The transformative education offered at the University of Chicago begins in the classroom, with the teachers who inspire, engage, and inform their students.
UChicago annually recognizes faculty for their incredible teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students through the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Awards, believed to be the nation’s oldest prize for undergraduate teaching; and the Faculty Awards for Excellence in Ph.D. Teaching and Mentoring, which honors faculty for their work with graduate students.
In 2026, four faculty members received the PhD teaching award. Professor Wei Wei, PhD, from the Department of Neurobiology, is among them. Learn more below:
Wei Wei, Professor of Neurobiology
When Wei Wei was training as a neuroscientist, she thought the best part of getting a faculty position would be the long-term freedom to pursue her research interests.
“I was looking forward to starting my lab at UChicago, because I thought the best part of the job is to be in an environment where I can have academic freedom to make discoveries,” she said. “And then I realized that what's even better is not making discoveries alone, but instead, having a team of talented graduate students to work on problems together.”
Wei, whose research focuses on how neural circuits in the retina process visual inputs, tries to cultivate a collaborative and engaging environment in her lab where students brainstorm and troubleshoot projects together. This culture of mutual support in turn builds enthusiasm and makes the science stronger.
“Every student brings new ideas to the lab, and that allows my group's research to take a trajectory that is really shaped by the students,” she said. That active participation and positive feedback loop makes her job as both a scientist and a mentor easier.
“This is really a shared honor. The reason I’m receiving this award is because I’ve had the privilege to get to know such an exceptional group of students. I had so much pleasure working with them. The award is just as much theirs as mine.”