ORONO — Mohamad Musavi, senior associate dean and professor of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing at the University of Maine, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Distinguished Maine Professor Award.
Since 1963, the UMaine Alumni Association has presented this honor to a UMaine faculty member who exemplifies the highest qualities of teaching, research and public service. Faculty members widely recognize this award as the most prestigious faculty honor at the university.
Musavi is an internationally recognized scholar, educator and academic leader whose career at UMaine spans more than four decades of sustained excellence. A professor of electrical and computer engineering, he has played a transformative role in strengthening engineering and computing education at UMaine while elevating the university’s research reputation at the state and national levels.
In the late 1980s, long before artificial intelligence and automation became household terms, Musavi helped pioneer early educational and research opportunities that introduced students to foundational knowledge now central to today’s AI-driven world. Many of his students went on to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of AI technologies in industry, research and public-sector organizations.
Musavi’s scholarly contributions span a wide range of high-impact areas, including AI, neural networks, smart grid and power systems, robotics, computer vision and STEM education. He has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 50 externally funded research projects, securing nearly $13 million in support from leading organizations such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy and numerous industry partners. His work has resulted in an extensive publication record with more than 2,700 citations and an h-index of 22, demonstrating the lasting influence of his contributions across multiple disciplines.
Musavi is widely recognized for his profound impact as an educator and mentor. Across his career, he has supervised and supported more than 100 graduate and undergraduate students in research projects — building pipelines of talented engineers, scientists and innovators who now contribute to the workforce in Maine and beyond.
He has developed numerous undergraduate and graduate courses and founded multiple educational and research laboratories, creating hands-on learning environments that allow students to gain real-world experience in emerging technologies.
Musavi’s dedication to professional service has earned him long-standing recognition. He received the 2014 Engineering Service Award and has been a committed advocate for engineering education and outreach throughout the state. He also served as president and board member of the Maine Engineering Promotion Council, helping organize Maine’s annual Engineering Expos, which bring together students, educators and industry partners to promote engineering pathways and innovation.
In addition to his service at the university, Musavi has made a lasting impact on K-12 STEM education, as well as on Maine’s industry and economic development. Working closely with a team of Bangor High School teachers, he helped develop the first STEM Academy in Maine, a program that later became a national model for STEM-focused secondary education.
Through his award-winning SMART Institute, Musavi helped cultivate a generation of student innovators. Alumni from the program have earned national recognition, including achievement in the Intel Science Talent Search and features in National Geographic. For his contributions to strengthening K-12 STEM education, he received theK-12 STEM Literacy Educator-Engineer Partnership Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ U.S. unit (IEEE-USA) in 2014.
Musavi also developed close partnerships with companies across the state, helping expand Maine’s engineering workforce and providing educational opportunities to support industry growth and advanced technical expertise.
A formal presentation of this honor will be made at the UMaine Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Achievement Awards event on Friday, May 1, at the Collins Center for the Arts.
Founded in 1875, the UMaine Alumni Association is a nonprofit organization governed by alumni, serving over 100,000 UMaine alumni worldwide. Its mission is to strengthen UMaine by inspiring lifelong connection, passion and engagement among its alumni community. For more information about the UMaine Alumni Association and its Alumni Achievement Awards event, visit Welcome, Black Bears and Friends! | UMaine Alumni Association.
