Four CNS Faculty Win UT Teaching Awards

Layla Guyot, Gwen Stovall, Elizabeth Ilardi and Devangi Parikh – all faculty in The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences – have been singled out by the University for their outstanding contributions in the classroom.

Layla Guyot, assistant professor of instruction in statistics and data sciences, was selected for the 2026 Jean Holloway Award for Excellence in Teaching. After receiving her Ph.D. in mathematics education from Texas State University, Guyot came to UT in 2020. Her research focuses on designing courses and designing curriculum materials to ease students’ transition to the workplace. 

The Jean Holloway Award honors one faculty member annually from either the College of Liberal Arts or College of Natural Sciences, who was nominated and selected for the award solely by students. Winners demonstrate a warm spirit, a concern for society and the individual, and the ability to impart knowledge while challenging students to independent inquiry and creative thought. Guyot’s student nominators praised her highly interactive classes, where participants build understanding about core concepts and practice working both independently and collaboratively. Through partnerships with the City of Austin, they also get to analyze real-world data, tackle pressing community issues and even present their findings directly to city leaders, making a direct difference in their community.

Gwen Stovall, an associate professor of practice in molecular biosciences and the 2023 winner of the Jean Holloway Award, received the L.H. Cullum Endowment Award, which celebrates professional-track faculty who have made significant contributions in research, scholarship, creative endeavors, clinical training or curriculum redesign. Stovall serves as a research educator for the Freshman Research Initiative’s Aptamer Stream, which identifies “molecular stickers” that may be used in therapeutics, diagnostics and molecular sensors. She is also director of UT’s High School Research Initiative, which trains teachers in rural Texas high schools to lead research experiences for students.

Elizabeth Ilardi, associate director of the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), was selected for the 2026-2027 Dads’ Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship due to her exceptional contributions to instruction for first-year students, innovative teaching methods and impactful student engagement. Ilardi is also an associate professor of practice and research educator for the FRI’s Bioactive Molecules stream. In her course and lab, Ilardi teaches students to use organic chemistry research techniques to synthesize molecular probes, or ligands, to investigate disease mechanisms.

Devangi Parikh, an associate professor of instruction in the Department of Computer Science, is the first winner from the college of the George W. Jalonick III and Dorothy Cockrell Jalonick Centennial Lectureship. A new award launched last year, it recognizes excellence in classroom teaching by someone who works full-time teaching courses with large numbers of students enrolled. Leaders in a department, school or college nominate candidates based on their highly effective and innovative approaches in the classroom.

“Outstanding learning experiences for students are at the heart of our teaching mission at The University of Texas at Austin,” said Jen Moon, UT’s vice provost for professional-track faculty and a professor of instruction in the Department of Molecular Biosciences. “The recipients of these four awards reflect the extensive impact that our professional-track faculty have in deepening students’ understanding through innovative, effective teaching.”

All four faculty members are professional-track faculty, whose primary job responsibilities involve teaching. The FRI, where Stovall and Ilardi teach, is celebrating 20 years of serving students at UT this year. Both the Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, where Guyot is appointed, and the Department of Computer Science, where Parikh is appointed, are making transitions this fall to become part of a new School of Computing that aims in part to increase opportunities for learners.