UNO Honorees Earn 2026 President’s Excellence Awards

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Department of Computer Science and Sajda Qureshi, Ph.D., have earned 2026 President’s Excellence Awards, the University of Nebraska (NU) System’s most prestigious faculty awards for teaching, research, engagement, and commercialization.

The annual, systemwide President’s Excellence Awards celebrate individuals and teams whose contributions have strengthened student success, advanced innovation and discovery, and benefited communities across Nebraska and beyond.

"Every day, faculty across the University of Nebraska System challenge all of us to think bigger, pursue new ideas and make a difference in the world,” said Dr. Gold. “This year's award recipients embody that spirit of our future vision, known as the Odyssey to the Extraordinary, through their teaching, scholarship, innovation and service. Their work is helping build a stronger future for Nebraska, and it is a privilege to recognize their achievements."

Recipients are selected by a systemwide committee composed of faculty members and, for the engagement award, community representatives. Individual award recipients receive a stipend, as do departmental award winners. Individual honorees were recognized at the Aug. 13 meeting of the Board of Regents.

Teaching

The Universitywide Departmental Teaching Award (UDTA): honors a department with outstanding esprit de corps in dedication to the education of students.

UNO Department of Computer Science

The UNO Department of Computer Science was named the recipient of the Universitywide Departmental Teaching Award (UDTA).

The department has contributed significantly to the University of Nebraska’s teaching mission.

Department Chair Dr. Mahadevan Subramaniam and his colleagues have shown superior performance on national assessments, strong student learning outcomes, external validation, and outstanding employment results.

With outreach and off-campus instruction reaching thousands of students and hundreds of teachers annually, the Department of Computer Science continues to demonstrate effective-based teaching at the university and beyond.

Research

The Outstanding Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) Award: Recognizes individual faculty members for outstanding research or creative activity of national or international significance.

Sajda Qureshi, Ph.D.

Sajda Qureshi, Ph.D., D.B and Paula Varner Professor for the Department of Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis at UNO was named the recipient of the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) Award.

Qureshi earned her doctoral degree at the London School of Economics, and has built an exceptional record of innovative research, grant activity, leadership, teaching and student mentorship.

She has made significant contributions to the field of Information Technology for Development, serving as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Information Technology for Development and general chair of the Association for Information Systems Special Interest Group for Global Development.

Qureshi has authored more than 200 publications in conferences, books and scholarly journals and has received numerous honors, including the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award, the UNO Faculty Service Learning Award and the Association for Computing Machinery Recognition of Service Award.

Her internationally recognized scholarship and leadership have advanced the field while fostering the next generation of researchers and practitioners.