The Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement presented the 2026 Graduate Excellence and Impact Awards at the annual awards celebration on May 13 in G10 Biotech.
This annual event recognizes the excellence represented within the graduate community and celebrates students and organizations for the significant impacts they have made to advance access, engagement, and belonging through their service and leadership.
“The Graduate Excellence and Impact Awards Celebration is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and showcase the great work taking place at Cornell and in the surrounding area,” said Sara Xayarath Hernández, associate dean for inclusion and student and faculty engagement. “We are so proud of our graduate community for the ways they go above and beyond both on and off campus.”
Faculty and staff were also recognized with awards for their unwavering commitment to mentoring graduate students and supporting their sense of belonging, overall well-being, and achievement.
2026 Award Winners from the College of Arts and Sciences are:
- Exemplary Leadership and Service Award for Early Career Graduate Students: Anne-Solène Bayan, history of art
- Exemplary Leadership and Service Award for Advanced Career Graduate Students: Lizemarie Cirone, neurobiology and behavior doctoral candidate; and Sujata Nandi, chemistry and chemical biology doctoral candidate
- Faculty Champion Award for Early Career Faculty: Carmel Raz, assistant professor in the department of music
Read the full story on the Cornell University Graduate School website.
