Ritambhara Singh, Jeff Bailey, and David Rand were recently recognized for their outstanding teaching and mentoring. Singh received the 2024 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Bailey received the 2024 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate and/or Postdoctoral Teaching and Mentoring in the Biological Sciences, and Rand received the 2024 Elizabeth Leduc Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Life Sciences. The Deans' Awards recognize faculty members for their sustained and continued dedication to student development.
Ritambhara Singh is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science and is a member of the Center for Computational and Molecular Biology (CCMB). She teaches two courses at Brown, CSCI 1470/2470: Deep Learning and CSCI 2952-G: Deep Learning in Genomics. Singh began teaching Deeping Learning in Spring 2022, which has since grown from 251 to 398 students. Deep Learning in Genomics has grown from nine students in Fall 2019 to 72 students in Fall 2023.
“Ritambhara has continually received glowing reviews from students, who note in their course feedback that she is incredibly engaging, knowledgeable, thorough, approachable, caring, and patient,” said Daniel Weinriech, the director of CCMB, in his nomination. “Dr. Singh brings a contagious ambition to every lecture that inspires students to dive deeper,” said one student, while another referred to Singh as “one of the most outstanding educators I've experienced at Brown.”
In addition to teaching, Singh’s lab develops machine learning methods with the broad goal of data integration and model interpretation for biological and biomedical applications.
Jeff Bailey is the Mencoff Family Associate Professor of Translational Research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He is a core member of CCMB and the co-director of the Computational Biology graduate program. His research lab studies the role of genetic variation in immunity and disease from the perspective of both the host and pathogen. Bailey received letters of support for his nomination from every member of his lab.
“Jeff invests considerable time and effort in building meaningful relationships with students, using their input to improve the program’s support of their academic and professional development,” said Associate Professor Erica Larschan, co-director of the Computational Biology graduate program, in her nomination.
“Dr. Bailey's unwavering dedication to student success and his steadfast commitment to excellence make him an exceptional mentor and a truly deserving candidate for this award,” wrote Cecile Meier-Scherling, a Computational Biology Ph.D. student in Bailey’s lab.
David Rand is the Stephen T. Olney Professor of Natural History, Chair of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology and a core member of CCMB. Rand teaches classes in ecology and evolutionary biology and a variety of graduate seminars in computational biology. His research lab studies how natural selection acts on genes and genomes with the goal of identifying the genetic interactions that allow organisms to adapt to environmental heterogeneity.
The DSI and CCMB are incredibly proud of our faculty for their continued dedication to teaching and mentoring. We rely upon our wonderful faculty to train the next generation of data scientists to solve the challenges of a data-driven world. Congratulations to Ritambhara Singh and Jeff Bailey!
Singh, Bailey, and Rand will be honored at the University Awards Ceremony hosted by the Sheridan Center at 305 Pembroke Hall on Wednesday, May 1st at 5pm.
