Computer science graduate student recognized with UB Excellence in Teaching Award

By Nicole Capozziello

Published September 15, 2021

Deen Dayal Mohan, a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), received the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Assistants from the University at Buffalo Graduate School.

Print
“I am so happy to hear about Deen receiving this prestigious award. It recognizes his work ethic, dedication and passion for teaching and learning, which has had a positive impact on many CSE students.”
Jinhui Xu, professor and chair
Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Computer science PhD student and teaching assistant Deen Dayal was recognized for excellence in teaching.

The award recognizes graduate teaching assistants throughout the university for their commitment to student learning and exceptional ability as teachers.

“Congratulations to Deen on this well-deserved award,” says Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). “His outstanding service as a teaching assistant in CSE has impacted so many of our students and I am grateful for his contributions to excellence in CSE and SEAS.”

A fourth year PhD candidate, Mohan has been a dedicated teaching assistant for a variety of courses in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering since 2017. He was the instructor for CSE 487/587 Data-Intensive Computing Spring 2020 and is currently the co-instructor for CSE 673 Computational Vision. In 2020, Mohan was recognized for his impact as an educator with a PhD teaching award from CSE.

“Growing up as the son of a mathematics teacher, my dad instilled in me the value of using teaching as a tool in helping students reach their potential,” says Mohan. “Even today when I am pursuing my PhD, his beliefs resonate with me and motivate me to look for opportunities to teach or assist in teaching an enthusiastic younger generation.”

“I am so happy to hear about Deen receiving this prestigious award,” says Jinhui Xu, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. “It recognizes his work ethic, dedication and passion for teaching and learning, which has had a positive impact on many CSE students.”

Mohan’s research focuses on various applications of computer vision and deep learning techniques to the biometric domain. He works in the Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors (CUBS) with SUNY Distinguished Professor Venu Govindaraju, who is the director of CUBS and vice president of UB’s Office of Research and Economic Development.

Mohan received his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Federal Institute of Science and Technology, Mahatma Gandhi University in India in 2014. He came to UB in 2016 to pursue his graduate studies in computer science.