2026 Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Awards

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences today announced this year’s winners of the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award.  Established in 2005 from a gift by late University Trustee Gerry Lenfest, the annual award recognizes faculty excellence in teaching, research, and mentorship across the Arts and Sciences.

This year’s awardees include world-renowned scholars, groundbreaking artists, researchers on the cutting edge of scientific discovery, and long-time Arts and Sciences faculty whose ideas and service have profoundly shaped their departments and students.

“It is the highest honor we bestow upon individual faculty,” noted members of the Executive Committee of Arts and Sciences, which includes the Dean and Executive Vice President of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of Columbia College, and the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  The award also "serves as a powerful reminder of the rigorous scholarship, creative energy, selfless commitment to students, and dedication to our community that are the hallmark of Lenfest awardees.” 

The Executive Committee issued a call for nominations in Fall 2025 and selected the finalists in early 2026.  In addition to significant professional recognition, the award carries an unrestricted stipend for a period of three years.

This year’s Lenfest awardees include faculty from seven Arts and Sciences departments and the School of the Arts:

Ishmail Abdus-Saboor

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, and Principal Investigator, Zuckerman Institute

For groundbreaking contributions to the study of sensory perception and touch and pain signals, the development of innovative measurement methods and experimental techniques, his dedication to providing mentoring and research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students, and his leadership in serving local, national, and international scientific research communities.

Jessica Collins

Associate Professor of Philosophy

For long and sustained contributions to the intellectual life of the Department of Philosophy, the joyful and infectious passion for knowledge she imparts upon her students and colleagues, her breadth of teaching and exceptional mentorship, and her unwavering service to the department and the University for over three decades.

Lynn Nottage

Professor of Theatre, School of the Arts

For genre-defying plays of vital significance to American theatre that have been recognized by the world’s most prestigious honors, her transformational role as a teacher of playwriting through her signature course on theatre and American Spectacle, and her invaluable support to students by serving as a bridge in their transition from the academy to the profession.

Kerstin Perez

Lavine Family Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences

For pioneering work on novel techniques to understand the nature and origins of dark matter, her longstanding devotion to science education and outreach, in particular her commitment to undergraduate student recruitment and retention in STEM fields through both classroom practices and mentoring, and her leadership in setting strategic science priorities during an uncertain period.

Adam Reich

Professor of Sociology

For exemplary instruction of introductory courses in Sociology, his support and advocacy on behalf of students in curricular and extracurricular matters, his mentorship of junior faculty colleagues, his long record of service across the Arts and Sciences, and his scholarship on U.S. criminal justice systems, health care, and labor markets.

Elizabeth Scharffenberger

Senior Lecturer in Classics

For vital contributions to the Department of Classics through her skillful stewardship of its curricula and programs, her exceptional teaching and scholarship of Ancient Greek language and literature, and her deep empathy and care in advising and mentoring her students.

Dennis Yi Tenen

Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature

For innovative scholarship in the areas of computational humanities, the history and theory of media, and literary theory and methods, his varied and original pedagogy in the classroom, his commitment to student mentorship and hands-on learning, and his leadership in crafting partnerships that extend beyond the Arts and Sciences.

Michael Woodford

John Bates Clark Professor of Political Economy

For internationally recognized, field-defining scholarship in the areas of macroeconomic theory, monetary policy, and the blending of economic analysis, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, his successful stewardship of the Department of Economics as chair, and his mentorship of generations of students, academics, and leaders.

A list of previous Lenfest awardees is available here.