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SoAS Students Set New Benchmarks for Excellence

At the Annual School of Arts and Sciences (SoAS) Awards Ceremony on May 16, 2025, at the Irwin Hall Auditorium, students were placed in the spotlight for actively shaping the institution’s research culture.

Each of these emerging scholars was recognized for their remarkable sense of involvement in advancing scholarly output and contributions, exemplary work and methodological diligence.

“We are honored to be celebrating individual achievements that underscore the broader impact of student-driven work at the school,” remarked Associate Professor and Chair of the Biological Sciences Department Sama Sleiman at the ceremony.

SoAS Dean Haidar Harmanani concurred, noting that SoAS students, with the help of their corresponding faculty, have consistently set a benchmark for their peers and advanced the school’s research culture in more ways than one.

“The work of these young researchers stands as a testament to the university’s enduring belief in the power of student-driven discovery,” Dr. Harmanani said. The school will always prioritize empowering its students to be instrumental in scholarly dialogue at the highest levels, he added.

A key highlight of the ceremony was the Elie Rizk Research Excellence Awards, a distinction established through a contribution from the family of the late Mr. Elie Rizk to recognize students’ outstanding accomplishments. Encompassing two categories, the awards are dedicated to highlighting the different ways through which students have excelled and gained visibility in top-tier academic journals.

  • The Dean Research Award was presented to BS in biology students Maria Abi Akl and Roy Hajj for their contribution as a primary author on a top 5 percent publication.
     
  • The Faculty Research Award was handed to BS in biology student Hassan Yassine, MS in biological sciences students Marc Abi Sleiman (BS ’22), biology graduates Setrida El Hachem (BS ’21, MS ‘23) and Reine El Hady (MS ’23), as well as computer science graduate Leonardo Daou (BS ’20; MS ’23) for their contributions as primary authors on a top 15 percent publication.

SoAS students were also awarded for their active engagement in research and academic performance.

  • The Platinum Recognition Award was presented to international affairs graduate Yasmine Fakhry (MA ’22), education graduate Tatiana Chaiban (BA ’23), nutrition graduate Hala El Mikkawi (BS ’24), BS in biology student Joe Elhage, and biology graduate Ahlam Chaaban (BS ’22, MS ’25) for their contributions as primary authors in Q1 journals.
     
  • The Gold Recognition Award was also granted to Chaaban for her contribution as a primary author in a Q2 journal.
     
  • The Silver Recognition Award went to BS in biology students Yorgo Al Sabbagh, Samir Abi Rached, Nour Baytamouni, Nagham Cherri, Razane Hammoud, Hadi Hassan, Sahar Moussawi and Hassan Yassine, MS in biological sciences students Ghinwa El Khoury (BS ’22), Zeinab Skaineh (BS ’24), Tarek Fakih, Lea Gerges, Mahmoud Lakkis and Christopher Sahyoun, nutrition graduates Shaymaa Akil (BS ‘23), Maryam Slaybe (BS ’23), Raneem Assi (BS ’23), Celine El Khoury (BS ’23), Lydia Mrad (BS ’23), Lama Mattar (BS ’16) and Petra Nicolas (BS ’23), computer science graduates Mohamad Farhat (BS ’24) and Hassan Eid (BS ’24), bioinformatics graduate Joelle Assy (BS ’24), MS in nutrition student Marylouise Kayal, and Chaaban for their authorship in Q1 or Q2 journals.