As part of the University of Chile’s anniversary week, Professor Daniel Remenik Zisis—Principal Investigator at the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) and faculty member of the Department of Mathematical Engineering (DIM)—was honored with the 2025 Best Undergraduate Lecturer Award, a distinction that recognizes outstanding teaching and dedication to the formation of new generations of professionals.
In total, 43 academics from across the institution were recognized for their teaching excellence during a ceremony held in the Lorenzo Sazié Hall of the Faculty of Medicine. Five faculty members from the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (FCFM) received the award, including Prof. Remenik.
The ceremony was presided over by the University’s Rector, Prof. Rosa Devés, alongside university authorities, deans, faculty, and community representatives. In her remarks, the Rector emphasized the essential role of teaching within the university’s mission:
“I thank you on behalf of the University of Chile. Being recognized as a best lecturer is a distinction of the highest significance. Throughout our lives, we carry a deep sense of gratitude for the teachers who shaped us, something that is often difficult to put into words. We are grateful for knowledge, for profound understanding, for mastery of a discipline or profession, but we are equally grateful for generosity and dedication. That has an enormous impact on each person’s emotional life: knowing that someone was there to listen, to guide, with humanity and care,” she noted.
A recognition of commitment to teaching excellence
The distinction awarded to Prof. Remenik highlights his contribution to the training of mathematical engineering students, his pedagogical excellence, and the impact of his work on strengthening the teaching of the discipline. His academic and scientific work, also carried out within the CMM, has helped consolidate a high level research and teaching ecosystem within the Faculty.
“I believe this is one of the most meaningful recognitions an academic can receive, as it confirms, or at least that is how I like to see it, that the effort one makes to convey something of the beauty of mathematics truly resonates with our students. During my years as a student at Beauchef, I had many excellent professors who received this distinction, and it is both an honor and a joy to receive it now,” said the CMM researcher.
For the CMM, this recognition reaffirms the value of its researchers in the country’s development and the crucial role they play in educating future generations through academic excellence.
183 years of history and national commitment
The ceremony was part of the celebration of the University of Chile’s 183rd anniversary, an event attended by President Gabriel Boric, which highlighted the institution’s legacy and the current challenges facing higher education.
During the commemoration, Rector Devés underscored the University’s historic role in Chile’s scientific, cultural, and social development, as well as key achievements from the past academic year—including the National Prize for Exact Sciences awarded to CMM researcher and DIM faculty member, Prof. Alejandro Maass.
