Jointly sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association and the Auburn University Graduate School, the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lectureship Award carries with it a $2,000 award from the alumni association. The recipients are nominated by deans, department heads, etc. and chosen by the Graduate Faculty Council on the basis of excellence in research.

2021 WINNERS

Fai Foster Dai
Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

A prolific researcher and inventor, Dai currently holds the distinction of serving as the Godbold Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In this role, he provides leadership through his creative research endeavors and graduate student mentoring. He has received many accolades for his scholarly accomplishments and contributions, including being recognized as a prestigious Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Throughout his impressive career as an educator, researcher, scholar and inventor, Dai has exhibited a unique capacity to identify critical problems in his field and develop new technologies and associated intellectual property in several areas of electrical and computer engineering application. Dai’s scholarly research and inventions and their translation into commercial practice serve as examples of his impact in the broader arena of innovation. Impressively, he has also instilled this spirit of innovation into other faculty and graduate students that he has worked with throughout his career.

PAST RECIPIENT WINNERS

2020
Jeffrey Suhling:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

A member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering since 1985, Suhling has been a tremendous researcher, leader, teacher, and administrator at Auburn University. An active researcher in electronics packaging, Suhling co-established the NSF Center for Advanced Vehicle and Extreme Environment Electronics, or CAVE3, in 1998 and served as the center’s director from 2002-2008. In addition to his research, Suhling has been a prolific advocate of graduate education. Over his career, he has advised over 100 graduate students, including 45 Ph.D. students, and has served on over 250 graduate student committees. In 2008, Suhling was appointed department chair of mechanical engineering, the largest program at Auburn with more than 1,300 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, and 50 faculty. In addition to his leadership, Suhling has received numerous teaching awards, including the Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Faculty Member, College of Engineering Birdsong Superior Teaching Award, and the College of Engineering Senior Research Award