Outstanding Associate Professor Award, 2025
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Mo’s achievements as a prolific educator and researcher and her tremendous service within the university and environmental engineering profession have earned her the 2025 Outstanding Associate Professor Award. Since 2015, Mo has been an active faculty member in the department of civil and environmental engineering (CEE), where she has made outstanding contributions to both the education and research missions of UNH.
She has developed three sustainability-related courses since joining UNH, that formed the backbone of the sustainability area for civil and environmental engineering majors as well as many other majors, such as ocean engineering and environmental studies. Each year, many students praise Mo’s teaching, noting that her approach strengthens their engineering and scientific foundations, enhances systems-level thinking and develops strong analytical skills, all essential qualities for successful engineers and scientists.
An internationally recognized researcher, Mo is frequently invited to present at global conferences. Her research focuses on enhancing the sustainability of water and energy infrastructure, working to reduce the economic, environmental, and social impacts on society. For her seminal contributions to the field of sustainability, she received UNH’s Platinum Sustainability Award in Faculty Research in 2022. Her publications on the energy-water nexus have received extensive citations from both the research and professional communities, contributing important insights toward developing carbon-neutral water supply and wastewater treatment systems.
A dedicated collaborator, Mo has been instrumental in developing sustainability-focused courses for UNH and conducting research that addresses pressing real-world problems. Nearly all her work connects directly to challenges faced by local communities. She is one of the six founding members and the current vice chair of the public policy section of the International Society of Industrial Ecology (ISIE).
About This Award
The ideal university faculty member is someone whose accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research, and service are prodigious and of the highest quality. He or she is an inspiring, challenging, and effective teacher, whose concern and respect for students is evident both in and out of the classroom. Such a faculty member makes important and extensive contributions to his or her chosen field, and shares those contributions with peers through publication or other appropriate means. Finally, the ideal faculty member willingly and effectively devotes time and energy in useful service to the university, the profession, and the state. The recipients of these awards are those members of the university faculty who, in recent years, have demonstrated these qualities. Each year, two Outstanding Faculty Awards will be given, one each for an assistant and an associate professor. All UNH tenure track faculty members at those ranks are eligible.
