Here are the compiled nominations for the 2023-2024 Favourite Faculty members:
Ahmed Almaskut (Mathematics and Statistics)
“Very engaging professor and believes in us”
“Student-caring, flexible, great educator & advisor, funny human”
“He encourages students by being engaging and solving all questions wholeheartedly. He makes 8:30am math classes actually a fun environment to learn in.” – Bhavishaa
“He provides a positive and encouraging learning environment. He does a great job in keeping the class engaged and he is an excellent teacher. I am not good at math but I have excelled in his class.”
Aaron Ettinger (Political Science)
“His lectures are always amazing. They’re informative, and engaging. He’s also really nice, and super helpful during office hours.”
“He’s funny, compassionate, engaging, and very relatable.” – Isabel
Abderahim Medjhoum (Department of French)
“Because he’s a goofball and he seems to genuinely enjoy teaching French and helping his students learn it well.”
Alexa Sharp (Computer Science)
“Her genuine enjoyment and excitement about the content, and the lengths she goes to in order to make everyone feel included and valued in her lectures is unlike anything I have ever seen from any other professor.” – Bernardus
Aliesha Hosein (English)
“I’ve enjoyed the glass greatly and interacting with her has been pleasant.”
Alisdair MacRae (School of Industrial Design)
“He is overall a very sincere human. You can tell while he teaches that he genuinely cares about his job and the students he interacts with. He’s got field experience and I always leaning on it to draw connections between what he’s teaching and how it is used in the real world. He really makes me excited to be learning industrial design.”
Allan Thompson (Journalism)
“Very passionate about what he teaches, and very kind and helpful.” – Ella
“He creates such a great environment, I feel like I could come with him for anything and he would try to solve it, he classes are so interesting and he’s just a great professor and person.” – Lauren
Alyshea Cummins (Religion)
“She works extremely hard to make sure religion and non-religion students in her course are fully engaged and look froward to class. The class website is super organized and easy to access, she provides lots of learning opportunities outside of class, and really wants to see her students succeed. She introduced religion as a field of study to me in such a profound way that I am now minoring in it! She also really values student independent learning, and a chunk of our class is always dedicated to group discussions and then class discussions so we can get more variety in our opinions about what we’re studying. I’ve had some really great profs at Carleton but by far she is the one who best understands the student experience.”
Amanda Connolly (Biology)
“She was always so nice, helpful and understanding. She made everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Very detailed and helpful feedback was given for all assignments, particularly the seminar. She really cared and put a lot of effort into helping us :)”
Andy Kusi-Appiah (Geography and Environmental Studies)
“He’s so cool.” – Marie
“He is very nice and good at explaining. he makes his classes very entertaining with anecdotes. i look forward to his class all week.”
Anna Kopec (School of Public Policy and Administration)
“Professor Kopec gives great lectures and keeps the students engaged! She has lots of insights and connections relating to our course material! Additionally, she is super understanding to her students when we have questions or issues relating to the coursework and course load. Going to her office hours is really helpful, too, she listens well and gives great advice; always putting her students’ needs first!”
“Dr. Kopec has been incredibly kind, welcoming and helpful for her students. She is always eager to talk and is there to help her students.”
Ayca Guler Edwards (Psychology)
“Very understanding and positive”
Azita Montazeri (Mathematics and Statistics)
“She makes the class engaging, very talented when it comes to mathematics. Willing to sit down with you and answer any questions you may have. Always looks and speaks professionally.” – Jack
Babak Esfandiari (Systems and Computer Engineering)
“I’m honored to have had the opportunity to meet Professor Esfandiari. His professionalism extends beyond his courses, as he provided valuable consultation on the program’s curriculum and generously gave me books to help fill my knowledge gaps in Java. Despite withdrawing from the software agent course with Professor Esfandiari, I am still actively participating in his class. His teaching style and other characteristics leave me feeling disappointed in myself for not reaching the level of excellence expected in his class.” – Ehsan
Brandon Fodden (Mathematics)
“He’s awesome. Great teacher.”
