2025 Funk Awards Banquet

Monday, September 15, 2025
Pear Tree Estate, Champaign, IL

2025 Funk Award Recipients

Paul A. Funk Award
Juan Loor, Animal Sciences

Spitze Land-Grant Professorial Career Excellence Award
Carl Parsons, Animal Sciences

Runge Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award
Aaron Hager, Crop Sciences

Faculty Award for Global Impact
Hope Michelson, Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension
Salah Issa, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Senior Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension
Pratik Banerjee, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Faculty Award for Excellence in Research
Joshua McCann, Animal Sciences

Senior Faculty Award for Excellence in Research
Angela Kent, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Craig Lemoine, Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Senior Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Anthony Yannarell, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

John Clyde and Henrietta Downey Spitler Teaching Award
Paul Davidson, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Karl E. Gardner Outstanding Undergraduate Adviser Award
Shui Ma, Food Science and Human Nutrition
Andrew Steelman, Animal Sciences

Specialized Faculty Teaching Award
Donovan Sanchez, Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Louis V. Logeman Graduate Student Teaching Award
Virnaliz Jimenez, Human Development and Family Studies

Graduate Student Research Award (M.S.)
Karson Bateman, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Graduate Student Research Award (Ph.D.)
Sabrina Summers, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Team Award for Excellence
Center for Digital Agriculture (CDA)

Professional Staff Awards for Excellence

Advising, Teaching, and Outreach:
Brianna Gregg, Office of Academic Programs

Administrative/Management or Technical Contributions:
Daniel Breen, Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Innovation/Creativity:
Jedi Brown, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Sustained Excellence in Research:
Timothy Mies, Crop Sciences

Marcella M. Nance Staff Award
Molly Black, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Staff Award for Excellence
Carie Arteaga, Human Development and Family Studies
Lisa Kelly, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences