Leah Pistorius
April 14, 2025
The University of Washington has named Human Centered Design & Engineering PhD candidate Sourojit "G" Ghosh a recipient of the 2025 Excellence in Teaching Award, one of the University’s highest honors for teaching. The award, presented by UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio, recognizes Ghosh’s extraordinary commitment to teaching and mentorship.
Sourojit Ghosh, fifth-year PhD Candidate in the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering
Over the past five years, Ghosh has shaped the learning experiences of hundreds of HCDE students through teaching and mentoring. He has served as a teaching assistant and instructor of record for undergraduate courses, including Introduction to User-Centered Design and Concepts in Human-Computer Interaction, and the graduate-level Inclusive and Accessible Design course. When student interest in generative AI began to surge, Ghosh stepped up to develop and lead new courses for undergraduate and master's students on opportunities and ethical considerations for working with Generative AI tools in user experience design and research.
Across all his teaching, Ghosh brings a reflective, iterative approach. “After each course, G reflects on his teaching and figures out what he can do to improve the course the following quarter,” said HCDE Professor Sean Munson. “His steady, thoughtful iteration both makes G a stronger instructor and makes the course stronger and more relevant in HCDE’s curriculum.”
That commitment to growth extends beyond individual courses to the field of engineering education overall. Ghosh has authored five academic publications exploring equitable and flexible approaches to design and engineering education. He regularly serves as a mentor and consultant to fellow instructors and teaching assistants, sharing practices that foster deep learning and inclusion.
Ghosh is especially dedicated to building courses that are accessible and welcoming to all students. He has designed hybrid options that allow students navigating illness, caregiving responsibilities, or other barriers to participate fully without falling behind. He has also worked to adapt visual design coursework for blind and low-vision students, collaborating directly with students to better understand their needs and redesign materials accordingly.
“In every course G teaches, he creates policies that reflect the values of HCDE,” said Munson. “He builds grading structures that emphasize feedback, iteration, and improvement—values that carry through in how students learn to give and receive critique, how they collaborate in teams, and how they grow as designers and researchers.”
In addition to his classroom teaching, Ghosh has helped lead department-wide initiatives focused on dialogue and belonging. Beginning in 2020, he was among the first students to facilitate the department’s Sustained Dialogue program, guiding conversations among students, faculty, and staff on complex topics ranging from safety to community. His leadership in that effort helped inform a broader campus-wide Dialogue Initiative, which launched this year.
Ghosh will be formally honored at the University of Washington Awards of Excellence ceremony on Thursday, June 12, 2025.