“He’s an incredible educator. Not only does he possess a phenomenal understanding of the concepts he teaches, but he is able to break them down in a clear, concise, and engaging manner, which makes him one of the most beloved profs in the Math department. As well, Brandon does his all to help out each student with any complication, misunderstanding, or difficulty in relation to his class (and, from what I’ve seen, often more!). His patience, authenticity, and approachability gives him a unique, powerful presence as a teacher: powerful, founded on his friendliness, commitment to the mission of education, and genuine appreciation from his students. As it says on the unreachable blackboard in class, we love Dr. Brandon Fodden!” – Daniel
Candace Sobers (Global and International Studies)
“Interesting lectures; supportive; wants students to succeed; passionate about her work.”
“Dr Sobers is not only skilled at teaching the subject matter in a way that is easy to learn, she is also clearly very passionate about what she is teaching such that it keeps the class engaged and as eager to learn as she is to share her knowledge. She also makes little jokes that makes the classroom feel like a comfortable space to ask questions and contribute to the discussion without fear of judgement.” – Sarah
Cassandra Morrison (Psychology)
“One of the few professors who has actively supported not just me, but the class to succeed at their fullest potential. When asked a question, she will thoroughly explain every detail in order to achieve full understanding. If there is a question she might not know the answer to, she will actively seek answers and relay them as soon as possible. Her classes are very engaging and enjoyable. Professor Morrison is a kind and smart person and I recommend everyone to take a class of hers.” – Tessannia
Christopher McGrath (Philosophy)
“Though I have not spoken often of or with Prof. McGrath, he has proven himself to be an excellent educator in the way he presents and explains his course material, always making sure that the main ideas being shown are done so effectively and with reason. Also, despite having a large class, Prof. McGrath makes it very clear that he is open for his office hours and that he wants each student to understand and be interested in what he is teaching.”
“Professor Christ is a great teacher, he is conscientious and patient, with humble and kind attitude both to students and in studies.” – Xinyu
Christopher Motz (Psychology)
“I love his teaching style and ability to make lecture interesting and interactive.”
“Amazing and engaging professor!”
Cole Van De Ven (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
“He is very organized, well spoken, clearly explains difficult theories, always answers his email regarding any academic concerns, and overall gives a tremendous effort to educate his students. He is not here to just do a job, he really cares if the students are learning. Although this semester his course was the hardest one, his ingenious teaching skills have made this the easiest one to follow.”
Colin Fletcher (Law and Legal Studies)
“Very honest and understanding. Classes are always so interesting but also available outside of the classroom as well. Amazing prof!” – Eda
Daniel Gulanowski (International Business)
“I had them last year, their classes were entertaining, he was funny, and he incorporated real world advice.”
“Have a great attitude and passion for the class material.”
David Brock (Chemistry)
“Very helpful and love that he posts the lectures!”
David McKenney (Computer Science)
“Very honest and understanding. Classes are always so interesting but also available outside of the classroom as well. Amazing prof!” – Eda
David Morton (American Sign Language)
“So nice, cares about his students, he’s just so kind I can’t stress that enough!!” – Emma
Denise DeShaw (School of Linguistics and Language Studies)
“I was so nervous to have ASL classes in-person for the first time after 3 years of online ASL classes but Denise has made this past semester so much better than I could have imagined. She is a great professor and very engaging; her personality really brightens the class up. Not only has she taught me a lot, but she has reignited my passion for ASL which felt like it was burning out after so long of learning it from a screen.”
Ekaterina Vetrov (English)
“Her class is so practical/hands-on and interactive! And because we got the opportunity to teach Theatre ourselves in her company. She has a great expertise and gives useful feedback.”
Emilie Urbain (Department of French)
“She’s so nice and genuine and really good at teaching. You can tell She’s passionate about the material and cares about her students.”
Erik Stephenson (Humanities)
“Professor Stephenson is a really wonderful professor all around. He’s a tremendously engaging lecturer (I especially loved his lectures about Greek history) and he has a great sense of humour. Additionally, he gives great and very detailed feedback on papers; I think I’ve become a better writer and thinker this term thanks in large part to him. To conclude very briefly: he’s the best!”
Esther Post (English)
“She’s very nice and takes her students well being very seriously.” – Summer
Gang Li (Mathematics)
“Very good lessons, evaluations that are consistent with the assigned work.” – Alexander
Geoff Pignotta (Department of Earth Sciences)
“A prof that makes the class fun.”
Geronimo Matteo-Parodi (Chemistry)
“Always keeps lectures fun and engaging with lots of energy and personality.”
