Recognizing faculty, staff, student excellence at 2026 Mānoa Awards
2026 UH Mānoa Award Winners
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa held its 2026 UH Mānoa Awards ceremony on May 5, 2026.
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa awards recognize the dedication and service of UH Mānoa faculty, staff, and students committed to enhancing the University’s mission of excellence. This year, the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research was awarded to Nicolas Gaillard, the Robert W. Clopton Award for Distinguished Community Service was awarded to Yoshimi (Shimi) Rii, the Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching was awarded to Jeffrey Drazen, he Jean Takamura Staff Excellence Award was awarded to Karen Harper, and the Student Excellence in Research Award was awarded to Sophia Rahnke.
Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research
Nicolas Gaillard is an associate researcher in the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. He has more than 20 years of experience in materials and surface science, with expertise in photovoltaics, electrochemistry and device integration. He joined HNEI as a postdoctoral fellow in 2007 and now leads the Thin Films Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding light-matter interactions at solid–solid and solid–liquid interfaces at the atomic scale, advancing the design of next-generation materials for renewable energy technologies. After completing his doctorate, Gaillard worked with the IBM/Motorola/STMicroelectronics alliance on oxide/metal interfaces for advanced transistor technologies. In 2017, with support from the UH Strategic Investment Initiative, he founded the Materials Science Consortium for Research and Education (MS-CoRE), bringing together UH materials researchers to expand shared resources, strengthen interdisciplinary research and foster collaboration.
Robert W. Clopton Award for Distinguished Community Service
Yoshimi M. Rii is an assistant specialist at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and research coordinator for the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve. She leads research supporting the restoration of Indigenous resource management and biocultural practices in Hawaiʻi. Her work integrates Native Hawaiian knowledge with academic research to advance place-based science and foster a Hawaiian sense of place within UH Mānoa. She has built strong partnerships with community organizations, cultural practitioners, government agencies and researchers grounded in trust, reciprocity and ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge). Rii is recognized for mentoring students and creating community-engaged learning opportunities that support ethical, community-centered research. Through collaborative projects and teaching, she helps develop scholars committed to responsible research practices. Her leadership strengthens community-campus relationships and contributes to policy and decision-making at local, national and international levels. Rii is known for her humility, creativity and commitment to pono, or ethnical, relationships.
Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching
Jeffrey Drazen is an oceanographer in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. His teaching explores connections between the ocean and society. His instruction emphasizes deep-sea ecology and fisheries, using real-world examples and inquiry-based learning to examine both what is known and unknown about the ocean. Drazen fosters inclusive, discussion-based classrooms where students build critical thinking skills through dialogue, student-led activities and hands-on learning. Field experiences at fishponds, aquaculture sites and research vessels deepen engagement and connect science to lived experience. He co-developed a graduate program in sustainable fisheries to address workforce needs in the Pacific. He also mentors student research and leads extensive K–12 outreach, including classroom visits and teacher workshops that expand ocean literacy across Hawaiʻi. By combining passion, innovation and a commitment to community engagement, Drazen exemplifies teaching excellence, cultivating the next generation of scientists, stewards and informed global citizens.
Jean Takamura Staff Excellence Award
Karen Harper, an administrative officer at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, brings more than 25 years of experience in academic research environments. Her work is central to fiscal grant management, where she provides essential support for a diverse range of marine and coastal research projects, including studies on marine mammals, fisheries and coral reef ecosystems. Harper ensures the financial integrity and seamless execution of complex research grants. She is a key contributor to the HIMB team’s reputation for collaborative spirit and strong fiscal stewardship that advances interdisciplinary research. Over the past four years, her dedicated involvement with the team has deepened her appreciation for the ocean and the important work to understand and protect it.
Student Excellence in Research Award
Sophia Rahnke is a PhD candidate in marine biology at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. Her research uses mathematical models to examine how predator-prey interactions, harvest practices and climate change shape coral reef ecosystems in Hawaiʻi’s nearshore environments. A central contribution of her work is integrating Indigenous stewardship practices into quantitative ecological frameworks, bridging theory and applied fisheries management. Rahnke was selected as a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies, where she worked on emerging marine policy issues. Her research has been presented and recognized at national and international conferences. She leads workshops introducing undergraduates to ecological modeling and Python programming. With seven peer-reviewed publications, Rahnke is recognized for her innovation, timeliness and strong sense of place, along with a high level of productivity that positions her as an emerging leader in marine science and policy.
SOEST congratulates each of the awardees!
A recording of the event will be available on the UH Mānoa Awards website at a later date. View photos from the event.
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