On Oct. 19, the University of Houston held its 2026 Faculty Excellence Awards poolside at Wortham House, honoring professors for research, teaching and service. The ceremony introduced a new honor, the Cougar Spirit Award, and recognized top researchers, innovators and mentors across the university.
A New Award Honors Student Engagement
The inaugural Cougar Spirit Award, created in memory of longtime professor Simon Bott, went to Michael Cottingham, a professor of health and human performance recognized for exceptional student engagement and leadership. Cottingham, known for his work advancing adaptive sports and inclusive athletics, previously received the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Community Leadership Award. "Having the opportunity to work with our students is the thing that gets me out of bed every day," he said at the event.
Top Honor Goes to an Engineering Pioneer
Venkat Selvamanickam, M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, received the university's highest faculty distinction, the Esther Farfel Award, along with the Excellence in Innovation Award. A UH alumnus with a master's and doctorate earned at the university, Selvamanickam was elected to the National Academy of Engineering earlier in 2026. His research on high-temperature superconductors, reflected in more than 330 published articles and 70 U.S. patents, has contributed to advances in grid modernization and energy resilience.
Recognition Extends to Rising Faculty
Marzia Cescon, David C. Zimmerman Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, received the Rising Innovator Award, her first Faculty Excellence Award. She credited the recognition to collaboration with students and colleagues, saying such awards "strengthen our sense of community and encourage us to keep pursuing ideas that benefit our students, the university and society." The ceremony also named new Moores Professors and presented awards for research, teaching, graduate mentorship and population health scholarship across departments including biology, mathematics, computer science and Hispanic studies.
What the Awards Recognize
The Faculty Excellence Awards are presented annually and include monetary prizes, covering categories from research excellence at the assistant, associate and full professor levels to teaching innovation and graduate student mentorship. The breadth of this year's honorees, spanning engineering, humanities, sciences and health fields, reflects the university's effort to recognize contributions across disciplines rather than a single area of achievement.