTPA) and this academic year is the Association's President. He has worked to build community and connection amongst postdocs within the department but also university at large. Reyes has also contributed to service at the university level as the Postdoctoral Associate Representative on the Commission on Research since Fall 2024. In this role, he helps ensure the perspectives and views of postdocs are heard in areas of university governance related to research. He has also served as instructor of record in four math classes since he began at Virginia Tech and is probably one of the best teachers in the department. For his commitment to research, teaching, service, and the postdoc community, Dr. Reyes is more than deserving of this Postdoc Service Excellence Award.”

Maria Amaya, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Faculty Mentor and Nominator: Landon Marston

Nominaton statement from Virginia Tech Master's student Johanna Capone: "As I continue through my research journey, I aspire to strike a balance between academics, personal goals, and community service like Dr. Amaya. Our research group and the broad Virginia Tech community have benefited from her academic guidance, STEM service, and personal support.”

Jake Socha, Samuel Herrick Professor, Mechanical Engienering 

Former Postdoc Mentees and Nominators: Pranav Khandelwal, Mary Salcedo, and Sara Wilmsen 

Nominaton Statement from Salcedo: "To say Jake works 'tirelessly' for the success of his team is an understatement. He allowed me the independence to pursue my work, the freedom to disagree with him, and the endless connections to eager students wanting to understand the biological world more.” 

Nominaton Statement from Khandelwal: "Jake’s advice is always constructive and aimed at making you better - not just at the task at hand but in the long run. He encouraged me to go for grants, take on new projects, and build skills outside my comfort zone; while always being there to support me. He’s helped me and other postdocs aim higher, find our voice, and succeed.” 

James (Jamie) Smyth, Associate Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Postdoc Mentee and Nominator: Chelsea Phillips 

Nominaton Statement: "Out of all my scientific mentors over the years, Dr. Smyth has been the most intentional about his mentorship. When talking to Dr. Smyth, it is clearly evident that he cares about mentoring and has poured time and energy into developing his mentoring philosophies and enacting them.”