Three KCOS faculty serve as University Marshals for commencement
Juan Luis Vivero-Escoto, John Taylor and Kirill Afonin from the Klein College of Science were selected to serve as University Marshals for three of the May 2025 commencement ceremonies.
Faculty are selected for this prestigious role based on their leadership and service to the campus community, and faculty excellence in their teaching and professional achievements.
University Marshals hold the mace and lead the procession of platform guests onto the stage at the start of commencement.
Juan Luis Vivero-Escoto
Juan Luis Vivero-Escoto, professor of chemistry, served as the University Marshal for the doctoral hooding ceremony on Thursday, May 8. Vivero-Escoto serves as director of the UNC Charlotte Center for Innovation, Translational Research and Applications of Nanostructured Systems, CITRANS. In 2024, Vivero-Escoto was awarded the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award, which recognizes mentorship of graduate-level students.
John Taylor
John Taylor, teaching professor of mathematics and statistics, was selected as the University Marshal for the morning ceremony on Saturday, May 10, for the Klein College of Science and College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences undergraduate commencement.
Taylor has taught at UNC Charlotte since 2006, teaching undergraduate and graduate level classes and as a tutor in the Mathematics Learning Center. Taylor, beloved by students and known for his innovative, student-centered approach to teaching mathematics, was a finalist for the UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence in 2024.
Kirill Afonin
Kirill Afonin, professor of chemistry, served as the University Marshal for the master’s degree and graduate certificate ceremony on Saturday, May 10, for the Graduate School.
Since joining UNC Charlotte in 2015, Afonin has received numerous honors and recognitions, including 10 patents, more than 30 research highlights published about his work and dozens of oral presentations and invited talks. He was awarded the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal in 2023 and recently was recognized with the Harshini V. de Silva Gradaute Mentor Award. Afonin is internationally recognized as a leader in RNA nanotechnology, one of the most significant and rapidly evolving fields of science.
