By Jay Robb (he/him), communications manager
Mayu Nishimura’s journey to earning a 2026 President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning got off to inauspicious start.
In Grade 12, Nishimura signed up for a co-op placement. All her friends had opted instead to take electives. “That would’ve been easier but I took my teacher at their word when they promised that co-ops are excellent learning opportunities.”
Nishimura had always liked helping children. “So I asked to work with kids. I had no interest in education though. I had favourite teachers but I also recognized that their jobs looked tough so I never aspired to be one myself.”
Today, she’s a teaching-stream assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior.
She spent her high school co-op working as a teaching aide in a kindergarten class at an elementary school for students with special needs. “I’m grateful to my parents who reworked their schedules so I could borrow their car and drive 20 minutes every day to the school.”
On her first day, Nishimura was told to help out however she wanted. She decided to focus on three students who were struggling to pay attention and get involved in class activities. “The teacher seemed happy – grateful even – to have me guide them one-on-one.”
The three students initially didn’t appreciate the extra one-on-one attention. One of the students would yell at Nishimura in Italian before running away and making a beeline to pull the fire alarm. The second student refused to use sign language around Nishimura while the third student would lash out whenever he was bored and not feeling challenged in class.
Nishimura didn’t bail on her placement or give up on the kids. In return, they helped her find her calling and develop an award-winning approach to teaching.
“Working with these children taught me to be patient and to find the right approach through trial and error. Despite their differences, they all gave me a triumphant smile whenever they accomplished something they couldn’t do before.
“This is what I love about teaching – the messiness of finding the right approach and the smiles I see when we’ve accomplished something special.”
The trial and error approach she first discovered in the kindergarten class continues to serve Nishimura well at McMaster. While no undergrad has yet to yell at her in Spanish and storm off, delivering a lecture to 300 students is not without its challenges.
“I teach students who fell in love with psychology on day one of Intro Psych, students who are curious but have no intention of working in psychology, and students who are taking my course because they have to but wish they didn’t and would rather be somewhere else. Every year I challenge myself to win over more students through an iterative approach.”
So she spends her summers reflecting on what worked and what to improve for the upcoming year. “It’s a never-ending cycle of observe, predict, test, reflect and revise.”
Not every revision’s a hit yet Nishimura says students will put up with misses if they trust you and know that your intentions are good.
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Even when the worst happens, it’ll still be a good learning moment for you and your students. Now, you won’t make mistakes if you stick to the textbook. But a student who says they should’ve skipped the lecture and just read the textbook is, for me, the absolute worst feedback I could possibly get.”
Part of Nishimura’s offseason revisions include changing up the stories that lead off all her lectures.
Some stories are drawn from whatever’s making news or trending on social media. Others are personal stories or ones that were told to Nishimura when she was an undergrad at Queen’s and a grad student at McMaster. All of the stories aim to inspire, grab and hold attention and drive home the relevance and impact of the science and the research that Nishimura’s teaching and students are learning.
“I love stories. All of my favourite profs were excellent storytellers. I always looked forward to their lectures. I couldn’t wait to hear what they’d tell me next.”
One of those standout professors was Kang Lee who taught first-year psychology. “Dr. Lee was a great storyteller and very, very funny. He has a great TED Talk on how children lie. I loved every minute of his section on developmental psychology. I realized I wanted to learn more about why children think and behave the way they do. And that set me in my path to getting my bachelor’s and then my PhD in psychology.”
While other PhD students dreamed of running big labs, doing groundbreaking research and winning Nobel Prizes, Nishimura had a different aspiration.
Instead of doing the research, she wanted to put her passion for science communication and storytelling to work in explaining research and getting big audiences interested in learning how our brains work and why we behave the way we do. “Talking with diverse groups of people and piquing their interest in science, that’s what makes me happy.”
So that’s what she started doing in 2020, teaching six undergrad psychology courses to upwards of 1,200 McMaster students every year.
Teaching remains as messy as ever and Nishimura wouldn’t have it any other way. “Teaching requires constant work. But when the spark of interest on a student’s face shines through the mess, I know the effort was totally worth it.”
Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior assistant professor Mayu Nishimura was nominated for the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning by department chair Mel Rutherford, with letters of support from former students, a community partner and a colleague. The award – the highest honour for teaching excellence at McMaster – recognizes the sustained contributions of an individual or group to education through innovation, continued excellence in teaching and enhanced student learning.
“Dr. Nishimura has demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching, curriculum innovation and educational leadership. Her work reflects McMaster’s values of inclusive, student-centred education and has had a measurable impact on student learning.”
“A good instructor has an organized curriculum and can explain things clearly to students. If Mayu’s teaching principles were organized in a hierarchy, clear and organized is simply the necessary foundation—not the end goal. Atop this foundation, Mayu makes her courses accessible and engaging. The typical hour with Dr. Mayu involves class demonstrations, live demos, interesting video clips, and opportunities for discussion among peers. Mayu meets students at their level, and works hard to show that she values the time and energy they spend on her courses.”
“Professor Nishimura’s pedagogical approach effectively bridges theory and practice, preparing students to engage thoughtfully with complex systems while acquiring transferrable skills to prepare them for future careers, as well as contributing tangible value to community partners. Her work exemplifies excellence in experiential learning, academic mentorship, and social impact.”
“When I have a pedagogical problem I need to solve, or a new teaching strategy I want to try, Mayu is the first person I want to discuss it with. She is imaginative and dedicated to the process of teaching and learning. She understands that good teachers are always doing several things at once: they are teaching the materials, yes, but they are also teaching a way of thinking, and a set of skills students can use beyond their university lives. Mayu shares with me an enthusiasm for solving pedagogical puzzles, and she encourages me to be brave – like her – in choosing my solutions.”
“Professor Nishimura is able to challenge students while also making them feel capable and supported. She always recognized if our class was struggling with specific skills, and did a great job at preparing her lessons accordingly. I always felt like Dr. Nishimura had my back as a teacher, and that she taught with intention and flexibility in order to meet our needs as her students. Over time, her guidance helped me grow more confident in my skills. When I reached the end of my undergrad, I knew I could handle any new challenge that came my way.”
“Dr. Mayu Nishimura is an exceptional leader whose adaptive pedagogical approach drives transformative change in education. She embodies the rare intersection of a rigorous scientist and a transformative educator. Most importantly, she is an incredible mentor and the catalyst for my professional identity. I regularly find myself emulating her methods and applying the lessons I learned in her classroom to support the next generation of students. Dr. Mayu instilled in me a lifelong love of learning and the courage to ask difficult questions while challenging the status quo.”
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