2024–25 Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence

Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, professor of biological sciences.

Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences, has built a remarkable career exploring the ecology of freshwater lakes — both locally and in Canada, Greenland, East Africa and New Zealand.

Along the way, she has contributed to international research and published in leading scientific journals. Her teaching is a critical component of the Department of Biological Sciences’ mission to provide undergraduates with hands-on research experiences and train the next generation of scientists.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service, Vadeboncoeur received Wright State University’s 2024–25 Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence.

“She embodies the perfect mix of excellent researcher, dedicated educator and good citizen to the university at all levels,” said Ayşe Şahin, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. “She is truly an outstanding role model for all faculty.”

Vadeboncoeur focuses on the ecological processes that shape the world’s largest lakes. Her current research examines algal growth on the bottom of the five Great Lakes, work that is transforming the understanding of aquatic food webs and the fisheries they support.

Vadeboncoeur’s research has influenced lake management in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Following a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship in New Zealand, Vadeboncoeur has helped colleagues reimagine that country’s lake and fisheries management strategies. She has also served as an associate editor for two international journals, Freshwater Science and Limnology and Oceanography Letters, and contributed chapters to two textbooks. Her global engagement enhances Wright State’s international reputation.

She has also made a local impact, advising the village of Yellow Springs on managing excessive plant growth in a local pond and conducting food web research on Lake Erie.

At Wright State, she is committed to providing opportunities for experiential learning. Undergraduate students in her Aquatic Environment class conduct research on the effects of agriculture on the Little Miami River, while students in her Marine Biology course spend a week on an island conducting group research projects. Her former undergraduate and graduate students are currently working in research labs and universities across the country.

“Dr. Vadeboncoeur’s service to our department has been critical to the revitalization of our research and teaching missions, especially over the past year,” said Lynn Hartzler, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.

Vadeboncoeur recently led the development of a new interdisciplinary environmental sciences major designed to prepare Wright State graduates for leadership roles in addressing environmental problems.

“Dr. Vadeboncoeur is a faculty member that exemplifies the best that Wright State has to offer,” Şahin said. “This award not only gives her the recognition that she deserves, but perhaps even more importantly, holds her up as the example that we, as a university, hope all our faculty aspire to reach.”

“I work with so many creative, dedicated professors at Wright State,” Vadeboncoeur said. “It is an amazing honor to be recognized with this award.”