Dean's Teaching Award – Faculty (TFA) Recipients

2025 recipients

Idil Abdillahi

Faculty of Community Services

Dr. Idil Abdillahi, cross-appointed to Disability Studies and Social Work, is a particularly deserving candidate for this year's teaching award. 2024/2025 has not been an ordinary year with students and faculty facing challenges related to the conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere, a severe housing crisis impacting students, and chaos and disruption experienced by international students. Dr. Abdillahi, known for her unapologetic activism and her profound and deeply critical pedagogical approach, stepped into this web of inadequacies with a level of commitment to all students that must be recognized for its depth and excellence.

Dzung Ha

Faculty of Science

Dr. Dzung Ha exemplifies the qualities of an exceptional educator at Toronto Metropolitan University's Faculty of Science. Renowned for his comprehensive approaches to teaching, Dr. Ha integrates evidence-based strategies and core curricular design, inspiring and deeply motivating engaging students. He combines rigorous instruction with inclusive practices that emphasize learning, fostering an environment where all students thrive. Dr. Ha's dedication extends beyond the classroom, evident in his mentorship, coaching, commitment to professional development, and contributions to the TMU students and community. His sustained excellence and transformative influence make him a distinguished role model and highly deserving of the Dean's Teaching Award.

Alexandra Mogyoros

Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Prof. Mogyoros is a creative, highly effective and endlessly compassionate teacher. Her innovative assignments encourage reflexivity, both as a learning aid and as an analytical tool, and create an inclusive environment by accommodating diverse student learning preferences.  Going beyond the core curriculum, she teaches real-world skills that prepare her students for their careers. Outside of class, she dedicates hundreds of hours to supporting students through LASL's Mooting program. She inspires her students to engage in their own learning and to feel empowered and passionate about this engagement. She inspires her colleagues to follow her example. She richly deserves this award.

Shari Okeke

The Creative School

Shari has demonstrated a range of teaching excellence just two years out from industry, from second year mandatory courses to upper year and graduate electives where student work has won external acclaim, and now into the important first-year gateway course. Her students comment on exceptional professionalism and she continues to enrich her skills by taking courses through the CELT. There is no doubt Shari's solid foundation will continue to build. We invite you to also applaud these efforts and recognize them as evidence of determination to provide an extraordinary learning experience that continues to evolve by the day.

Victor Perez-Amado

Faculty of Community Services

Victor Perez-Amado is an Assistant Professor at the TMU School of Urban and Regional Planning, specializing in aging-in-place studies, multigenerational housing-including 2SLGBTQI+ communities-and the equitable activation of public spaces. His commitment to teaching is recognized by 2SLGBTQI+ community partners, as well as by students and colleagues. As a leader in the Anti-Systemic Racism Working Group, he drives meaningful change within the school. His mentorship has led to students winning prestigious international and national urban planning competitions. Dedicated to education, he strives to train future urban planners to develop equitable, multigenerational spaces for underserved communities, including 2SLGBTQI+ older adults.

Terri Peters

Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

Terri is a teaching leader and an award-winning professor. In 2023, she was awarded the TMU Assistant Vice President (AVP) International's Global Learning Award, recognizing the impact of Terri's Climate Curriculum research project. Terri led a number of funded pedagogical research projects, including TMU Learning and Teaching and Internationalization grants and the Dean's Pedagogical Fund. Terri has also been appointed as a Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Fellow, 2024-2026. Terri focuses her teaching approach on experiential learning, connecting to real-world issues to provide impactful learning for students. Please join me in congratulating Terri on her teaching excellence.

Farrokh Sharifi

Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

Dr. Sharifi's educational goal is to have a profoundly positive impact on the students' future engineering practice with the focus on multidisciplinary area of mechatronics. In particular, he seeks methods for further engagement of the students in independent learning and knowledge access.  Dr. Sharifi has an extensive record of teaching in different universities including KAIST (Korea) and Technical University of Munich (Germany).  He has contributed significantly to the development of FEAS Graduate Studies curricula and played a leading role in Mechatronics BEng curriculum design and implementation within the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Mechatronics Engineering.

Sui Sui

Ted Rogers School of Management

Dr. Sui Sui is an innovative educator recognized for integrating Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and Indigenous perspectives into the Global Management Studies (GMS) curriculum at the Ted Rogers School of Management. She has led experiential learning initiatives that foster global collaboration and inclusivity for GMS-majored students with limited financial resources or disabilities preventing foreign study exchanges. Her dedication to incorporating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) has transformed student engagement, equipping them with the skills for ethical leadership and sustainable business practices in an interconnected world.

Charlie Wall-Andrews

The Creative School

Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews is celebrated for her exceptional teaching excellence, bringing a dynamic and inclusive approach to education in the creative industries. As a faculty member at Toronto Metropolitan University, she employs case-based and experiential learning methods that resonate deeply with students. Dr. Wall-Andrews is acknowledged for her dedication to nurturing future leaders, providing hands-on mentorship, and integrating real-world industry insights. Her commitment to fostering equity and entrepreneurship within the music industry enriches the learning experience, equipping students with practical skills and a forward-thinking mindset. Her teaching impact is transformative, empowering students to succeed in diverse, creative careers.

Hossein Zolfagharinia

Ted Rogers School of Management

Dr. Zolfagharinia exemplifies teaching excellence through creative teaching, innovative curriculum design, and a strong commitment to mentorship, inclusion, equity, and diversity. His active role in developing the PhD program and curriculum underscores his dedication to advancing education at TRSM. Beyond the classroom, he fosters students' professional growth through research supervision, guest lectures, and coaching in case competitions. His consistent support-providing detailed feedback, writing references, and maintaining connections-demonstrates his commitment to both academic and personal development. Colleagues and students regularly praise his teaching effectiveness, highlighting his exceptional ability to engage and inspire in both large and small class settings.

Past recipients