Four Villanova Engineering Professors Honored with 2025 Faculty Awards at Commencement
At ĂŰĚŇTV’s 2025 Undergraduate Commencement, four distinguished professors from the College of Engineering received faculty awards in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the University during the 2024–25 academic year.
Edward Char, a professor of practice in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Outstanding  Teaching. This award is presented annually to a faculty member who excels in undergraduate teaching. Professor Char was nominated by his students, selected through a faculty vote and ultimately chosen following a classroom visit by the selection committee.
“To me, personally, it’s great to know that the students appreciate how I teach them and enjoy being in my class,” Professor Char said. “It’s nice to know that all the work you put into trying to make the class the best it can be is appreciated by them.”
Meltem Izzetoglu, PhD, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Master’s in Biomedical Engineering program, received this year’s University Mid-Career Scholar Award. This honor highlights outstanding faculty achievement in published research, scholarship, or creative expression. Dr. Izzetoglu was recognized for her extensive contributions, including nearly 200 high-impact publications, editorial roles in several conferences and journals, and numerous keynote and plenary talks.Â
“This award represents a testament to my years of hard work, talents and contributions to the field of scholarship, research and education,” she said. “I will cherish it for the rest of my life and will keep pushing the boundaries to reach excellence and achieve what is not there yet.”
Sylvie Lorente, PhD, William M. Brown ’84, ’87 Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering and the College’s associate dean of Research and Innovation, received the University Scholarly Achievement Award. This honor highlights excellence among faculty members for their published research, scholarship or creative expression.Â
“This is a wonderful recognition, just five years after coming to this campus,” Dr. Lorente said. “Becoming part of Villanova changed the course of my life.”
Mojtaba Vaezi, PhD, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Teaching Award. This honor is presented to a full-time faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring students, particularly in scholarly research at the undergraduate or graduate level. Dr. Vaezi was recognized for building a supportive program for undergraduate students to grow, not just academically, but professionally and personally as well.
“This is both a humbling and deeply meaningful honor for me,” Dr. Vaezi said. “Mentoring has been at the heart of my work since my very first semester at Villanova, and to have that recognized by the University is incredibly rewarding.”