Research and Creativity Awards

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:  

• At least 7 but fever than 16 years in a full-time faculty appointment.

• Full-time faculty member in good standing at the time of nomination.

• Has not previously won the UNT Teacher Scholar Award.

• Does not hold either University Distinguished Teaching Professorship or a University Distinguished Research Professorship.

• Is not a Regents Professor

• Self-nominations will not be considered. 

• Complete curriculum vitae that includes:

  • List of highest affiliations/awards in the discipline with their professional societies/organizations

  • List of courses taught (specify level of each: undergraduate/masters/doctoral).

  • 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. 

  • 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).

  • If pedagogical innovations developed by the nominee were published or presented to a profressional audience, please include publication or conference location. 

• 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