UCLA’s highest honor for teaching excellence: Shanna Shaked named 2024–2025 Distinguished Teaching Award recipient

Shanna Shaked, adjunct professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and senior associate director at UCLA’s Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences, has been named a recipient of the 2024–2025 UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award — the university’s highest recognition for excellence in teaching.

This year, twelve faculty members and five teaching assistants were honored, selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees across campus. Awardees were recognized in one of four categories: The Practice of Teaching, Innovation and Impact, Community-Engaged Teaching and Undergraduate Mentorship.

Shaked was selected as one of the six non-Senate faculty awardees for her exceptional contributions to teaching, innovation in pedagogy and dedication to student success and equity in STEM education. Each faculty recipient receives a $6,000 award and will be formally recognized at The Andrea L. Rich Night to Honor Teaching during Fall Quarter 2025.

Shaked is widely recognized at UCLA for her leadership in evidence-based teaching practices and her commitment to inclusive, active learning environments that support the success and retention of underrepresented students in STEM. Her interdisciplinary work spans physics, astronomy, environmental modeling and education research. She spearheaded the Undergraduate Learning Assistant Program to transform large lecture courses through active learning, pioneered assessment tools to measure student outcomes and advised faculty across Physical and Life Sciences on inclusive teaching. Her work directly aligns with UCLA’s mission to promote inclusive excellence and educational equity.