Announcing the 2026 Alumni Award Recipients
The Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 SSMN Awards!
With the generous support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, these awards recognize the dedication, impact, and accomplishments of exemplary Sloan Legacy, UCEM, and SIGP alumni. Join us in congratulating these outstanding scholars!
Higher Education Professional of the Year
The Higher Education Professional of the Year Award recognizes a Sloan Scholar alum who has made major contributions to their field and/or the areas of teaching, mentoring, or other forms of service in higher education.
Ryan Hernandez, PhD
Professor, Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco
PhD in Biometry, Cornell University
Dr. Ryan Hernandez is a Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His research focuses on population genetics and the use of evolutionary modeling to understand how evolutionary forces shape genetic and phenotypic variation across the continuum of human populations, with the long-term goal of advancing equitable precision medicine.
In parallel with his research program, Dr. Hernandez designs and leads training initiatives that expand access to scientific careers and develop the next generation of scientific leaders. He co-directs the PROPEL and PREP post-baccalaureate research training programs and the Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI) PhD program, and co-founded and co-leads ARCHES, a faculty development program supported by over $5 million in donor funding that provides structured mentorship, peer networks, and access to the knowledge and relationships that shape academic careers. Since its launch in 2020, PROPEL has placed more than 250 diverse scholars into UCSF laboratories, with 83 percent of applicants admitted to doctoral programs between 2023 and 2025. In 2026, he extended this model nationally, organizing the first National PROPEL Matchmaking Event across five institutions.
Dr. Hernandez has held leadership roles in the BMI PhD program for over a decade, first as Associate Director (2015), then Director (2016), and more recently as co-Director (2022). Under his leadership, PhD completion rates have risen to over 90 percent and the program has achieved greater gender balance among its student body. Dr. Hernandez is also a recipient of a 2013 Sloan Research Fellowship.
Roderick Lee, PhD
Associate Professor of Human-Centered Computing & Social Informatics and Information Systems, Pennsylvania State University
Ph.D. in Information Sciences and Technology, 2008, Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Roderick Lee is an Associate Professor of Information Systems in the School of Business at Penn State Harrisburg and in Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State University Park. He also holds an affiliate appointment in Higher Education in the College of Education. Roderick recently served as an Administrative Fellow to the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor.
His scholarship focuses on broadening participation in AI and computing education, designing inclusive and identity-affirming STEM learning environments, and advancing human-centered AI innovations across organizational and societal contexts. As Co-PI of an NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Demonstration Project, an Equity Pedagogy Scholar, and an Institutional Core Planning Team member for an HHMI Inclusive Excellence grant, he has been central to Penn State's efforts to embed equity pedagogy into STEM instruction at scale.
Roderick is a member of the inaugural cohort of NSF NAIRR AI Education Fellows and serves as Program Coordinator for Penn State Harrisburg's new B.S. in Artificial Intelligence Methods and Applications. He is also a Clinical and Translational Science Institute Fellow and an Association for Information Systems Distinguished Member.
He serves as inaugural Chair of The PhD Project Advisory Council (PAC-15) and as a member of The PhD Project Board of Directors, where he led the expansion of the organization's doctoral student association to include students in informatics, AI, cybersecurity, and human-centered computing, directly resulting in Penn State's College of IST becoming the first iSchool to formally partner with The PhD Project.
Roderick's contributions have been recognized with the Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP President's Award, the AIS SIG Social Inclusion Outstanding Service Award, and The PhD Project Circle of Compadres and Faculty Circle Award distinctions.
Professional of the Year
The Professional of the Year Award recognizes a Sloan Scholar alum who has made major contributions to their field through research, mentoring, public/community service, business, philanthropy, and/or other areas of achievement.
Victor Udoewa, PhD
Engagement Manager, Bloom Works
PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Rice University
Dr. Victor Udoewa is an Indigenous civic designer and systems practitioner dedicated to building just, equitable systems through community wisdom and radical participation. He is a practitioner of Radical Participatory Design (RPD), Relational Design, and Black Liberation Futures Design which are frameworks he has developed, published, and applied across government, technology, and community settings over more than fifteen years of public service.
Currently an Engagement Manager at Bloom Works and researcher at the International Computer Science Institute, Victor previously served as Chief Technical, Data, and Product Officer and Chief Experience Officer at NASA, where RPD-driven design increased minority- and women-owned small business participation by 50% and reduced program costs from $68 million to $10 million per successful transition. At the CDC, he introduced trauma-responsive participatory approaches to health data redesign and led equity-centered community engagement with BIPOC populations historically mistreated by public health institutions. As Director of Strategy at 18F, the federal government's civic digital consultancy, he helped millions access healthcare and improved services for immigrants, veterans, and underserved communities. Earlier, at Google, he designed digital literacy programs that reached over five million people across low-to-middle-income countries. His career began at USAID and DHS, where he focused on post-disaster reconstruction, climate neutrality, and global health.
Victor's scholarly contributions have appeared in peer-reviewed journals across four continents and earned a 2023 CXPA Impact Award, a 2024 OECD Recognition, and a 2025 International Good Design Gold Award. His current project, Constitutional Convention 2026, brings participatory design to reimagining the U.S. Constitution for its 250th anniversary.
