Outstanding Faculty Award - Associate Professor, 2018
Chemistry
Professor Erik Berda has built an impressive program of teaching, research and service. He is an exceptional teacher, one who explains complicated material with unusual clarity, one who inspires his students to excel, and one who cares deeply about their success. His evaluations are among the best in the college and are riddled with phrases like “Professor Berda is the best professor I have ever had!”
Dr. Berda’s research program has attracted the attention of scientists around the world. His research concerns the controlled folding of synthetic polymer chains into functional nanoparticles that find use as catalysts, in energy applications, or in new drug delivery strategies. He has published a number of important papers (56 and counting, with 1,700 citations), and he has obtained funding from multiple sources including the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He is invited to make presentations at every prestigious conference in his field. He reviews publications for every leading polymer journal, and he holds several editorial positions.
Dr. Berda is also a leader in service. He spearheaded innovative upgrades to our graduate program where his vision of greater interdisciplinarity inspired faculty and students alike.
About This Award
The ideal university faculty member is someone whose accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research, and service are prodigious and of the highest quality. He or she is an inspiring, challenging, and effective teacher, whose concern and respect for students is evident both in and out of the classroom. Such a faculty member makes important and extensive contributions to his or her chosen field, and shares those contributions with peers through publication or other appropriate means. Finally, the ideal faculty member willingly and effectively devotes time and energy in useful service to the university, the profession, and the state. The recipients of these awards are those members of the university faculty who, in recent years, have demonstrated these qualities. Each year, two Outstanding Faculty Awards will be given, one each for an assistant and an associate professor. All UNH tenure track faculty members at those ranks are eligible.
