Outstanding Faculty Award - Associate Professor, 2019
Chemistry
Materials Science
Dr. Gonghu Li is the quintessential teacher-scholar, excelling in teaching, research and service. In his chemistry courses, students describe him as amazing, clear, effective, organized, enthusiastic, engaging and just plain “awesome.” Dr. Li’s research focuses on aspects of sustainability. He works to reduce carbon dioxide through the design and study of catalysts that enable solar energy to convert CO2 to liquids. His research has practical and fundamental implications, and both are funded by the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Energy. He has published some 50 research papers in leading journals. He and his students have presented at prestigious international meetings.
For a professor of Dr. Li’s caliber, teaching and research are not separate entities. They are one and the same. Dr. Li has mentored 15 undergraduates, including five that completed rigorous senior theses. He’s nominated many of his undergrads for prestigious awards, and they have collectively received a remarkable 22 such awards!
Dr. Li planned and implemented a chemistry and sustainability lecture series, inviting 15 experts to UNH to present research, discuss sustainability, meet with students and learn about sustainability efforts at UNH. These talks, entirely conceived by Dr. Li, were held over several years and helped to raise national awareness of UNH and its role in sustainability.
Finally, I must note that Gonghu Li is one of the kindest, most modest human beings I know. He quietly but profoundly improves the lives of those around him through his hard work, his passion, his dedication to students and his humility.
188体育app_188体育在线-平台官网 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.
