Math Professor Receives Award for Outstanding Performance
By Natali Fluhman
Dr. Vinodh Kumar Chellamuthu, Associate Professor, Department Chair for Mathematics and Director of Research Office (he’s the real deal if you can’t tell by that title) was awarded the 2026 Excellence in Transforming Post-Secondary Education Award from TPSE Math (Transforming Post-Secondary Education).
What Does This Award Mean?
This national award is given to one mathematician, statistician, math educator, or statistics educator.
Receiving this award means that Dr. Chellamuthu has exemplified leadership, active learning, student preparation for non-academic careers, data science, interdisciplinary mathematics, and faculty mentorship.
“Although the award is presented to an individual, it reflects collaborative work involving Utah Tech students, mathematics faculty, research mentors, university colleagues, community partners, and external organizations that have supported undergraduate research, experiential learning, student mentoring, and community-engaged mathematics.” Dr. Chellamuthu said.
So essentially, this is more than a math award, it’s recognition of the hard work that our Utah Tech community puts into their mathematics.
“Everything I have done for the past ten years has led me to this award.” Dr. Chellamuthu said.
We are so proud to say that we have world-class professors who care deeply about our Trailblazers and their future careers. With this award Dr. Chellamuthu has become a shining example of that.
The Tagline that Inspired it All
Our iconic tagline can be found all over campus, but Dr. Chellamuthu took it to heart. Each class he teaches is carefully curated to be hands-on and internalize our “active learning, active life.” approach.
“This is my twelfth year at UT,” Dr. Chellamuthu said. “When I started, our tagline really stuck with me.I made my entire classroom's focus to be on our tagline..”
Dr. Chellamuthu’s recognition is a testament to the impact that educators have both inside and outside the classroom. By embracing our commitment to active learning and creating opportunities for students to apply mathematics in meaningful ways, he has shaped a culture where learning extends beyond the traditional classroom.