Jack Vandenberg (Engineering)
“Professor Vandenberg provides a real world perspective on material in class, he allows students to engage in meaningful conversation with him as well as always willing to provided support to properly understand class concepts.” – Kyle
James Vellan (Psychology)
“Prof Vellan is super nice and you can tell he is very engaged in the material he teaches. He is also great at answering questions and teaching content in a concise manner.” – Daisy
Janne Cleveland (English Language and Literature)
“Professor Cleveland had the best energy always making class exciting, was also accommodating and clearly cared about students and how they did in class. I looked forward to every class and found discussions extremely enjoyable.”
Jean-Michel Marcoux (Law and Legal Studies)
“He has particularly stood out among my other professors since the beginning of the academic year (in a positive way). Despite classes in the morning he’s always so smiled and full of the energy and patience for students. Moreover, his help is more than helpful with understanding difficult material in the class.”
Jeff Dawson (Biology)
“Seems very genuine and caring, always very nice.”
“Made the transition from high school seem less scary and always makes me laugh.”
Jessica Marino (Latin American and Caribbean Studies)
“Prof. Marino is extremely patient and welcoming with student questions. She takes care to make sure everyone understands the material and carefully explains or re-explains important points no matter how long it takes the class to understand.”
Johan Voordouw (Architecture)
“So far, I believe Johan has done a great job truly listening and understanding his students and genuinely wanting the best for them as we navigate a brand new setting and workload. In my opinion, Johan stands out as a professor who enjoys his lectures and is knowledgeable in the topics discussed. His patience and engagement with the class also stands out to me. I do not know him personally, but I am always appreciative of someone who is great at their job.” – Danielle
Jorg-Rudiger Sack (Computer Science)
“He is very knowledgeable person in his field and wants what is best for his students.” – Burak
John Weekes (Psychology)
“They are my favourite faculty member because they make psychology fun and light-hearted”
“He makes class so fun to attend and actually keeps students engaged. His midterms are reasonable and he makes an effort to remember people’s names despite class size.” – Munachi
Karen Hebert (Geography and Environmental Studies)
“Karen is my favourite faculty member because she is very easy to talk to and wants to get involved and to know her students. I have no problem asking her questions in class or discussing anything about class.”
Kasia Mulder (Cognitive Science)
“She makes class extremely enjoyable and still educational. She is more than happy to answer any questions and is extremely encouraging at all times.” – Morgan
“Their bright energy and genuine passion for her craft and field can serve as an inspiration to all students.” – Michael
Kim Hellemans (Neuroscience)
“They are excellent in the delivery of their material and care for students mental well-being.”
“She truly shows that she cares for her students, and takes time to talk as a person, not just as a professor.” – Nick
“She is very kind and personable, and clearly cares about her students’ wellbeing. Additionally, her area of research is extremely interesting and relevant.”
”Dr. Kim Hellemans in my favourite faculty member for a few reasons. Dr. Hellemans is always so excited and positive in class with her students and no matter what she has on following class she ALWAYS makes time for us to ask questions without hesitation. She shows her students that she genuinely cares about them and how they are. In her office hours she creates a safe space for students to not only ask “dumb questions” but for them to share and be vulnerable as well. She has been such an inspiration to me as a female student looking to pursue higher education and she is someone that I can only aspire to be like one day. Thank you Dr. Hellemans for everything you do for your students. It is more impactful that you will ever know.”
Laura Banducci (Greek and Roman Studies)
“Banducci has consistently proven that she wants the best for all her students. She has provided me and so many other students with experiences that last a lifetime. She is so kind and helpful and my education has been richer because of her.”
Laura Gagne (Greek and Roman Studies)
“Great at teaching” – Leni
Laura Pickell (Health Sciences)
“Student-caring, flexible, great educator, very engaging.” -Mahd
Lisa Menard (Psychology)
“Lisa is a personable professor who cares about her students success. She answers emails fast and doesn’t hesitate to give clarification when asked. She’s an effective communicator who makes sure her students are grasping new information and succeeding in her course.”
“She is an incredibly supportive faculty member involving matters in or outside of class. She is an engaging and understanding professor who has done a wonderful job in helping with the transition to university for the first year students in her class.”
