Purpose
The Division of Research & Innovation accepts nominations for the annual Research and Creativity Awards to recognize the accomplishments of faculty members for outstanding achievements in research, scholarship, and creative endeavors. The Research Creativity Awards include: the Research Leadership Award, the Creative Impact Award, the Early Career Award for Research and Creativity, the Teacher Scholar Award, and the Decker Scholar Award.
Submission
Nominations are currently closed. Please check back in 2024 for updates.
Restrictions, Eligibility, Selection Criteria
Open each award tab for a description of each of the nominated awards. Self-nominations will not be considered.
Research Leadership Award
The UNT Research Leadership Award will be given to a full‐time UNT faculty member whose research excellence and leadership at UNT has made substantial contribution to her/his discipline and achieved national/international recognition. Criteria for the award include:
- At least five (5) years at UNT.
- Full‐time tenured/tenure‐track faculty member in good standing at the time of the nomination.
- Has not won the UNT Research Leadership Award in the past three (3) years
- Self‐nominations will not be considered.
- Complete curriculum vitae should include the following information:
- List of the highest affiliations/awards in the discipline and with her/his professional societies/organizations.
- List of graduate students and postdocs mentored and their current positions.
- Names of institutions of doctoral mentees who are now university faculty members, if any and current position
- List up to five (5) publications considered seminal (include citation statistics for any of these that are journal articles).
- Generation of mentees into the discipline.
- Recognition by the faculty member's discipline and national/international achievements.
- Up to 1000 words describing the role and impact of the nominee's seminal work, in language understandable to persons outside the discipline.
Past Winners
2024-Andrey Voevodin, Materials Science and Engineering
2023- Warren Burggren, Biological Sciences
2022- Francis D'Souza, Chemistry
2021 - Wonbong Choi, Materials Science and Engineering
2020 - John Peters, English
2019 - No Nominees
2018 - Jincheng Du, Materials Science and Engineering
2017 - Marco Buongiorno Nardelli, Physics and Chemistry
2016 - Ram Dantu, Computer Science and Engineering
2015 - Armin Mikler, Computer Science and Engineering
2014 - Jane B. Huffman, Teacher Education and Administration
2013 - Thomas R. Cundari, Chemistry
2012 - Nandika D'Souza, Mechanical & Energy Engineering/Materials Science & Engineering
2011 - Angela K. Wilson, Chemistry
2010 - Wes Borden, Chemistry 2
2009 - Kent Chapman, Biological Sciences
Creative Impact Award
The UNT Creative Impact Award will be given to the faculty member whose publications, performances, or exhibitions in the literary or creative arts have had the greatest societal impact. Criteria for the award include:
- At least five (5) years at UNT.
- Full‐time tenured/tenure‐track faculty member in good standing at the time of the nomination.
- Has not won the UNT Creative Impact Award in the past three (3) years.
- Self‐nominations will not be considered.
- Complete curriculum vitae should include the following information:
- List of the highest affiliations/awards in the discipline and with her/his professional societies/organizations.
- List of graduate students and postdocs mentored.
- Names of graduate mentees now prominent in their artistic disciplines, if any.
- List of up to five (5) works (exhibitions, performances, or publications) considered seminal.
- List of artistic/literary achievements considered seminal works in the faculty member's discipline.
- Up to 1000 words describing the impact of the nominee's seminal work, in language understandable to persons outside the discipline.
Past Winners
2024-Kimberly Luevano, Music
2023- Jehanne Dubrow, English
2022- Jon Nelson, Composition Studies
2021- No Nominees
2020 - Bonnie Friedman, English
2019 - Miroslav Penkov, English
2018 - No Nominees
2017 - Matthew Bourbon, Studio Art
2016 - John Holt, Music - Instrumental Studies
2015 - Dornith Doherty, Studio Art
2014 - Bradford Leali, Jazz Studies
2013 - Lynn E. Seaton, Jazz Studies
2012 - Melinda C. Levin, Radio,Television and Film
2011 - Jeffrey D. Bradetich, Music - Instrumental Studies
2010 - Bruce Bond, English
2009 - Harlan W. Butt, Studio Art
Early Career Award for Research and Creativity
The UNT Early Career Award for Research and Creativity will be given to the faculty member within her/his first 10 years in a full‐time faculty appointment whose research accomplishments or creative endeavors have been the most outstanding. Criteria for the award include:
- Within first 10 years in a full‐time faculty appointment.
- Full‐time tenured/tenure‐track faculty member in good standing at the time of the nomination.
- Below the rank of Full Professor.
- Has never won the UNT Early Career Achievement in Research and Creativity Award.
- Self‐nominations will not be considered.
- Complete curriculum vitae should include the following information:
- List of the highest affiliations/awards in the discipline and with her/his professional societies/organizations.
- List of graduate students and postdocs mentored.
- List of up to five (5) works (exhibitions, performances, or publications) considered to have had high impact, and reflecting the establishment of a substantial program of research.
- Up to 1000 words describing the impact of the nominee's work, in language understandable to persons outside the discipline.
