University of New Orleans engineering professor Malay Ghose Hajra will receive the 2018 Faculty Professionalism Award from the Louisiana Engineering Society at a luncheon that will be hosted by organization early next year in Lafayette.

The award is presented annually to one engineering faculty member from each university in Louisiana with accredited engineering programs. According to the Louisiana Engineering Society, this recognition aims to highlight and encourage professional licensure among engineering faculty at each campus.

“The University of New Orleans offers the only civil, electrical and mechanical engineering programs in New Orleans, and we are fortunate to have faculty members like Malay who help us maintain high standards for our programs and our students,” said Emir Macari, dean of the UNO College of Engineering.

Ghose Hajra, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, earned his doctorate from Kansas State University. His research interests include soil mechanics, geo-environmental engineering and coastal restoration. He serves as graduate coordinator for UNO’s graduate certificate program in coastal engineering. Among his current applied research endeavors is a project funded by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and managed by the Water Institute of the Gulf to study the strengths of different coastal soils, which could lead to better understanding of how different marsh types withstand erosion. Earlier this month, he was elected president of the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.