Associate Professor Mark Voorneveld’s dedication to teaching and commitment to student success make him an outstanding recipient of the 2024 SSE Corporate Partners' Pedagogical Award. With over 20 years at SSE, Mark has consistently excelled in teaching mathematics and microeconomics, earning exceptional course evaluations.

" Late on a Tuesday afternoon, an email with subject ‘Congratulations’ from Lars Strannegård showed up in my mailbox, telling me about the award and the motivation. I mostly teach math-heavy courses in the MSc and PhD programs. It means a lot to me, partly that the school appreciates the hard work that goes into the continuous development of such courses and partly that the students have the stamina and intellectual curiosity to struggle with the material."

For Mark, teaching mathematics is about more than just conveying information. " Imagine mathematics as a toolbox to help understand the world around you,” he explains. “From early on, already at elementary school, students learn to apply certain tools. But the work of an economic scholar is more about wondering why those tools actually get the job done: which assumptions lead to which conclusions? And helping students along on that journey, all the time fine-tuning the course material to find the right balance between abstraction and applicability, is greatly satisfying.”

Jury’s motivation

Despite the challenging nature of his courses, he ensures students from diverse academic backgrounds are able to engage with and understand the material. His “talk and chalk” approach, combined with thorough preparation, makes complex concepts accessible and inspiring. Mark’s willingness to adapt, including offering additional Q&A sessions and seminars, demonstrates his commitment to each student’s progress. He continuously refines his course materials, showing his passion for both teaching and content development. As a two-time SSE Teacher of the Year awardee, Mark’s dedication and skill have left a lasting impact on generations of SSE students.

About the SSE Corporate Partners' Pedagogical Award

The Corporate Partners' Pedagogical Award was established to recognize and reward exceptional pedagogical contributions by teachers. The award is given to educators who inspire and engage students and aim to promote continuous improvement in pedagogy within SSE.