Excellence in Research Award, 2021
Physics & Astronomy
Joseph Dwyer is a highly recognized researcher in the field of atmospheric and space electricity. He is widely acclaimed for his groundbreaking discoveries in understanding energetic radiation from thunderstorms and lightning, as well as his commitment and success in sharing knowledge and research findings with the broader scientific community and general public.
Joe’s publications are products of exceptional creativity and curiosity, which have made transformational impact in his research field. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers and has a Google scholar H-index of 57, with 32 highly cited papers, each cited over 100 times. One example of his influential papers is a single author paper he published in 2003, which has been cited 360 times. In this study, he discovered that a fundamental physical process can increase the number of energetic particles generated by thunderstorms by more than 10 orders of magnitude. Because of these contributions, he has been recognized by the top honors in the field, including Karl Berger Award (2014), the honor to give AGU Franklin Lecture, and election as AGU Fellow.
Beyond his excellence in research, Joe has also put serious effort into the broadest possible sharing of his knowledge and research skills. He has mentored many students and young investigators via contributing ideas, research tools, and data. Joe is also a resource for the popular media and has done many interviews for high profile outlets such as “Good Morning American” and the New York Times. In many ways, Joe is the public face of the lightning field.
Joe’s work has certainly raised UNH’s research profile and made UNH a stronger institution by contributing to delivering its public mission for excellence in research and outreach.
About this Award
This award acknowledges and honors a member of the UNH faculty who has demonstrated superior creativity and success in his/her research. Research is understood to include activities that result in the generation of new ideas or works of art, the solution of fundamental problems in a particular field, or the discovery of important new facts. This award is based on the quality, originality, and significance of the recipient's scholarly work. Since university faculty are expected to be effective transmitters as well as creators of knowledge, the willingness and ability of the recipient to share knowledge and research skills with colleagues and students should be evident. Each year there will be one Award for Excellence in Research. UNH benefits-eligible faculty members are eligible, except those who have received this award within the last five years.
