Best UGTA & PGTA Awards and Academic Excellence Scholarship for 2025-26

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) proudly announces the recipients of the 2025-26 Best Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UGTA) Award, Professor Samuel Chanson Best Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (PGTA) Award, and the Professor Samuel Chanson Academic Excellence Scholarship. These awards recognize the exceptional contributions of teaching assistants and academic excellence among students, highlighting their dedication to enhancing the learning experience at our university.

Best UGTA Award Recipients

The Best UGTA Award celebrates undergraduate teaching assistants who have demonstrated exceptional teaching, dedication, and impact on student learning. This year's awardee is Lee Pak Nin Marcus.

Marcus Lee Pak Nin has been nominated for the Best Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Award for his outstanding contributions to COMP 4321, COMP 3111 and COMP 1946. As the sole UGTA for COMP 4321, serving nearly 200 students, he attended all laboratory sessions, provided extensive project support and offered timely guidance on Telegram. In COMP 3111, he delivered labs, supported blended learning and voluntarily improved the course project by addressing common student challenges. He also developed a well-received module for the new COMP 1946 AI course and played a key role in creating the Coursera MOOC “AI Code Generation for Everyone,” later nominated for global awards. Marcus consistently exceeds expectations through initiative, technical skill and dedication.

(From Left) Dr. Kenneth Leung, Marcus Lee (Awardee) and Prof. Xiaofang ZHOU

The Best UGTA Award Honorable Mention recipients are Li Yu Hong Harry, Ren Yichen, Wong Lap Ming and Zhang Liren, whose contributions are also greatly appreciated.

Professor Samuel Chanson Best PGTA Award Recipients

The Professor Samuel Chanson Best PGTA Award honors postgraduate teaching assistants who have shown outstanding dedication and impact. The 2025-26 recipients are:

• Tong Haowei
• Wu Shiwen

Both Haowei and Shiwen have shown remarkable commitment to their roles. Haowei has been nominated for the Best TA Award for his outstanding leadership as Head Teaching Assistant for COMP 4211 in Spring 2026, serving 109 students. He delivered structured tutorials bridging theory and practice, earned an exceptional SFQ score for timely feedback, managed assessments and logistics with precision, and supported the teaching team. Shiwen has been nominated for the Outstanding PGTA Award for her exceptional contributions to COMP 3311. Responsible and proactive, she coordinated examinations, provided timely support, delivered clear tutorials aligned with lectures, and contributed thoughtful ideas to course management, demonstrating strong professionalism and teaching ability.

(From Left) Tong Haowei (Awardee) and Prof. Xiaofang ZHOU

(From Left) Prof. Wilfred Ng, Wu Shiwen (Awardee) and Prof. Xiaofang ZHOU

The Outstanding PGTA Honorable Mentions go to Li Tsz Ho, Liu Dingdong, Blankenhagen Philipp, Nie Yuxiang, Chen Yiwei, Tang Longxiang and Wang Yanghao for their commendable efforts.

Professor Samuel Chanson Academic Excellence Scholarship

The Professor Samuel Chanson Academic Excellence Scholarship, valued at $20,000, is awarded to Kwok Tsz Him in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements.

(From Left) Kwok Tsz Him (Awardee) and Prof. Xiaofang ZHOU

The CSE Department warmly congratulates all award recipients on their outstanding contributions and achievements. Their commitment to teaching excellence and academic distinction enriches our community and serves as an inspiration to others. We look forward to their continued success.