2024 Award for Excellence in Service: Deniz Bilgin

Although Deniz Bilgin has only been a Graduate Program Assistant with Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSE) since 2021, she’s made a huge impact on graduate students, administration, and supervising faculty members alike.

She’s streamlined systems to allow her and others to be proactive in ensuring students meet appropriate deadlines and milestones; she’s revamped the graduate program website to improve the user experience and provide timely and important information; she organizes and hosts events and activities to help build and strengthen the graduate student community for MSE students; and, she hosts weekly drop-in hours to help students through their procedures while checking in on their overall wellness at the same time.

Graduate Program Chair (GPC), Dr. Carolyn Sparrey, witnessed all of the incredible work Bilgin does on a daily basis to improve not only the experience of graduate students, but also the administrative load for those working to support graduate students in MSE.

Says Sparrey, “Deniz provides exceptional service to graduate students through various means. She brings exceptional organization to the graduate program in MSE with her rainbow list (red = on fire, yellow=almost on fire, green = fix it before it’s on fire), keeping daily track of graduate activities. She proactively reaches out to students to address issues they may not even be aware of and works with students to resolve them before they become a problem. Deniz took it upon herself to reorganize the graduate program website to be more accessible and full of procedures and information students need at different stages of their program. She initiated orientation sessions for graduate students and organizes events like the annual grad student gingerbread bridge building with the Engineering Graduate Student Association. Students love her consistency and support. She arrives at every thesis defense an hour early to help set up the room and troubleshoot technology. She helps students schedule practice defenses and technology test runs. She runs weekly drop-in office hours to help students through grad processes but also to check in with students on their wellbeing.”

Director for the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Dr. John Shen, shares how Bilgin works with students all the way through their programs, even starting before they arrive in Canada.

“What separates Deniz in her support of graduate students is her proactive dedication to student wellbeing and success. Deniz is constantly supporting students in solving problems, planning for milestone events, answering questions as they plan their moves to Canada to study, and listening to students when they are facing challenges. Deniz has found a way to empower students towards independence by providing them clear tools, processes and guides to help them manage their own academic careers. Her positivity and encouragement as students take on significant events like their qualifying exams, and thesis defences, sending you can do it memes along with words of support helps students feel like they have the department in their corner,” says Shen.

PhD Candidate and Graduate Program Committee (GPC) Graduate Student Representative with the Engineering Graduate Student Association (EGSA), Mostafa Rahmani Dehaghani, also shares how Bilgin’s focus on supporting graduate students provides a foundation for their overall success in the program.”

Says Rahmani Dehaghani, “Deniz is the cornerstone of support for all MSE graduate students, consistently going above and beyond to assist with a myriad of academic and administrative matters. Her willingness to help and her effectiveness in finding solutions make her an invaluable asset to our department. Whether it is a routine query or a complex issue, students know that they can always rely on her for prompt and accurate assistance. Moreover, Deniz frequently dedicates a significant amount of time to addressing student inquiries, many of which extend beyond her official duties. Her commitment to our wellbeing and academic success is evident in her every action, characterized by a proactive and incredibly supportive approach. Her accessibility and readiness to assist whenever needed have greatly enhanced our educational experience, making our academic journey smoother and more manageable.”

We congratulate Deniz Bilgin on receiving this award and for the support she provides to students and staff in Mechatronic Systems Engineering on a daily basis.

The 2025 Dean of Graduate Studies Awards for Excellence are open for nominations until May 15, 2025.