SoCEE is proud to announce that Dr. Marina Astitha has been selected as an Eversource Energy Professor in Environmental and Sustainability Education. This distinguished three-year appointment, conferred by the UConn College of Engineering, recognizes early- to mid-career faculty who exemplify excellence in research, innovation in teaching, and service to the profession and broader community.
Dr. Astitha, an Associate Professor in SoCEE, is internationally recognized for her contributions to atmospheric and environmental sciences. She leads UConn’s Atmospheric and Air Quality Modeling Group, where her research is at the forefront of integrating physics-based modeling with artificial intelligence and machine learning to address critical challenges in atmospheric science, extreme storms, renewable energy, and climate resilience. Her work supports a wide range of interdisciplinary applications. Reflecting on her appointment, Dr. Astitha shared
I am deeply honored to be named an Eversource Energy Professor in Environmental and Sustainability Education by the University of Connecticut College of Engineering. This recognition is a testament to the collective efforts of my students, collaborators, and colleagues who share my passion for advancing research and education in environmental engineering. I am grateful to the Eversource Energy Center and the College of Engineering for their support and for fostering an environment where excellence, creativity, and service are valued. This Professorship will further empower me to pursue transformative research, mentor the next generation of engineers and scientists, and promote sustainability through education and outreach.
The Eversource Energy Professorship was established to acknowledge young faculty whose scholarship and leadership place them at the forefront of their field. Candidates are nominated by their departments or submit self-nominations, and are evaluated by a selection committee based on research productivity and impact, instructional innovation, and professional service. Only two faculty members in the College of Engineering hold the title at any given time.
In addition to her research, Dr. Astitha is deeply committed to education innovation and student success. She has taught core undergraduate and graduate courses with her teaching consistently receiving outstanding evaluations (instructor scores of 5.0/5.0 over the past five years), and she has been honored with the C.R. Klewin, Inc. Excellence in Teaching Award four times. Dr. Astitha is a Neuroinclusive Teaching Fellow, with a Certificate from the Winter Institute for STEM faculty in Building Neuroinclusive Learning Environments at UConn in 2024, and a faculty Career Champion with UConn’s Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills since 2022, promoting the implementation of strength-based learning, inclusive practices, and career readiness in the engineering classroom. Her leadership has strengthened SoCEE’s mission of advancing solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Astitha on this exceptional honor. Her appointment as Eversource Energy Professor is a testament to her scholarly excellence and her dedication to impactful, forward-thinking environmental education.
For more details on UConn’s partnership with Eversource, click here.