Luke Russell (Systems and Computer Engineering)
“Professor Russell’s teaching approach is highly interactive, even in our sizable class. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially appreciating the freedom granted during the course, which made challenging research topics more manageable. The class has left lasting impressions on me. I will keep some of those memories for sure.” – Ehsan
Majid Komeili (Computer Science)
“Supportive in academic aspect and a great advisor.” – Adnan
Mathieu Lemire (Mathematics)
“He makes 8:30 Calc bearable with all his jokes.”
Matthew Scribner (English)
“Prof. Scribner is my favourite faculty member because he truly sets students up for success. He will review my essays and give me feedback if brought to him in advance. I find this very helpful because I am always looking for ways to improve my work and he gives me and others that opportunity.” – Ella
Matthew Sorley (Psychology)
“Professor Sorley is an amazing prof. He is so engaging in his lectures and is always available after class to ask for help or even just to chat. He truly cares about his students and you can tell he is extremely passionate in what he does. AMAZING PROF!”
“He keeps the class entertaining and has a very kind energy. He wants you to succeed and offers as much help as he can (posts extras online, always answering questions, keeps explanations brief but very knowledgeable, does fun demonstrations and examples). He knows how to make an 8:35AM class on a Monday fun and has a great sense of humour.”
“He is supportive, makes his classes engaging and highly informative, is very caring about all of his students, exceptional teaching skills.” – Kristina
Megan Rivers-Moore (Feminist Institute of Social Transformation)
“She is so sweet and understanding. She has made attending my 8:30 class so enjoyable and worthwhile. She provided us with many different approaches to learn, and keeps the class engaging even when the content is so heavy.” – Ryha
Mehdi Eshaghi (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
“They teach really well and his classes are super engaging.”
Mehdi Niknam (School of IT)
“I actually enjoy programming now because of him! He truly helps you understand your work and cares about your success. I also love that he always has a friendly wave when I run into him outside of class!” – Velji
Michael Christensen (Law and Legal Studies)
“Great lectures, helpful PPTs, just an understanding and approachable professor :)”
Mike Runtz (Biology)
“I am possibly the last person who would want to take a biology class. When I had to choose an elective, I tried my absolute hardest to not take Natural History, but I’m glad I did. Going into the class I could not have lower expectations, but Mike Runtz’s class made me fall in love with natural history. His class is full of passion and humour that changed my opinion on biology as a whole. Not only do I watch his lectures with enthusiasm, but his charm has even infected my roommate who isn’t even taking the class to the point where she watches the lectures with me. Mike Runtz is such an amazing professor and I know his in person classes would be even better with more hands on experience. He deserves the favourite faculty more than anyone and I hope he receives the recognition he deserves.” – Elizabeth
“Professor Runtz is extremely enthusiastic and cares deeply about the course he teaches. He’s a wonderful professor and very funny!”
Mustafa Bahran (Physics)
“He’s just so entertaining and actually makes Physics fun (unlike a lot of other Physics professors/teachers out there)”
Neil Mispelaar (Information Technology)
“Possibly the best teacher I’ve ever had. Incredibly engaging and helpful lectures and you can really tell how much he cares about his classes. Very easy to reach even at strange hours and always looking to help students. Anyone interested in web development should absolutely take his class. He just now spent 10 minutes of break time explaining a very simple error in my code to me haha. Great guy overall wish I could have him for next term!” – Iona
“He takes lots of his times to help students out. He reaches out to the students who are struggling. You can see that he loves students and class he is teaching.”
Paul Bourgeois (American Sign Language)
“They have a very welcoming demeanour that makes me excited for each class. You can tell he wants his class to succeed.”
“He provides a safe learning environment with students, where they feel like they can shamelessly make mistakes while learning. In addition, he is positive, encouraging, inspiring, supportive, and caring toward his students.” – Rebecca
Peter Coffman (History and Theory of Architecture)
“He is just great and his teaching methods are amazing. Although the class was online, I felt like I was learning so much and it was my favourite class from first year.” – Ellen
Rami Sabouni (Department of Systems and Computer Engineering)
“Very kind, gives python pins for participation, made me get an A in a class I failed previously.”
Robert Collier (Computer Science)
“He’s made learning python insanely fun and interesting! With that, his classes are very entertaining and he’s made my first semester at Carleton very memorable. Hope to see him in future classes!”
