Jakub Szefer Wins 2021 Ackerman Award

Cited for his tireless dedication to his students, Jakub Szefer, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is the winner of this year's Ackerman Award.

His focus on students is one of the many reasons Szefer has been selected to receive the 2021 Ackerman Award for Teaching and Mentoring. Made possible by a generous gift from SEAS alum Robert W. Ackerman '60, this annual award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize, recognizes outstanding teaching and mentoring as evidenced by the faculty member's impact on students. As one of his students put it: "Professor Szefer encouraged and supported students to go beyond the bare-minimum of assignments and to push the envelope towards the research of new ideas."

Szefer, who has been teaching at Yale since 2013, is the recipient of the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Award and is the recent author of the book, "Principles of Secure Processor Architecture Design." The numerous letters of nomination submitted for Szefer described him as a teacher with a talent of encouraging students. Here are some samples from his nominations from undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows:

"In terms of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness, as a female in engineering, I definitely agree that Professor Szefer treats me equally as others and makes me feel included."

"In his higher division courses, Professor Szefer encouraged and supported students to go beyond the bare-minimum of assignments and to push the envelope towards the research of new ideas."

"(Szefer's) primary goal is for his students to learn. Deadlines on project progress are flexible, not because they are not important, but because he wants his students to see learning as the primary goal of their research. This approach to both research and coursework makes learning more of an adventure and less of a chore."

"(Szefer) could read students, even the most reserved, exceptionally well - he could identify confusion and sources of misunderstanding."

"As an undergraduate I can confidently say that he has been the most involved and supportive educator in all the courses I have taken to this point."

"At a time when I was least secure in my abilities, he put in the effort to make me feel like I belonged in engineering and research."

"He created a welcoming, stimulating atmosphere and encouraged students to ask questions that would otherwise be drowned out in a large lecture."