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.
Contact your Dean’s Office to submit nominations.
Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity 2024
David G. Allen
Luther Henderson University Chair in Management and Leadership
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
Neeley School of Business
What colleagues say:
- Dr. Allen’s research is highly insightful, theoretically interesting, and methodologically rigorous. He is one of the first names that comes to mind when assembling panels/symposia, searching the literature for recent research, or simply needing perspective on employee turnover and related topics.
- He is a wildly successful, intellectually curious scholar who is always seeking new opportunities to deepen his knowledge.
- David is an outstanding professional colleague—generous with his time and talents, intensely curious about organizational and psychological phenomena, and someone who goes out of his way to help others.
- Prof. Allen has produced a programmatic body of excellent research in the areas of employee retention, recruitment, socialization, and strategic talent management. His work has meaningfully and consistently advanced the field of human resource management.
In his own words:
“I believe that through high-level scholarship I can positively impact student engagement and learning by integrating cutting-edge research into my classes, positively impact TCU’s reputation by publishing in my field’s most prominent journals and taking high-profile leadership roles, and positively impact society by designing work and organizations to be more effective for everyone. While focusing on specific topics related to attracting, onboarding, and retaining talent, my research stream informs some of the most pressing business and societal issues of the day, including diversity, technology, and globalization.”
Taryn Ozuna Allen
Associate Professor of Higher Education Leadership
College of Education
What colleagues say:
- Dr. Allen serves as a model to college faculty, exemplifying the caliber of research and creative activity that TCU is seeking in its quest for R2 strong and beyond. Her decade-long generous mentorship in research and creative activity extends to junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students, most of whom are from underrepresented or minoritized populations.
- Dr. Allen’s equity-minded research centered on college access, transitions, and persistence is a direct contribution to TCU’s effort to increase our national and international research profile.
- Her research offers insightful nuances to college pathways and illuminates the barriers to persistence, particularly for minoritized populations. Her commitment to advising doctoral students contributes to our institutional research profile as well as students’ professional goals.
- Her rich qualitative analyses provide in-depth insights about how different populations, particularly LatinX, experience more academically rigorous settings. She is not afraid to go where the data leads her, even if it counters the conventional wisdom.
In her own words:
“My research agenda is aligned with an overarching goal to understand the experiences of historically minoritized student populations, particularly Latinx students, as they prepare for, transition to, and persist in higher education. I employ qualitative methodologies to investigate the obstacles and opportunities that affect students in their college-going pathway. Thus, my research agenda addresses three interrelated areas: College readiness and access for underrepresented students; college transitions, particularly to high-demand fields like engineering; and persistence and success at four-year colleges and universities. These research streams align with TCU’s commitment to supporting diverse students and fostering equity, inclusion, and belonging.”
Kat Barger
Associate Professor of Astronomy
College of Science & Engineering
What colleagues say:
- Prof. Barger is a distinguished scientist and an exceptional leader in the field of astrophysics, with a remarkable track record of research, mentoring and contributions to the astronomical community.
- Her leadership in a large Hubble Legacy Archive project has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of galactic evolution and star formation processes.
- Students who work alongside Prof. Barger gain valuable research experience, develop critical thinking skills and establish a strong foundation for future careers in research.
- Her imaginative scientific visions, her proven history of funding and executing these ideas, her care in uplifting early career researchers, and her embodiment of collaborative leadership make an impact well beyond any single institution.
In her own words:
“My research group at TCU, which includes students, explores how galaxies interact with their environments to better understand how they evolve. We are deciphering the star formation health and ability of our galaxy and our neighbors. I’m leading an international Hubble Space Telescope project and our ground-breaking research has been featured in major astronomy publications. This is funded through NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. I was awarded $1.1M and am primarily using these funds to cover the personnel costs of my research team, which includes fully funding a three-year postdoctoral fellow and partial support for two graduate students at TCU.”
Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity 2023
Hanan Hammad, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Peter Frinchaboy, College of Science and Engineering
Tee Tyner, harris College of Nursing and 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
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 and 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
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2017
Moved to Spring
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2016
Richard L. Priem, Neeley School of Business
Jo Nell Wells, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Zygmunt Gryczynski, College of Science & Engineering
Nominees
Daxton Stewart, Schieffer College of Communication
JoBeth Jimerson, College of Education
Michael Skinner, College of Fine Arts
Joddy R. Murray, AddRan College of Liberal Arts- Social Sciences
David P. Sandell, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2015
Morgan Swink, Neeley School of Business
John T. Harvey, AddRan College of Liberal Arts- Social Sciences
Darren Middleton, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities
Nominees
Kylo-Patrick Hart, Schieffer College of Communication
Michelle Bauml, College of Education
Brian Clinnin, College of Fine Arts
Jennifer Watson, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Amanda Hale, College of Science & Engineering
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2014
Garry D. Bruton, Neeley School of Business
Christopher Watts, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Mary Volcansek, AddRan College of Liberal Arts- Social Sciences
Nominees
Sarah Quebec Fuentes, College of Education
Till MacIvor Meyn, College of Fine Arts
Alex Lemon, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities
Benjamin Janesko, College of Science & Engineering
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2013
Paul Schrodt, Schieffer College of Communication
Jan Lacina, College of Education
Meena Shah, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Nominees
Robert Leone, Neeley School of Business
Michael Heil, College of Fine Arts
Rebecca Sharpless, AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Social Sciences
Daniel Gil, AddRan College of Liberal Arts -Humanities
Onofrio Annunziata, College of Science & Engineering
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2012
Mark B. Houston, Neeley School of Business
Harriet Cohen, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Susan Ramirez, AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Social Sciences
Nominees
Jan Lacina, College of Education
Gerald Gabel, College of Fine Arts
Charlotte Hogg, AddRan College of Liberal Arts -Humanities
Charles Lord, College of Science & Engineering
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2011
Alan Shorter, College Fine Arts
Manochehr Dorraj, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Social Sciences
Sergei V. Dzyuba, College of Science and Engineering
Nominees
Eric Yorkston, Neeley School of Business
Daxton R. Stewart, Schieffer College of Communication
Jennifer Watson, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Theresa Strouth Gaul, AddRan College of Liberal Arts-Humanities
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2010
Chris Sawyer, Schieffer College of Communication
Steve Woodworth, AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Social Sciences
Jean-Luc Montchamp, College of Science and Engineering
Nominees
Mauricio Rodriguez, Neeley School of Business
Jan Lacina, College of Education
Joseph Butler, College Fine Arts
Suzy Lockwood, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Darren J. N. Middleton, AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Humanities
For a complete list of Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity nominees and honorees from 1986 to present, contact the Provost’s Office.