“Explains concepts in a way that one who has no prior experience could also grasp or get an idea which is very helpful.”
“Professor teaches the course in a very passionate manner, peaking my interest towards Computer science and motivates further commitment towards the course.” – Dylan Zhi Wei
Robert Smart (Sprott School of Business)
“He is very friendly and a very good communicator.”
Ross Chiasson (English)
“Professor Chiasson makes all the course content incredibly easy and enjoyable to understand. He is also very approachable and always answers any course-related questions thoroughly and with patience.”
Salma El Refaei (Political Science)
“Salma goes above and beyond to ensure her students understand the course material and the assignments. She is incredibly supportive and understanding to students’ circumstances and was an invaluable resource when I was planning an assignment. We need more professors like her!”
Sandra Anacleto (Portuguese)
“Kindness.”
Sandra Robinson (Communication and Media Studies)
“Dr. Sandra Robinson has shown how much she cares about her students, she is very personable and accommodating.” – Carlin
Sebastien Malette (Law and Legal Studies)
“They bring a fun aspect to learning, even when the material is not so interesting, it’s easy to listen to because of the way it’s delivered.” – Julia
Shoeleh Shams (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
“She genuinely cares about her students wellbeing and asks them in class how they are doing to make sure we are doing ok. If you go to her office hours she is very nice and sometimes has treats. She also makes an effort to memorize all her students names!”
Song Cai (Mathematics and Statistics)
“Explains everything in an easy for students to understand.”
Steve Tasson (Law and Legal Studies)
“Professor Tasson always takes time to make sure all my questions are answers, helps me extensively in office hours feel more comfortable with the material and is an all around engaging and fantastic teacher!!” – Olajiire
“He is incredibly passionate about the field he teaches and that is clear to his students. He cares a lot about his students and is a very understanding professor. He is always looking out for his students to ensure they are successful in both the class and in the future. He is very kind and gives great feedback on assignments.”
Tashfeen Karamat (Department of Electronics)
“Always super happy, great teacher, I sat front row and he always has amazing fashion. Also, his photography is incredible, and he made his class super enjoyable!” – Dylan
“Great energy, great explanations, as well as an incredible experience in class.” – Eli
Thomas Russell (Economics)
“He is kind and understands the needs of students.” -Kofi
Trish Audette-Longo (School of Journalism and Communication)
“Trish’s class has inspired me in so many ways. She does a wonderful job of introducing new journalism students to the rules of journalistic writing in a fun and engaging way. I look forward to coming to her class every Wednesday because of her kind attitude and creative lesson plans. She encourages students to speak their opinion and welcomes curiosity which I find especially important in a first year course. Overall she has inspired me to find my voice through my own writing and critically analyze the journalism we are presented with day-to-day.” – Madeleine
Troy Joseph (Economics)
“I really like the way his online classes are structured. Even though the class is online he explains the lectures well and in detail which makes it easy to understand.”
Vincent Andrisani (Communication and Media Studies)
“Prof. Andrisani is an amazing teacher. He also keeps the class interesting, active, and enjoyable. I never look at the time when I’m in the lecture and it is really rewarding when I can enjoy the class work too.”
“He is funny and makes the lectures engaging.”
Vincent Kazmierski (Law and Legal Studies)
“He makes hard to understand concepts easier to grasp as well as interacting with the class. He has a great sense of humour and wants you to succeed and is always there to help you when you need it. He is a very nice man that is very engaged in what he teaches.”
William Legault-Lacasse (Law and Legal Studies)
“This professor does a wonderful job with explaining concept which makes his class very easy to understand and succeed in. He also didn’t assign a text book, but assigned reading to assist with comprehension of needed which made the class more accessible for students who cannot afford textbooks!”
Xinhou Hua (Mathematics)
“Always smiling, easy to understand lectures.”
Yvan Labiche (Systems and Computer Engineering)
“Professor Labiche has become my favorite professor. He patiently covers all the material in the course and provides support during my project by giving all the necessary details. I appreciate his teaching style, which gives me the confidence to say that even in my first experience of studying abroad, I can grasp new, technical, and complicated material. I am fortunate to have such a professor.” – Ehsan
Zeba Crook (Religion)
“He has been such a great professor. Always interactive. Great personality.”