Ana Maria Porras, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Florida’s J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, has received the 2025 UF Center for Teaching Excellence Rising Star Award. This recognition highlights Porras’ commitment to innovative, student-centered education and her dedication to fostering global learning experiences.

Porras leads the Tissue-Microbe Interaction Lab at UF and teaches both undergraduate and graduate engineering courses. Her teaching philosophy integrates technical expertise with critical thinking, teamwork, and multicultural awareness, equipping students with the skills necessary to excel in biomedical engineering. As a 2022 UF Global Fellow, she has successfully incorporated international virtual exchanges into her curriculum, enriching students’ perspectives on global health challenges.

Her approach to teaching has been profoundly shaped by her participation in key faculty development programs, including the CTSI Mentor Academy, the Teaching Excellence Academy, and the Design a Virtual Exchange program. Through the CTSI Mentor Academy, Dr. Porras refined her ability to create an inclusive and supportive research environment, implementing strategies such as Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and structured mentoring check-ins to support student growth. Her participation in the Teaching Excellence Academy inspired significant enhancements to her Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals course, introducing problem-based learning and real-world applications to increase student engagement. Additionally, her training in virtual exchange design led to the development of an international collaboration between UF and Universidad Pontificia Javeriana in Colombia, expanding students’ global competencies.

Beyond the classroom, Porras is a dedicated advocate for inclusive and multilingual science communication. She co-founded the Latinx in Biomedical Engineering community and actively promotes diverse representation in STEM fields.

The Rising Star Award recognizes faculty who demonstrate a sustained commitment to educational excellence and innovation. The Center for Teaching Excellence, in partnership with the Office of Global Learning, honors recipients who actively engage in professional development to enhance global learning and curriculum internationalization.