Early Career Excellence Award
The Early Career Excellence Award recognizes outstanding Sloan Scholar alumni who have graduated with their PhD or Master's degree (as a Sloan Scholar) within the last 10 years. Awardees have demonstrated that they have made or are poised to make significant contributions to their field and/or the areas of teaching, mentoring, diversity, and public/community service.
Chibueze Amanchukwu, PhD
Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Chicago
PhD in Chemical Engineering, MIT
Dr. Chibueze Amanchukwu is a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, a Faculty Affiliate in the Data Science Institute, and a Joint Appointee at Argonne National Laboratory. His research pursues three interconnected goals: developing earth-abundant and intrinsically safe batteries for the electric grid, inventing new methods to convert waste streams—including CO₂ and PFAS—into valuable fuels and chemicals, and accelerating energy materials discovery through AI and machine learning.
Among his lab's most notable contributions is the invention of the "carbon and salt" battery, a transition-metal-free and solvent-free chemistry that is intrinsically safer, sustainable, and potentially eight times cheaper than conventional lithium-ion batteries. His team also pioneered a lithium metal approach capable of degrading more than 25 different PFAS compounds—work published in Nature Chemistry—and developed ElectrolyteGPT, a generative AI model that designs new electrolyte formulations across a wide range of battery chemistries.
Chibueze's commitment to training the next generation of diverse scientists is equally central to his work. In six years as a faculty member, he has mentored 17 PhD students, 7 postdocs, and more than 40 undergraduates, and founded the Research Experience for Nigerian Engineering Undergraduates (RENEU) program, which connects high-achieving Nigerian students with U.S.-based research mentors. His annual Battery Day at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry reaches roughly 500 community members each year.
His work has been recognized with the NSF CAREER Award, DOE Early Career Award, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Sloan Research Fellowship, and a 2025 Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE).
Excellence in Community Engagement Award
The Excellence in Community Engagement Award recognizes an outstanding Sloan Scholar alum who has shown excellence in community engagement and/or public service. Awardees have demonstrated how their work or service has positively affected or is poised to make positive change within their chosen community.
Darryl Boyd, PhD
Research Chemist, US Naval Research Laboratory
PhD in Organic Chemistry, Purdue University
Dr. Darryl Boyd is a Research Chemist in the Optical Sciences Division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C., where his research focuses on the development of sulfur-based optical polymers and chalcogenide materials for high-performance infrared and energy applications. He earned his PhD in inorganic chemistry from Purdue University, where he was a Sloan Scholar, and his BS in chemistry from the University of Michigan.
While Darryl's research credentials are substantial, including an Edison Patent Award and a C&EN Talented 12 recognition, he has also demonstrated a tireless commitment to scientific outreach and community engagement. Under the moniker "Dr. Boyd The Chemist," he created Science Made Simple LLC, a STEM outreach platform reaching millions through YouTube, Instagram, and live demonstrations. His videos walk viewers of all ages through accessible experiments at home, combining scientific concepts, safety guidance, and hands-on engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he hosted daily online STEM lessons to support students and parents navigating unexpected homeschooling.
Locally, Darryl serves as Science Instructor at Roots Public Charter School, an Afro-centric K-5 school in Washington, D.C., and as STEM Director at the Transformational Education Adventure Center. He is a longtime leader in both the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and the American Chemical Society, including a term as President of the Chemical Society of Washington.
His community engagement has been recognized with a 2025 NRL Leadership and Mentorship Award and the 2026 Krupsaw Award for Non-Traditional Teaching from the Washington Academy of Sciences.
Outstanding Mentor Award
The Outstanding Mentor award recognizes a Sloan Scholar alum with a record of outstanding undergraduate and/or graduate student mentoring. Awardees particularly demonstrate how their mentoring style and history have supported students from a variety of backgrounds.
Toby Nelson, PhD
Research Associate Professor of Circular Bioeconomy, Systems Convergent Research Initiative at the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute
PhD in Organic Chemistry, University of South Carolina
Dr. Toby L. Nelson is a Research Associate Professor of Circular Bioeconomy Systems at the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute and in the Department of Chemistry at UT-Knoxville. Previously, he served as Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of Student Engagement and STEM Initiatives at Oklahoma State University, where he built a research program and mentoring culture that continue to shape the field.
His research spans the design and synthesis of organic semiconductors, green chemistry, mechanochemistry, polymer transformations, and the development of bioinspired materials based on the natural pigment melanin. A central focus of his current work is developing solvent-free, high-speed ball milling approaches to enable sustainable synthesis, depolymerization, and upcycling of waste plastics, as well as the fabrication of high-performance polymer composites and ceramics—research with direct implications for energy efficiency and supply-chain resilience.
Toby's commitment to mentorship extends far beyond the lab. Over his career he has mentored more than 100 individuals spanning middle school students through assistant and associate professors, cultivating a culture of excellence, integrity, and service at every level. As Academy Director of the "It's a Polymer Life" Summer Academy, he introduced 72 high school students, primarily from rural and underrepresented backgrounds, to hands-on chemistry. He led the Spark Summer Camp, where 50 students synthesized artificial melanin, and has continued recent school outreach introducing 3D printing and materials science to elementary and middle schoolers in Knoxville. He has also served as Co-Chair of the National Mentoring Committee for NOBCChE, extending his mentorship infrastructure to the national level.
