H. Christopher Frey Receives 2026 Dixy Lee Ray Award

ASME recognizes the NC State environmental engineering professor for advancing vehicle emissions measurement, environmental modeling, and science-based public policy.

H. Christopher Frey, Ph.D., associate dean for research and Futrell Distinguished University Professor of Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, received the 2026 ASME Dixy Lee Ray Award for pioneering real-world measurement and modeling of vehicle energy use and emissions, advancing methods to quantify variability and uncertainty in environmental models, and translating engineering science into environmental and public health policy.

Established in 1998, the Dixy Lee Ray Award recognizes significant achievements and contributions in environmental protection. Frey’s work has helped transform how transportation emissions are measured and analyzed for regulatory, planning, and health applications.

Frey pioneered the use of portable emissions measurement systems to study vehicle energy use and emissions under real-world operating conditions. His research also provided a conceptual foundation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator, commonly known as MOVES.

From 2022 to 2024, Frey served as the Senate-confirmed assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, where he led the agency’s scientific research enterprise and supported the use of engineering evidence in public decision-making.