Dr. Khawar SARFRAZ Received Thetos Early Career Distinguished Teaching Award 2025-26
Dr. Khawar SARFRAZ, Lecturer I in the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering from the School of Engineering, received a Thetos Early Career Distinguished Teaching Award 2025-26. This is the second consecutive year that he was recognized by this award, following an Honorable Mention last year.
Dr. Sarfraz received his PhD in Electronic and Computer Engineering from HKUST in 2016 and joined his alma mater as a faculty member in January 2022. Drawing on four years of teaching and academic supervision experience at HKUST, as well as 13 years of industry practice in hardware design, verification, testing, and project management, he brings a rare and highly effective blend of academic rigor and real-world relevance to the classroom. His end-to-end expertise in electronic system design enables him to translate contemporary engineering practice into impactful learning experiences for students. Student feedback highlights his strong emphasis on practical applications and creative thinking, and notes that his real-word case studies make complex concepts engaging and memorable.
Now in its second year, the Thetos Distinguished Teaching Award (TDTA), established by Thetos Foundation Hong Kong, is the very first award set up at HKUST to exclusively recognize the teaching excellence and contributions of teaching-track faculty, and to support their teaching advancement projects and personal development.
The award comprises two types: (1) Distinguished Teaching Award/Early Career Distinguished Teaching Award; and (2) Teaching Award Honorable Mention/Early Career Teaching Award Honorable Mention. Three teaching-track faculty members across the University were named winners this year. The other two winners are Dr. Jac LEUNG and Prof. Winnie LEUNG, both from the Division of Integrative Systems and Design under the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Nominees must be full-time teaching-track faculty members who have worked for not less than two years at the University. They are evaluated by the Selection Committee based on their teaching philosophy, contributions to the enhancement of teaching and learning, and evidence of the impact of their teaching.
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