Laura Moxey receives Award of Recognition

When Western Engineering researchers walk into a high-stakes meeting with an industry partner or sit down to write a complex partnership grant, there is a good chance Laura Moxey has already smoothed the path in front of them. This year, the Faculty is making sure that quiet, behind-the-scenes work no longer goes unseen.

Laura MoxeyMoxey, Research Officer – Industrial Relationships, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Western Engineering Award of Recognition, which honours faculty and staff whose contributions exceed normal expectations and meaningfully advance the Faculty’s academic, research, service and administrative missions.

For Moxey, the award is recognition of a part of research life that often goes uncredited.

“My work focuses on creating the best conditions for researchers to succeed,” she said. “Even when it isn’t formally credited or listed on a grant, I feel confident that my team, colleagues and the researchers I support recognize the meaningful effort that goes into creating successful research partnerships. Awards like this are an amazing example of recognizing staff contributions.”

Since joining Western Engineering in December 2022, Moxey has supported faculty members in securing more than $10.6 million in NSERC Alliance funding — a flagship federal program that pairs academic researchers with industry, government and community partners. Under her stewardship, Western Engineering’s Alliance success rates have consistently outpaced the national average.

“She possesses a unique combination of skills that make her an essential resource for faculty members to navigate these complex partnership grants,” said Miriam Capretz, associate dean, research. “Her ability to work with industry partners, coupled with her deep understanding of the Alliance program requirements, has helped numerous colleagues develop stronger applications.”

Ask Moxey what she would tell a new research officer starting at Western tomorrow and her answer comes in a single word — followed by an explanation that says a lot about how she works.

“Adaptability. Partnerships are ever-evolving relationships and they take time, patience and flexibility,” she said. “One of the reasons I love partnership grants is because there is always something new to learn.”

Researchers feel the difference

For faculty members preparing proposals on tight deadlines, Moxey’s detail-oriented reviews and strategic feedback have become a benchmark of quality.

“In 2025 alone, I submitted three NSERC proposals worth roughly $1 million. All of them were successful with ‘exceptional’ ratings in the majority of the categories,” said Ayan Sadhu, Canada Research Chair in Smart and Sustainable Civil Infrastructure. “I consider Laura’s outstanding effort to be what made this reality.”

Reza Najafi, associate professor in civil and environmental engineering, points to a recent NSERC Alliance Society proposal — among the first from Western Engineering to advance through internal review — as a turning point made possible by Moxey’s guidance on strategy, partner roles and proposal narrative.

Building the research security playbook

When new federal research security requirements began reshaping how partnership grants are evaluated, with no dedicated security team yet in place at Western, Moxey stepped into the gap, rapidly building expertise to keep pace with the evolving NSERC security landscape. She interpreted evolving expectations, mapped them onto Western’s processes and created practical guidance that researchers could actually use.

When Western’s Office of Research Services hired its first Research Security Officer, Daniel Varona, the foundations were already in place.

“The grant application support processes she shared were not only effective but also adaptable and I found myself reproducing many of her methods in other areas that were still in the process of defining their own research security structures,” Varona said.

A connector across campus

Moxey’s reach extends well beyond Spencer Engineering Building. She works closely with Western’s Strategic Partnerships team, Research Contracts and Research Grant Management & Services to bring complex collaborations to life — including a recent partnership with Goodwill that grew from an early conversation into a competitive joint NSERC Alliance and Mitacs Accelerate package.

“Laura plays a critical role in enabling productive engagement between faculty members and external partners, strengthening relationships and accelerating opportunities that benefit both Engineering and the university more broadly,” said Erin Azzopardi, director of strategic partnerships in Western’s Office of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships.

Service, EDID and a culture of care

Beyond research support, Moxey has volunteered for a broad slate of Faculty service roles — co-chairing the EDID Research & Graduate Subcommittee, serving on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Faculty Social & Wellness Committee, the 2025 Internal Awards Committee and the Professional Development Task Force, and co-leading Western Engineering’s Faculty Family Movie events.

At the May 2025 Strategic Planning Retreat, she led a hands-on exercise that visualized how power and privilege shape the “starting lines” people experience in their careers — a session colleagues praised long after the retreat ended.

“Laura is friendly, honest and direct, creating an environment in which collaboration feels natural and communication is refreshingly transparent,” said Ana Luisa Trejos, Tier-II Canada Research Chair in Wearable Mechatronics and co-chair of the EDID Steering Committee.

For Moxey, recognition is not just personal — it’s something she hopes others in staff roles will claim for themselves.

“Every team member contributes value, regardless of role or responsibilities,” she said. “We typically become overly focused on challenges, but it’s equally important to recognize and celebrate successes, no matter how small. Your perspective matters.”

The Western Engineering Award of Recognition honours up to four faculty or staff each year for outstanding contributions to the Faculty’s academic, research, public service and administrative missions.