Nguyen wins AGU GeoHealth Section Award

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Professor Helen Nguyen has won the 2025 AGU GeoHealth Section Award. This award is given annually to a mid- to senior career scientist in recognition of exceptional achievements to better the quality of human well-being through integration of geoscience with health sciences.

AGU, the world's largest Earth and space science association, celebrates individuals and teams through its annual Honors and Recognition program for their accomplishments in research, education, science communication, and outreach. These honorees have transformed our understanding of the world, impacted our everyday lives, improved our communities and contributed to solutions for a sustainable future.

“Nguyen is not just a scientist—she is a force of nature,” the award citation reads. “She has carved out a commanding presence at the intersection of geosciences, microbiology, and public health. Her work is not incremental—it is disruptive, visionary, and unapologetically ambitious.”

The citation specifically notes Nguyen’s leadership in wastewater-based epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic and the global impact of her research, through multiple Fulbright Fellowships, a Trinity Challenge Grand Prize and international recognition for AMR solutions to livestock farming, as among her impactful contributions to the field.

“Nguyen’s research has redefined how we understand and respond to environmental health threats,” the citation continues. “From tracking pathogens in water systems to decoding the genetic fingerprints of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), she has built a scientific arsenal that communities now rely on to combat disease.”

In service to the GeoHealth Section, Nguyen additionally holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of AGU’s GeoHealth journal, bringing an interdisciplinary mindset that has encouraged exchange of bold ideas between engineers, geoscientists, microbiologists and epidemiologists since her appointment to the role in 2023.

Nguyen joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Grainger College in November 2006, where she is an Ivan Racheff Professor of Environmental Engineering. Alongside her research, she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in environmental engineering with an emphasis on physico-chemical processes for water and wastewater treatments. 

AGU Honorees will be recognized at AGU25, which will convene in New Orleans, Louisiana on 15-19 December 2025. Reflecting the theme 'Where Science Connects Us' at AGU25, the Honors Reception will recognize groundbreaking achievements that illustrate science's continual advancement, inspiring the AGU community with their stories and successes.