Doctoral candidate Noor Afsary is the newest recipient of the Bendett Fellowship Award, which supports exceptional, well-rounded graduate students in UD’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The honor reflects both academic excellence and strong research impact.
The Bendett Fellowship was established in 2004 by Mark P. Bendett, ’81 M ’85 Ph.D., who earned his advanced degrees in electrical engineering. The fellowship honors Bendett and his mother, Dorothy Jaworowski Bendett ’46.
During a career that spanned more than three decades, Mark Bendett developed numerous photonic products used for manufacturing and medical applications, founded a telecommunications component company and generated more than 30 publications and 60 patents. Dorothy Bendett was a respected nutritionist and educator whose legacy of dedication to learning continues through this fellowship.
Each year, the Bendett Fellow is chosen from candidates nominated by faculty members. In evaluating the candidates, the selection committee emphasizes a balance of academic and personal excellence and an awareness of the societal relevance of their research activities.
Afsary’s research, advised by professor Vishal Saxena, focuses on advancing light-based communication and sensing systems for next-generation applications. By combining fundamental science with practical engineering, Afsary is helping develop faster, more efficient communication systems and sensing tools that can be scaled for real-world use.
The award will provide support for Afsary’s continued research, conference participation and professional development. For a list of previous Bendett Fellows and other student awardees, visit the department’s student honors and awards webpage.