Past Winners
2024-Elizabeth Skellam, Chemistry
2023- Lu Liang, Geography
2022- Diana Berman, Materials Science and Engineering
2021 - Rajeev Azad, Biological Sciences
2020 - Ana Alonso, Biological Sciences
2019 - Andres Cisneros, Chemistry & Hassan Takabi, Computer Science and Engineering
2018 - Jill Talbot, English
2017 - Nora Gilbert, English & Alexandra Ponette-Gonzalez, Geography and the Environment
2016 - Jacqueline DeMeritt, Political Science
2015 - Yan Wan, Electrical Engineering
2014 - Miroslav Penkov, English
2013 - Peter C. Collins, Materials Science and Engineering
2012 - Jincheng Du, Materials Science & Engineering
2011 - Guido F. Verbeck, Chemistry
2010 - Pamela A. Padilla, Biological Sciences
2009 - Rada F. Mihalcea, Computer Science and Engineering
Teacher Scholar Award
The UNT Teacher‐Scholar Award will be given to the mid‐career faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in research or creative productivity while also performing in an extraordinary manner as a teacher. Criteria for the award include:
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At least 7 but fever than 16 years in a full-time faculty appointment.
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Full-time faculty member in good standing at the time of nomination.
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Has not previously won the UNT Teacher Scholar Award.
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Does not hold either University Distinguished Teaching Professorship or a University Distinguished Research Professorship.
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Is not a Regents Professor
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Self-nominations will not be considered.
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Complete curriculum vitae that includes:
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List of highest affiliations/awards in the discipline with their professional societies/organizations
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List of courses taught (specify level of each: undergraduate/masters/doctoral).
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List of scholarly/creative products (articles, books, performances, exhibitions, etc.) demonstrating a record of research productivity and scholarly excellence consistent with the standards of the discipline.
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A list of extraordinary teaching as demonstrated by pedagogical innovations (novel course development, development of new teaching methods, teaching of cutting-edge concepts/findings, technology integration, etc).
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If pedagogical innovations developed by the nominee were published or presented to a profressional audience, please include publication or conference location.
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Up to 2000 words describing the impact of the nominee's work, in language understandable to persons outside the discipline. Altought this description should include an overview of the nominee's excellence in research, its focus should be on demonstrating and illustrating the nominee's extraordinary teaching (given that research excellence is more easily inferred from the vitae).
Past Winners
2024-Haley Zettler, Health and Public Service
2023- Kat Aoyama, Speech-Language Pathology
2022- Jeffrey Doty, English
2021 - Laura Siebeneck, Emergency Management and Disaster Science
2020 - Hong Wang, Chemistry
2019 - Brian McFarlin, Kinesiology
2018 - Srinivasan Srivilliputhur, Materials Science and Engineering
2017 - Erin Schafer, Audiology and Speech Language Pathology
2016 - Thomas Scharf, Materials Science and Engineering
2015 - Kelly Donahue-Wallace, Art History
2014 - Guido F. Verbeck, Chemistry
2013 - Lawrence Williams, World Languages, Literatures and Cultures
2012 - Rebecca Dickstein, Biological Sciences
2011 - Pamela E. Harrell, Teacher Education and Administration
2010 - Dee Ray, Counseling 2009 Angela K. Wilson, Chemistry
Decker Scholar Award
Elmer Decker, recipient of an honorary doctorate of science from UNT, established the Decker Scholar Award to recognize research excellence and science and technology at the University of North Texas. The recipient holds the title Decker Scholar and receives the earnings from the endowment during a two-year award period given every other year.
Eligibility
All full-time, tenure-track and tenured faculty members in science and technology. Previous recipients of the Decker Scholar Award are not eligible for nomination for at least four years.
Selection Criteria
Selection will be decided based on the submitted evidence documenting the recipient's research excellence in science and technology.
Selection Committee
The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Research and Innovation will recommend a recipient to the President, based on submitted documentation.
Selection Process
A call for nominees sent out every odd year to all science and technology department chairs. Each chair may submit up to two nominations for faculty from their department. Nominations must include an up-to-date vita and a letter from the chair giving evidence of research excellence. The selection committee will recommend one recipient to the President, based on the submitted documentation. We will announce the recipient at the annual Spring Faculty Success Banquet.
Use of Funds
Award recipients may use designated funds at their discretion to enhance and further their research activities.
Deadline
Nominations are currently closed. Please check back in fall of 2024 for more information.
Past Winners
2024-2026 - Jyoti Shah, Biological Sciences
2021-2023 - Aaron Roberts, Biological Sciences
2019-2021 - Yan Huang, Computer Science and Engineering
2017-2019 - Elias Kougianos, Engineering Technology
2015-2017 - No award presented
2013-2015 - Angela Wilson, Chemistry
2011-2013 - No award presented
2009-2011 - Paolo Grigolini, Physics
2007-2009 - Thomas Cundari, Chemistry
2005-2007 - Zhibing Hu, Physics
2003-2005 - Jeff Kelber, Chemistry
2001-2003 - R. Daniel Mauldin, Mathematics
1999-2001 - Alan Marchland, Chemistry
1997-1999 - Sam Atkinson, Biological Sciences