Learn from MIT’s 2026 MacVicar Fellows

Two outstanding MIT educators have been named MacVicar Faculty Fellows: Amos Winter, professor of mechanical engineering, and Nickolai Zeldovich, professor of electrical engineering and computer science. For more than 30 years, the MacVicar Faculty Fellows Program has recognized exemplary and sustained contributions to undergraduate education at MIT. Fellows are chosen through an annual and highly competitive nomination process. 

Amos Winter: Bringing excitement to the classroom

Amos Winter, the Germeshausen Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, joined MIT faculty in 2012. A hallmark of his pedagogy is the way he connects technical learning and core engineering science with real-world impacts. His approach keeps students actively engaged and encourages critical thinking while developing their competence and confidence as design engineers. Especially notable is Winter’s energetic style and use of interactive materials and demonstrations to make fundamental topics tangible. 

Learn with Professor Winter on MIT Learn. 

Nickolai Zeldovich: Inspiring independent thinkers and future teachers

Nickolai Zeldovich, the Joan and Irwin M. (1957) Jacobs Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), is known for his unique ability to activate students’ problem-solving skills, cultivate their intellectual curiosity, and infuse learning with joy. When he arrived at MIT in 2008, Course 6 (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) offered classes in theoretical and applied cryptography, but lacked a dedicated systems security subject. Zeldovich took it upon himself to create the Computer Systems Security class in 2009. Since then, the subject has become a central part of the curriculum. 

Zeldovich is the recipient of numerous awards including the EECS Spira Teaching Award (2013), the Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award (2014), the EECS Faculty Research Innovation Fellowship (2018), and the EECS Jamieson Award for Excellence in Teaching (2024).

Learn with Professor Zeldovich on MIT Learn.

This article was adapted from an MIT News story.