SUNY Names Oswego’s Alok Kumar a Distinguished Teaching Professor

Alok Kumar

The State University of New York has recognized Oswego physics professor Alok Kumar as a Distinguished Teaching Professor, one of the SUNY system’s highest honors.

Kumar was one of only eight faculty in the system approved by the SUNY Board of Trustees as earning a distinguished honor in professorship, teaching or service announced by SUNY on Nov. 10.

Kumar is an internationally recognized scholar and teacher, a distinguished translator of ancient texts and a historian of the evolution of medieval science. He has been honored internationally by peers for his numerous contributions to teaching, and has served as a principal investigator on many research projects that have advanced the science of physics.

He has been an ardent advocate for the inclusion of non-Western perspectives on science in the teaching of all sciences, not just physics. He is considered a world-class authority on the development of science and mathematics throughout antiquity, particularly among the ancient Hindus.

His effective approach to teaching consistently challenges and engages students, and he has received superlative reviews from current and former students. Kumar is known as an extraordinarily productive member of the SUNY Oswego faculty who regularly teaches full course loads that include as many as four unique preparations, often for courses in the first iteration.

Kumar joined the SUNY Oswego faculty in 1992. He holds a Ph.D. from Kanpur University in India, with his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from India’s Meerut University.