"Students come to this time with different backgrounds, experiences, and unique aspirations that require specialized attention/emphasis. Yet they all deserve an experience they will look back on fondly as a period of self-discovery and improvement, but also a time full of community, purpose, and playfulness.”
— Associate Professor Nick Cheney
Department of Computer Science
Congratulations to Computer Science Associate Professor Nicholas (Nick) Cheney, who is a recipient of the 2025 Provost's Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring. Each academic year, the Graduate College and the Provost celebrate and honor exemplary mentoring of Ph.D. students by members of the Graduate Faculty.
These prestigious awards are integral to the Graduate College's continuing efforts to cultivate a culture of excellence in mentoring. With these awards, the Graduate College and the Provost seek to reinforce and highlight practices that enhance the overall quality of graduate education.
A UVM faculty member since earning his Ph.D. from Cornell in 2017, Dr. Cheney is a highly funded researcher (PI/Co-PI on 13 awards totaling over $13M, including an NSF CAREER award focused on bio-inspired optimization algorithms for artificial neural networks.
He leads UVM's Neurobotics Lab, where three of his Ph.D. students have graduated and where he currently advises seven more. Dr. Cheney's mentorship extends beyond his primary lab: He serves on 11 Ph.D. dissertation committees across six programs and nine Graduate Studies Committees while also directing the growing Complex Systems Ph.D. program.
Students thrive under his individualized mentorship approach within his collaborative, academically diverse lab. Dr. Cheney encourages all his mentees to develop professional networks, present research across campus venues, and participate in outreach activities. As a result, his students have secured prestigious recognitions, including an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the UVM Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, and research commercialization awards.
Former and current students describe Dr. Cheney as responsive and encouraging, valuing how he creates an inclusive environment "grounded in respect, integrity, and intellectual rigor." His department chair, Dr. Chris Skalka, confirms his commitment to developing "happy, well-rounded people as well as great scientists."
For Dr. Cheney, the Ph.D. is "about the journey" as much as the destination: "Students come to this time with different backgrounds, experiences, and unique aspirations that require specialized attention/emphasis. Yet they all deserve an experience they will look back on fondly as a period of self-discovery and improvement, but also a time full of community, purpose, and playfulness," he said.
In announcing the Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring, UVM Acting Provost and Senior Vice President Linda S. Schadler wrote, "Strong mentoring support is a key factor in graduate student success both during and after graduate study. Training the next generation of researchers is a vital part of the academic mission of the University of Vermont. Dr. Cheney's impactful, individualized mentorship creates an inclusive environment that embodies Our Common Ground values while fostering "autonomy, mastery, respect, and joy" for his students."