Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center

Undergraduate Research Mentor Award

Banner of UROC Mentor Award Recipients in various settings

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) offers the UROC Undergraduate Research Mentor Award to recognize and honor the practice of mentoring undergraduate research and scholarship at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). This award is intended to recognize demonstrated excellence in supporting undergraduate researchers, to encourage mentoring relationships with undergraduate students, and to convey the campus' high regard for such contributions made by the academic and research community at CSUMB and other regional research institutions.

Both CSUMB and UROC embrace the vision of providing innovative and relevant educational opportunities to our unique population of undergraduate students. The UROC Undergraduate Research Mentor Award recognizes mentors who strive to uphold this vision by enhancing research opportunities for CSUMB’s undergraduate population and cultivating a collaborative, intellectual community.

Mentor of the Year 2025

Dr. Arun K. Sharma

Dr. Arun K. Sharma is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at California State University, Monterey Bay, where he leads a multidisciplinary research group focused on quantum chemistry, molecular simulations, and machine learning for chemical systems. His research addresses challenges ranging from ion partitioning in aerosols to asphaltene aggregation and catalysis for biofuel production, supported by external funding from the NSF, USDA, DOE, ACS, and NASA. Dr. Sharma earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Mumbai in India, and a Ph.D. in Physical-Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Southern California.

picture of Arun Sharma

 

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Sharma has co-authored over 15 peer-reviewed publications with undergraduates and mentored more than 30 student presentations at national conferences, including the American Chemical Society and NCUR. He integrates research directly into the curriculum through course-based undergraduate research experiences and advanced computational chemistry courses, equipping students with hands-on experience in molecular dynamics, ab initio methods, and AI-driven chemical modeling. With over a decade of experience teaching physical and general chemistry, Dr. Sharma designs inquiry-based curricula that bridge chemical theory with scientific computing. His mentoring is also international in scope; he is currently co-supervising a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, India.

Dr. Sharma has been recognized with CSUMB’s Outstanding Research and Outstanding Teaching Awards and serves as the Chemistry Division Representative for the Council on Undergraduate Research.