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Each year, �������� President Todd Diacon recognizes �������� faculty members with the President’s Faculty Excellence Award. Recommended by department chairs and deans, these recipients are being honored for their national and international achievements.  

“Our faculty care deeply about students and rise to the occasion each day to help our students become the best versions of themselves,” said Todd Diacon, president. “I’m pleased to see these faculty members recognized for making such a positive impact with both their classes and their individual students in preparing them to be productive members of the Ohio workforce and beyond and to be the go-to leaders of their industries for many years to come.”

Here are the 2025 recipients of the President’s Faculty Excellence Award.  

Jonathan Maletic

Jonathan Maletic, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Computer Science, joined �������� in 2001. Renowned for his international research contributions and commitment to student mentorship, Maletic holds an h-index of 49 and an h-10 index of 120, with over 10,800 citations. He has received continuous National Science Foundation funding (more than $4 million) and has earned multiple awards, honors and recognitions.  

Ruoming Jin

Ruoming Jin, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Computer Science, joined �������� in 2005. Nationally and internationally recognized for his research, Jin holds an h-index of 47 and an h-10 index of 117, with 7,375 citations. He has received numerous awards and has secured more than $6 million in funding throughout his career. He is consistently recognized for his commitment to mentoring students and motivating them to excellence.

Artem Zvavitch

Artem Zvavitch, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, joined �������� in 2004. A renowned scholar in mathematics, Zvavitch holds an h-index of 19 and an h-10 index of 37, with 1,162 citations. He has published 55 papers, secured approximately $500,000 in research funding, and has received continuous National Science Foundation support, an unusual achievement for mathematicians.  

C. Lockwood Reynolds

C. Lockwood Reynolds, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Economics, joined �������� in 2007. Throughout his career, Reynolds has made significant contributions to the fields of labor economics, public economics, economics of education and urban economics. Reynolds has received nearly 30 teaching and research awards, has presented at nearly 30 conferences and his work has been published in top journals.  

Jennifer Wiggins

Jennifer Wiggins, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship and director of the Business Administration Ph.D. program, joined �������� in 2006. Throughout her career in marketing and arts management, Wiggins has published in top journals and has attended and presented at nearly 40 conferences, gaining national and international recognition for her research. She has earned numerous teaching and service awards and has held several leadership positions in the business and academic industries.

Iván Bernal

Iván Bernal, associate professor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, joined �������� in 2018. Originally from Columbia, Bernal has exhibited designs in venues worldwide. He frequently serves as an invited design competition juror and has curated several groundbreaking exhibitions. Bernal has received several awards and grants for his research and has held several leadership positions. His accomplishments demonstrate his dedication to challenging conventional design norms.

Qunxing Ding

Qunxing Ding, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, joined �������� in 2007. Throughout his career in neuroscience and science education, Ding has authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed research articles, with publications in top journals. He has presented at over 35 conferences, has been granted more than $300,000 in research funding and has earned multiple awards.  

Leslie Heaphy

Leslie Heaphy, Ph.D., professor in the Department of History, joined �������� in 1995. Throughout her career, Heaphy has made a significant impact in the fields of sports history, American history and East Asian studies. A renowned scholar, she has authored and edited more than 10 books and many peer-reviewed articles. Her work has been presented at dozens of conferences and featured in top media outlets. Heaphy is committed to highlighting underrepresented histories.  

Read more about each honoree on the President’s Faculty Excellence Awards website.