The University of Texas at Dallas  |
| August 19, 2022 |
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a deep sense of sadness that I am writing to let you know that one of our most esteemed scientists and beloved colleagues, Dr. Aage Møller, died last night after a several month illness.
Aage joined The University of Texas at Dallas in 1997 as tenured Full Professor in the School of Human Development (now Behavioral and Brain Sciences) and Margaret Fonde Jonsson Endowed Professor. This appointment was made by Dr. Bert Moore, Dean of the School, Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Franklyn Jenifer, President.
Aage came to UT Dallas from the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, where he had already gained international acclaim for his work in neurophysiology, particularly related to the evaluation and treatment of disorders of the cranial nerves, with special emphasis on the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII). He is generally credited with originating the use of neurophysiological monitoring during neurosurgical procedures, and published the first articles and monographs on intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. His first book, Evoked Potentials in Intraoperative Monitoring (Williams and Wilkins, 1988) was followed by a second, Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring (Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995), which is in its third edition and is still widely used.
At UT Dallas, not only did he continue his highly productive scientific career but also helped develop our program in neuroscience, now a full-fledged Department of Neuroscience, where he has been among its most active and admired teachers. He is beloved by many generations of UT Dallas students, and by his colleagues. He was selected to receive the President’s Teaching Excellence award in 2010, and gave the first Distinguished Lecture in Behavioral and Brain Sciences in 2011. He has been nominated for the Regent’s Outstanding Teaching Award from The University of Texas system. At the age of 90, Aage was still teaching almost 500 undergraduate students per semester, with student evaluations at the very highest level.
An exceptional scholar and researcher, Aage published two dozen books, over 200 peer-reviewed articles, and over 100 book chapters. He was the founding editor of the international journal Hearing Research, which is now among the most impactful journals in the world in investigations of hearing. He is a fellow of the Acoustic Society of America and honorary fellow of the Physikalisch-Medicinische Societat (Physical Medicine Society) in Germany and the Società Italiana di Audiologia e Foniatria (Society of Audiology and Phoniatrics) in Italy.
On a personal note, I was a junior faculty member in neurology when Aage was a senior professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and walked many times past the laboratory of the famous Drs. Aage and Margareta Møller. Although our paths occasionally crossed, I was pretty intimidated to create any relationship. That changed considerably in Dallas, when I was named the Aage and Margareta Møller Distinguished Professor, and learned about his remarkable career in preparation to thank him for this opportunity at my induction ceremony. His contributions included not only science and education, but he also made generous philanthropic contributions to the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, including my own chair.
Dr. Aage Møller was our most distinguished neuroscientist and our most beloved colleague. We will miss him greatly. At a later date as a community, we will arrange an event to recall and celebrate his remarkable life and accomplishments.
Best wishes,
Steven Small
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