USP Faculty Member Sonia Hassan Joins Boston University as Visiting Researcher

A Proud Moment for the University of Southern Punjab and Pakistan’s Higher Education Community

The University of Southern Punjab (USP), Multan, has expressed immense pride and congratulations on the selection of Ms. Sonia Hassan, Senior Lecturer at USP, as a Visiting Researcher at the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) in the United States. The prestigious opportunity is a significant international recognition of Ms. Hassan’s academic and research contributions and highlights the growing global presence of the University of Southern Punjab, Multan’s faculty members.

Welcoming Ms. Hassan to its research community, the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability announced her appointment for the new school year. It described her as a PhD researcher in Finance at the Institute of Banking & Finance, Bahauddin Zakariya University, and as a senior lecturer at the University of Southern Punjab with more than 15 years of experience. According to her profile at the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability, Ms. Hassan’s research focuses on energy economics, energy poverty, sustainable finance, environmental and climate economics, and the broader relationship among energy, sustainability, and economic development. Her doctoral research examines how national wealth, tourism development, and environmental and financial variability influence energy poverty, with particular attention to the moderating role of economic and energy policy uncertainty. Her broader research agenda encompasses energy finance, sustainable development, tourism and sustainability, and development economics.

Ms. Hassan has also published peer-reviewed research on energy poverty, policy uncertainty, climate and environmental variability, green fiscal policy, and sustainable finance and banking. Her recent research, published in Energy Policy, examines the relationship between energy poverty and wealth under economic and energy policy uncertainty.

The Rector of the University of Southern Punjab, Multan, Pakistan, Professor Emeritus Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, congratulated Ms. Sonia Hassan on this significant international academic achievement and said that her selection as a Visiting Researcher at Boston University was a matter of great pride for the University.

Ms. Sonia Hassan’s appointment as a Visiting Researcher at the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability is a remarkable recognition of her dedication to teaching, research, and academic excellence. It also reflects the quality and potential of our faculty at the University of Southern Punjab.

The Rector further noted that the University of Southern Punjab has already recognized Ms. Hassan for her academic excellence.

“It is particularly gratifying to note that Ms. Sonia Hassan is also a recipient of the University of Southern Punjab’s Teaching Excellence Award. Her achievement demonstrates that excellence in teaching and research can go hand in hand. Her international research engagement at Boston University will further enrich her academic journey and contribute to our University’s research culture.”

The Chairman of the Board of Governors, the Director General/Registrar, the Director of International Programs, and the Director of Finance extended their heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Sonia Hassan on her selection for this prestigious opportunity. They appreciated her longstanding commitment to teaching, research, and academic development. They expressed confidence that her international research experience at Boston University would further enhance the recognition of both Ms. Hassan and the University of Southern Punjab.

Her appointment also underscores the importance of creating an academic environment that encourages faculty members to pursue advanced research, international collaboration, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

According to the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Ms. Hassan’s research at Boston University is timely, as energy poverty, energy security, climate change, and sustainable development are increasingly interconnected global challenges. Her work seeks to understand these relationships through the lens of economics and finance, with relevance for developing economies.

Her engagement with the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability offers an opportunity to exchange ideas with international researchers and to contribute to global conversations about sustainable and inclusive development.

For the University of Southern Punjab, the appointment is more than an individual faculty achievement. It reflects the University's ongoing efforts to advance high-quality teaching, impactful research, faculty development, and international academic engagement.

The University of Southern Punjab wishes Ms. Sonia Hassan every success in her research journey at Boston University. It looks forward to her continued contributions to the University, to Pakistan's higher education sector, and to the global sustainability research community.

Congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Sonia Hassan on this distinguished international academic opportunity.