Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity

The Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity honors full-time, tenure-track faculty who have produced the highest quality research or creative activity over the last several years. It is one of the highest honors bestowed to faculty at the university level. Annually in the spring, each school and college submits one nominee, with AddRan College of Liberal Arts submitting two, one from Humanities and one from Social Sciences. From among the hundreds of full-time, tenure-track faculty at TCU, it is a notable honor to be nominated. Nominees are reviewed and honorees are selected by consensus of all academic deans and announced each spring.

 

Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity 2025

Michael Faggella-Luby
Professor of Special Education
College of Education

Dr. Faggella-Luby is a recognized national and international researcher in the field of education for individuals with disabilities. He has received nearly $1.2 million in grant funding in the past year.

“My research is dedicated to advancing access, services, and outcomes for individuals with disabilities, with a focus on literacy interventions, postsecondary education, and technology applications,” Dr. Faggella-Luby says. “My work is grounded in multi-university and interdisciplinary collaborations bridging theory to practice, ensuring that it not only contributes to academic discourse but also drives meaningful change in classrooms and professional settings.”

Colleagues say that his accomplishments are the result of his “hard work, creative ways of identifying and addressing research-based issues in the field, and his extraordinary collaboration skills.” Many of his citations include graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, which “is indicative of his commitment to teach and mentor the next generation of researchers.”

 

Emily Lund
Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences

Dr. Lund’s research focuses on remediating early language and literacy deficits in children who use hearing aids and cochlear implants. Up to 15 percent of children in the U.S. have some hearing loss by the time they are 18 years old. Even a mild loss during early childhood has a significant the impact on literacy.

Colleagues say that Dr. Lund is “not only an exceptional mentor in scientific excellence—guiding students, graduate students, and faculty in scholarship and grantsmanship—but also a pillar of support and inspiration. Her influence extends far beyond her research.” They say her work has “challenged the assumption that cochlear implants would lead to language performance in the average range for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.” “She has significantly enhanced the reputation of TCU’s research and training programs in the field of speech-language pathology, bringing substantial recognition to the university.”

Dr. Lund was awarded a $3.7 million Leadership Personnel Development training grant that funds nine Ph.D. students across three institutions in the field of speech-language pathology.

 

Anton Naumov
Associate Professor of Biophysics
College of Science & Engineering

Dr. Naumov develops and characterizes nanomaterials for possible use in drug delivery and imaging for a low-cost, portable and widely available cancer diagnostic and therapeutic solution.

His department chairs says that the “research capability of his lab has grown tremendously. Not only is his research at the cutting edge of biophysics, but his lab is a training ground for students.”

Dr. Naumov has established a one-of-a-kind laboratory with near-infrared spectrally-resolved microscopy and animal imaging capabilities, the only one in Texas. Near-infrared imaging penetrates through the layers of biological tissue and enables non-invasive molecular diagnostics. “I have discovered and developed new imaging tool that can detect cancer and neurodegenerative disease biomarkers. This solution grew into a stand-alone scientific area further explored by scientists all over the world, while my lab became a nationally and internationally recognized leader and innovator in this field.”

 

Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity 2024

David G. Allen, Neeley School of Business
Taryn Ozuna Allen, College of Education
Kat Barger, College of Science & Engineering

2024 Nominees
Emily Farris, AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Social Sciences
Mary K. Twis, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Suki John, College of Fine Arts
Charlotte Hogg, AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Humanities
Liang (Lindsay) Ma, Bob Schieffer College of Communication

 

Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity 2023

 

 

 

 

Hanan Hammad, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Peter Frinchaboy, College of Science & Engineering
Tee Tyler, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences

2023 Nominees
John Bizjak, Neeley School of Business
Michael Faggella-Luby, College of Education
Suki John, College of Fine Arts
Kelly McCormick, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Qinghua Yang, Bob Schieffer College of Communication

 

Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2022

Aesha John – Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Endia Lindo – College of Education
Adam McKinney – College of Fine Arts

2022 Nominees for Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity
Audra Boone, Neeley School of Business
Sage Elwell, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Tricia Jenkins, Bob Schieffer College of Communication
Michael Strausz, AddRan College of Liberal Arts

 

Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2021

Gregg Cantrell, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Sarah Quebec-Fuentes, College of Education
Sarah Hill, College of Science & Engineering

Nominees
Joshua Bentley, Bob Schieffer College of Communication
Shana Clor-Proell, Neeley School of Business
Lori Diel, College of Fine Arts
Joseph Darda, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Meena Shah, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences

 

Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2020

Greg Friedman, College of Science & Engineering
Abbie Shipp, Neeley School of Business
Williams Gibbons, College of Fine Arts

Nominees
Julie O’Neil, Schieffer College of Communication
Sarah Quebec Fuentes, College of Education
James Petrovich, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Hanan Hammad, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Social Sciences
David Moessner, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities

 

Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2019

Ryan A. Krause, Neeley School of Business
Melita Garza, Schieffer College of Communication
Kayla N. Green, College of Science & Engineering

Nominees
Michael Faggella-Luby, College of Education
Penny Ayn Maas, College of Fine Arts
Emily Lund, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Alex R. Lemon, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities
Vanessa Bouché, AddRan College of Liberal Arts- Social Sciences

 

Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2018

Catherine Coleman, Schieffer College of Communication
Nina Martin, College of Fine Arts
Max Krochmal, AddRan College of Liberal Arts- Social Sciences

Nominees
David S. Preston, Neeley School of Business
Robin Griffith, College of Education
Danielle M. Brimo, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Blake Hestir, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities
John M. Holbrook, College of Science & Engineering

 

For a complete list of Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity nominees and honorees from 1986 to present, contact the Provost’s Office.