Newsroom’s Faculty Bulletin Board is a biweekly roundup highlighting awards, honors and notable achievements by UCLA faculty members. Consider it a snapshot of the many ways Bruin scholars and researchers are advancing knowledge, shaping their fields and powering progress on campus and around the world.
Kari Nadeau is the new dean of the school of public health
Dr. Kari Nadeau, an internationally recognized leader in public health, medicine and disease prevention, has been named the next dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and will begin her tenure on July 1. Since 2022, she has served as chair of the environmental health department and John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she also directs the Allergy, Extreme Weather, and Exposomics Laboratory. In addition, she holds a professorship in medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Valorie Kondos Field receives lifetime achievement award for coaching
Valorie Kondos Field, former longtime head coach of the UCLA gymnastics team and a senior fellow with the Transformative Coaching and Leadership Program at the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies, was named the recipient the 2025–26 Jostens Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented the nonprofit organization WeCOACH, the award honors women in sports whose careers have combined “elite performance with a pioneering commitment to empowering girls and women in athletics.” Between 1989 and 2019, Kondos Field guided the Bruins to seven NCAA championships while mentoring dozens of Olympians and world-class performers.
Susan Kresin recognized for excellence in language instruction
Susan Kresin, a senior lecturer in the UCLA Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures, has been honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award from the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. The award is presented annually to a post-secondary educator whose work has had a transformative impact on students and the broader field. Kresin has taught Russian and Czech at UCLA for 30 years.
Derek Schaeffer honored as emerging researcher by National Academy of Sciences
Derek Schaeffer, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy who specializes in optical, X-ray and particle diagnostics, has been named a 2026 Frontiers of Science Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences. As a fellow, he will be among 80 emerging scientific research leaders in the U.S. to participate in a series of three-day symposiums during which he and other scientists will share ideas and build networks across a variety of disciplines.
Engineering faculty Veronica Santos, Richard Wesel and Benjamin Williams awarded for teaching
UCLA Samueli School of Engineering professors Veronica Santos, Richard Wesel and Benjamin Williams have been named the 2026 Distinguished Engineering Educator Award recipients by the nonprofit Engineers’ Council. The award recognizes exemplary contributions to teaching, mentorship and the advancement of engineering education. The organization presented the honorees at its 71st annual awards banquet on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles.
Sunil Kapila recognized for inclusion and engagement efforts in orthodontics
Sunil Kapila, the Dr. Thomas R. Bales Professor of Orthodontics at the UCLA School of Dentistry, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the American Association of Orthodontists’ Inclusion and Engagement Award in recognition his leadership in fostering a more inclusive and collaborative orthodontic profession. Kapila, who also serves as the school’s associate dean for strategic initiatives, has worked to strengthen professional opportunities and cultivate an environment of community for the association’s diverse membership and in academic orthodontic.
Southeast Asian studies center gets new support for Global Indigeneity Program
The UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, or CSEAS, has received a $200,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for its collaborative Global Indigeneity Program, an initiative encompassing Indigenous communities, academic institutions, nonprofit and advocacy organizations, and universities across Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region. The grant — the second the initiative has received from the foundation — will help promote research and engagement shaped by Indigenous leadership and community priorities. UCLA’s Stephen Acabado, a professor of archaeology, director of CSEAS and chair of the interdepartmental archaeology program is one of two principal investigators.
