Columbia Engineering has announced the first cohort of Teaching Professors, a new recognition the School established for faculty who have made exceptional contributions to curriculum development and other initiatives critical to the educational mission of Columbia University, and have shown a strong track record of pedagogical leadership and service.
The first cohort to receive this honor comprises of three longtime faculty members, including David Vallancourt, senior lecturer in the discipline of circuits and systems in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
“These honors reflect the deep appreciation of students, peers, and alumni for transformative teaching in engineering and applied science,” said Dean of Columbia Engineering Shih-Fu Chang. “These three faculty members have gone beyond outstanding classroom instruction to develop the courses and programs that will equip students to be 21st Century engineers and leaders in their field.”
David Vallancourt: Introducing Students to the Depth and Breadth of Engineering
David Vallancourt is senior lecturer in Circuits and Systems in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He created and teaches The Art of Engineering (AoE) course, the Columbia Engineering-wide introduction to engineering for all first-year students. He teaches introductory courses in electrical engineering for engineers and for non-engineers, electronics, and laboratory courses including the senior “capstone” project lab. He co-created and organizes the yearly Senior Design Expo, a major event where students can showcase their capstone projects. He also created and runs the Game Expo every semester for first-year students.
For his teaching, Vallancourt has received many awards, including the Engineering Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (2007 and 2013), the Presidential Teaching Award (2013), and the Society of Columbia Graduates Great Teacher Award (2024).
Vallanourt received BS (1981), MS (1983), and PhD (1987) degrees from Columbia, and was an assistant professor at Columbia Engineering until joining Bell Labs in 1992. His focus at Bell Labs and subsequent positions at Texas Instruments, Vitesse Semiconductor, and PMC-Sierra was analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design for communications applications, for which he was awarded a dozen patents. He returned to Columbia in 2005.
“Dave’s DNA is teaching. He loves to teach, mentor, coach, advise, and support students, and will drop anything else to help his students,” said Gil Zussman, Kenneth Brayer Professor of Electrical Engineering and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering. “The breadth of his teaching impact from EE to across SEAS to the College and high school students is a testament to Dave’s skill of making complex topics accessible to students at all levels and conveys his enthusiasm for the beauty, the fun, and the impact of engineering.”
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