Brian Kiedrowski honored with Michigan Engineering Education Excellence Award
The John F. Ullrich Education Excellence Award recognizes sustained excellence in curricular development, instruction, and guidance.
Professor Brian Kiedrowski has been honored by Michigan Engineering with the 2023–2024 John F. Ullrich Education Excellence Award which recognizes sustained excellence in curricular development, instruction, and guidance at all levels impacting the experience of undergraduate and graduate students.
“I am deeply honored to receive recognition from Michigan Engineering, my colleagues, and our students,” said Kiedrowski. “Our nuclear engineering program consistently attracts some of the best and most dedicated students, and it is very rewarding to have the opportunity to teach and mentor them.”
“Since I arrived at Michigan in 2019, I continually hear rave reviews from our students about Brian’s teaching,” said NERS Chair Todd Allen. “I am glad Michigan Engineering has recognized him among the Leaders and Best!”
“Professor Kiedrowski has demonstrated sustained excellence in curricular development, classroom instruction, graduate student supervision, and dedication towards students at both the undergrad and graduate levels, and is an exceptionally deserving candidate for this award,” said NERS Professor Xiaodong Sun.
Kiedrowski has made impactful contributions to our department across various domains. In terms of Curricular Development, he enhanced the rigor and continuity of the Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering course (NERS 250) and completely reimagined the Applied Mathematics for Engineering Physics course (NERS 320), providing a comprehensive textbook. Currently, he is actively updating and modernizing Nuclear Reactor Theory I (NERS 441). His instructional expertise is evident through challenging yet well-received courses, as reflected in multiple NERS Teaching Awards and positive teaching evaluations.
Kiedrowski has supervised numerous graduate students, playing a leading role in developing successful doctoral research projects. His collaborative team model in research, particularly using the software framework Hammer, has created a supportive environment for students and garnered national recognition for their work. Above all, his unparalleled dedication to students, both in his classes and as a mentor, is evident in the letters of support and the numerous achievements of his students, showcasing the lasting impact he has had on NERS.
“Professor Kiedrowski consistently goes above and beyond to support his students,” said NERS undergraduate student Julia Marshall. “He is readily available outside of class hours, providing clarification on course material and answering additional questions with quick and thoughtful responses. His dedication to student success is evident in the comprehensive course materials he provides, including written notes, lecture recordings, and textbooks written specifically for each course which are regularly updated. These textbooks have been invaluable in my academic journey and I continue to refer back to them in other courses and research activities.”
“Kiedrowski has continually offered me guidance on my academic and career path to help me make decisions that ensure I have every opportunity to gain experience and connections,” said NERS graduate student Lincoln Johnson. “He is always willing to make time to talk and makes frequent visits to the students in the office to proactively offer help. He assists students with homework both from his classes and other professors’ classes. He remains incredibly approachable to ensure students are comfortable with getting help from him.”
Kiedrowski holds a PhD in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics (’09), an MS in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics (’07), and a BS in Nuclear Engineering (’05), all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With expertise in general-purpose Monte Carlo and deterministic particle transport methods, Brian’s research encompasses various facets, including nuclear criticality, critical experiment design, sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, adjoint and hybrid methods, time-dependent transport, and kinetics. Kiedrowski joined NERS as an assistant professor in 2014 and was promoted to associate professor in 2020. Before that, he was a scientist in the X-Computational Physics Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 2010 to 2014.