Alison Isenberg is one of four Princeton University faculty members who have been named recipients of the Graduate Mentoring Awards by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning and the Graduate School. The award winners are Maria DiBattista, the Charles Barnwell Straut Class of 1923 Professor of English; Alison Isenberg, professor of history; Tania Lombrozo, the Arthur W. Marks ’19 Professor of Psychology; and Andrés Monroy-Hernández, an assistant professor of computer science.

They were honored during the Graduate School’s Hooding ceremony on Monday, May 27.

The mentoring award recognizes Princeton faculty members who nurture the intellectual, professional and personal growth of their graduate students. Graduate students nominate faculty members for the award. Students also serve on the committee that selects the winners, along with faculty members and senior staff from the McGraw Center and the Graduate School. The award honors faculty in each academic division and includes a $1,800 prize and a commemorative gift.

Alison Isenberg

Alison Isenberg writes and teaches about nineteenth- and twentieth-century American society. She joined the Princeton faculty in 2010.

“Professor Isenberg best models how I would want to teach undergraduate and graduate history courses,” said one student. “Her mentorship and continued support have profoundly shaped how I view my role as an academic.”

Several students praised her approach to class discussions, where she created a welcoming environment that encouraged participation and lively debate while offering students insightful feedback. “I always appreciate her sharp questions that force me to think about the bigger picture,” one student said.

Others appreciated Isenberg’s guidance outside the classroom. “Alison goes the extra mile as a mentor — many times moving her other meetings to meet with me and sending feedback overnight for urgent job-market items,” one student noted. “The fact that numerous graduate students have benefited from her insight and feedback, including those she does not directly advise, is a testament to both her breadth as a scholar and her character.”