Merlin Bruening, the Donald and Susan Rice Professor of Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has won the 2025 Outstanding Teacher Award in the Notre Dame College of Engineering.

The award honors an engineering faculty member — selected each year by undergraduates in engineering — for excellence in teaching and overall positive influence on student formation.

Bruening, who also holds a concurrent appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, teaches across the core chemical engineering curriculum, with a focus on transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and separation processes. He also teaches specialized courses in surface characterization methods and chemical engineering laboratory instruction.

His lab develops thin films for protein purification, contributes to membrane technologies for water reclamation, advances ion separation for energy and environmental applications, and refines antibody analysis for drug development.

 

Students praised Bruening’s ability to clarify conceptually challenging material, his engaging classroom presence, his contagious enthusiasm, and his personal commitment to every student. Many said that they “loved going to class every day.” One nomination stated: “They say that you might forget the material, but you’ll never forget how the lecturer made you feel. I’m happy to say I’m confident I’ll remember both.”

Bruening’s teaching philosophy focuses on student mastery of fundamental principles and dynamic, student-centered learning. “As an instructor, my first goal is to engage students and make the course enjoyable and entertaining,” said Bruening. “In a classroom setting, this includes learning every student’s name so I can call on them; lecturing without notes so I can look students in the eye to gauge their understanding; providing detailed lecture notes to students so they don’t have to worry about copying things down; and telling a daily joke when our energy wanes. Interacting with students is a joy.”

Bruening is a recipient of the American Microchemical Society’s Benedetti-Pichler Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in microanalytical chemistry. He also received the College of Natural Science Distinguished Faculty Award and Innovation of the Year Award at Michigan State University, where he served on the faculty until joining Notre Dame in 2016.