Image by Ed Brennen
Political Science Professor Ardeth Thawnghmung, center, accepts the 2025 Distinguished University Professor award from Chancellor Julie Chen, right, and Provost Joe Hartman.
Political Science Professor Ardeth Thawnghmung arrived at the Chancellor’s suite at University Crossing prepared to talk about one of her favorite subjects: community engagement.
Instead, she was surprised with news that left her momentarily speechless: that she is UMass Lowell’s 2025 Distinguished University Professor.
“I thought this award was for people who win millions and millions of dollars in grants; I never thought it would be for me,” Thawnghmung said humbly of the honor, which is given annually to a tenured full professor for outstanding contributions to research, education and service to the university community.
Thawnghmung is one of the world’s leading scholars of politics in her native Myanmar (formerly Burma). Her work explores how social, political and economic forces have shaped modern Myanmar, including how people respond to conflict and political change.
Since joining UMass Lowell in 2004, she has received two Fulbright research fellowships, a grant from the United States Institute of Peace and dozens of invitations to speak around the world. She has also been elected twice to the Southeast Asian Council of the Association for Asian Studies and has served as a consultant for several international organizations.
Image by Ed Brennen
Political Science Professor Ardeth Thawnghmung reacts as she walks into a surprise Distinguished University Professor ceremony at University Crossing.
“The opportunities you have created for students from Myanmar, and the work you do both in the community and here at UMass Lowell, show how one person truly can make the world better,” Chen said.
College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Sue Kim noted that in addition to being “an excellent scholar, teacher and mentor,” Thawnghmung was a unifying force as chair of the Political Science Department from 2013 to 2021.
Political Science Associate Professor Angélica Durán-Martínez, who nominated Thawnghmung for the award, said her humility and continual growth as a scholar have long inspired her.
“You never look for the spotlight or seek recognition, and it’s humbling to see you do that,” Durán-Martínez said to Thawnghmung.
Beyond campus, Thawnghmung has become a leader in Lowell’s Southeast Asian and refugee communities. She founded the SayDaNar Community Development Center, a nonprofit that supports Burmese refugees, and has supervised dozens of UML students as interns and volunteers.
She has also mentored a growing cohort of doctoral students from Myanmar in the university’s Global Studies program.
Image by Ed Brennen
Ardeth Thawnghmung, left, addresses her colleagues after learning she is UML's 2025 Distinguished University Professor.
Thawnghmung, who holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is the 18th UML professor to receive the award since it was established in 2008, and the fifth from the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Thawnghmung’s three-year term as Distinguished University Professor will run through 2028. She joins current honorees Supriya Chakrabarti (physics, 2024-2027) and Sandra Lim (English, 2023-2026). Thawnghmung will deliver the Distinguished University Professor Lecture on campus next spring.
For now, though, she is still processing the surprise.
“I don’t think I deserve it, because I’m just doing the things I love doing,” she said. “I have great colleagues and great superiors, and I really enjoy learning from them. I’m grateful to the university for letting me pursue my passion. I enjoy every second of being here.”