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Ph.D. Student Wins Teaching Fellowship for Going Beyond the Algorithm
Navya Annapareddy, a Ph.D. in Data Science candidate, received the Class of 1985 Fellowship for Creative Teaching, a University-wide Graduate Teaching Award for her instruction in the undergraduate course DS 3001 “Foundations of Machine Learning.”
“Throughout her time at UVA, Navya has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to teaching and student mentorship,” the late Founding Dean Philip Bourne said in Annapareddy’s nomination packet. He praised her inclusive, interactive, and applied teaching approach and highlighted her ability to address challenges with creativity and care.
“Professor Annapareddy always showed us both the good and bad that can come from technology, and was real about the darker side of history,” a student wrote in her nomination packet. “She taught in a way that applied to the real world and reflected the various pitfalls of technological advancement.”
Annapareddy is committed to teaching computational methods alongside their social and ethical contexts. She teaches students how to code predictive models, as well as articulate assumptions, limitations, and implications. She makes lectures interactive, with real-time polling for pace checking and industry interview questions.
Professor Thomas Stewart, director of the Ph.D. program and advisor to Annapareddy, wrote that attendance for her foundations of machine learning course was near 100%. “This exceptional rate speaks volumes about the learning environment Navya created. Students were notably comfortable asking questions with no apparent fear of judgment.”
As a data science educator, Annapareddy sees machine learning as both a discipline and a responsibility. “Effective teaching is not defined by the volume of material covered, but by the depth of thinking it cultivates,” she said. “Most critically, I hope to foster a true enthusiasm in my students for data literacy and its life altering impacts, equipping them with skills that I am confident will serve them far beyond our classroom and UVA.”
Annapareddy is honored to receive the 1985 Teaching Fellowship and is grateful for the feedback and support of professors Brian Wright, Thomas Stewart, and Stephen Baek.
