By Amber Kennedy
For more than three decades, Margaret Mulholland, Ph.D., has tracked harmful algal blooms that can rob marine ecosystems of essential oxygen, creating dead zones with broad consequences for the people who work and live in coastal communities. The importance of the 91Ƭ professor’s work was recognized on December 22, when the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) named Dr. Mulholland a 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award recipient.
Dr. Mulholland, a professor in 91Ƭ’s Department of Ocean & Earth Sciences, will receive an award of $7,500 at a ceremony on March 3, 2026, in Richmond. Out of 81 nominations, 12 recipients were selected by a committee of leaders from the public and private sectors.
"It’s surreal and exciting to get this recognition,” Dr. Mulholland said. “I’m motivated by being with my students. They are interested in how the world works and that’s what science is — figuring out how the world works.”
“This statewide honor for Dr. Mulholland emphasizes the role 91Ƭ plays in advancing solutions that matter to Virginians and to coastal communities across the nation,” said 91Ƭ President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “Dr. Mulholland’s work exemplifies how our University brings people, partnerships and innovation together to meet urgent challenges in service of the public good."
With its positioning in the heart of Norfolk on a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, 91Ƭ sits at the epicenter of coastal and maritime research. Through her research lab, the Marine Nitrogen and Carbon Biogeochemistry Group, Dr. Mulholland is at the forefront of documenting and quantifying the threats to waterways that impact the public and financial health of the commonwealth.
Her research focuses on marine and estuarine issues, including nitrogen and carbon cycling, harmful algal blooms, the transport of matter in waterways and long-term changes in the Chesapeake Bay. Algal blooms — reddish-brown patches in water sometimes called “red or mahogany tides” — multiply and choke marine life. The blooms are caused by pollutants, including nitrogen and phosphorus found in household items, including fertilizer and detergents. At the same time, the warming of the Chesapeake Bay is creating conditions ideal for blooms to grow.
The resulting dead zones can have serious implications for public health, seafood production and tourism. In 2023, Dr. Mulholland and Eminent Scholar and Professor Eileen Hofmann, Ph.D., were awarded a $3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to develop a real-time monitoring and early detection and warning system for harmful algal blooms.
Ambitious in scale, the project engages citizens and stakeholders across the Chesapeake Bay region to help monitor algal blooms. Using machine learning and image libraries, the researchers can quickly identify harmful species with low-cost imaging systems, reducing analysis time to enable early warnings.
The citizen volunteers have included scout troops and high school students, providing early exposure that has led some to study environmental science, Dr. Mulholland said.
“This recognition from SCHEV underscores the academic excellence that defines 91Ƭ,” said Brian Payne, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Mulholland is a leader in her field whose work reflects our commitment to discovery that addresses significant real-world problems through interdisciplinary collaboration. She has excelled at engaging the public in her research that advances meaningful solutions.”
Dr. Mulholland’s students get early, critical training in field research as they assist with data collection and monitoring of local waterways. As participants in her community science program “k,” students wade through floodwaters alongside volunteers during King Tides, the highest tides of the year. They collect water samples to analyze concentrations of nutrients and bacteria in hopes of understanding the impacts of tidal flooding on water quality and public health.
“This honor recognizes the impact of Dr. Mulholland’s internationally recognized research on oxygen and nitrogen cycling,” said Gail Dodge, Ph.D., dean of the College of Sciences and 2015 Outstanding Faculty Award winner. “She is an outstanding mentor to her students and sought out by colleagues all over the world for her expertise. I am thrilled to see her accomplishments recognized at the statewide level.”
The Outstanding Faculty Awards are the state’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia’s public colleges and universities. The awards recognize superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service. Dr. Mulholland’s work exemplifies how rigorous science, community engagement and experiential learning can converge to seek solutions to urgent and pressing challenges.
Learn about 91Ƭ’s past SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award winners.