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ResearchAwards & Opportunities

 Please note that some dates are subject to change. Change announcements will be distributed in a timely manner.

CAS Deadline: September 2026

Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award
  • CAS Deadline: September 15, 2026
  • Description:
    • The Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Awards are designed to recognize outstanding research, scholarship, and creative activity of faculty members in the developmental stages of their careers. Established in 2001, the Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Awards are given to individuals who exemplify research excellence throughout the year. These are the highest honors given by the Texas Tech University System to faculty members at its component institutions. Winners of these awards have significantly advanced research efforts and are noted as leaders among colleagues and in their respective fields.
  • Apply:
  • More Information:
  •  
Horn Professorship

CAS Deadline: October 2026

Faculty Development Leave
  • CAS Deadline: October 1, 2026
  • Description:
    • A Faculty Development Leave is a university-approved leave opportunity that allows faculty members to focus on significant professional development activities, such as research, scholarly writing, study, or other academic endeavors, with the goal of advancing their expertise and benefiting both the faculty member and Texas Tech University.
  • Eligibility:
    • A faculty member who has completed five academic years as a member of the faculty of Texas Tech and received tenure. Following a faculty development leave, faculty must accrue another four academic years before they are eligible to apply again.
    • Faculty members at all ranks of non-tenure-acquiring positions (lecturers, professors of practice, research professors, visiting professors) are not eligible for faculty development leave.
  • Apply:
  • More Information:
President’s Faculty Book Award
Undergraduate Research Experience Award
  • CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
  • Description:
    • Arts & Sciences in conjunction with the Texas Tech Center for Transformative Undergraduate Experiences (TrUE) is pleased to announce the Undergraduate Research Experience Program. This funding opportunity is designed to support hands-on research experiences for undergraduate students while they work on their own or their A&S faculty mentors’ research projects.
  • Eligibility:
    • This program, which is open to CAS undergraduate students (e., the students need to have an Arts & Sciences major) and allows for funding for up to two such student assistants per faculty member.
    • College of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Academy - CASURA Membership: Apply HERE.
  • Award:
    • Funds are to be used for students’ research expenses (up to $1,500), which may include equipment/material purchases, subject payments, support for conference travel for the student to present their work (faculty travel support is not allowed), and/or an hourly stipend to the student.
    • Faculty mentors receive $500 of dedicated funding in support of research and material costs.
  • Deliverables:
    • As a condition of accepting these funds, during the year of the award, participating students are asked to present their research either at the TTU Undergraduate Research Conference (spring), which is held on-campus (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/true/), or at some other suitable event.
  • Procedure:
  1. A College of Arts & Sciences faculty member identifies/meets with an undergraduate student who is a strong candidate to benefit from research experience or scholarly engagement.
  2. Upon agreement between the parties, the faculty mentor emails a completed application (see Application for Undergraduate Research Experience) to the Arts & Sciences Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship.
  3. Arts & Sciences Research Support Staff review and rank the applications.
  4. The awardees are notified by the Arts & Sciences Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship.
  5. Award funding will go directly to a departmental research account of the faculty mentor for distribution.
  6. Funding must be spent by end of May in the same fiscal year (5/2027).
CAS Book Development Lab
  • CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
  • Description: Book proposals will be selected for funding and efforts to develop the proposal into a completed book manuscript. The list below outlines the criteria for a book proposal and should be used to determine the suitability of the book proposal for the CAS Book Development Lab program, including:
  1. Proposed book title.
  2. A summary of the contribution of the work. In other words, what makes this book important? How is this book unique in terms of available publications? Please be sure to identify the basic question(s) that your book will address.
  3. The table of contents. Remember that your chapter titles should not be abstracts but, rather, should concisely reflect the associated content and align with the logical flow of the book.
  4. Chapter abstracts. A statement regarding each chapter’s scope & arguments.
  5. Author Information. An up-to-date C.V. should be submitted for each author/editor.
  6. Target audience. Please describe the expected readership of your book. Include reference to whether your book reports the results of research, a synthetic analysis, a textbook, or mixed approach.
  7. Estimated length of the entire work in words or double-spaced manuscript pages (if the latter include a sample page), as well as the anticipated number of figures, tables, photographs (color, black/white), etc.
  8. Expected manuscript completion date and a description of the currently available material (ready for review).
  • Eligibility:
    • The book that will be selected for this program will be peer-reviewed. As is the case with many university publishers, we will proceed with peer-review only if your manuscript is under review with us exclusively, that is, only if it is not being considered by a publisher. If we are having your manuscript peer-reviewed, we have already committed to the concept of the project and believe feedback will be valuable; meaning, if the results of the peer-review process are positive, we will proceed with assisting in locating a publisher to formally submit your book manuscript. We are happy to discuss ideas before you submit a formal proposal.
  • Criteria:
  • Apply:
CAS Research Advancement Program (RAP) – Red & Black
  • CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
  • Description:
    • The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to fostering excellence in all aspects of research, scholarly, and creative endeavors. To support our faculty members’ pursuit of excellence in their research and scholarship, we are pleased to announce the 2024-2025 cycle of the CAS Faculty Research Advancement Program (RAP)—a internal funding opportunity, sponsored by Arts & Sciences, that provides financial support to the college’s faculty to increase productivity and external proposal submissions.
  • Eligibility:
    • All full-time faculty members in the CAS, including tenure-track/tenured faculty members, professors of practice, lecturers, and instructors, are invited to apply. Applications must articulate how the project, for which funding is requested, aligns with the faculty member’s position and role at Texas Tech. Preference will be given to applicants without remaining startup funds, especially those at the Assistant and Associate level. Applications are evaluated with regard to merit, clarity, persuasiveness, need, and potential outcomes. In addition, applications should address the impact of the proposed research, how it will promote the faculty’s research agenda, and how it aligns with Texas Tech’s strategic research initiatives.
  • Award Categories:
    • Two categories are used to allocate funding. The first tier, Faculty RAP—Red, consists of awards of up to $3,000. The second category, Faculty RAP—Black, consists of awards above $3,000, but no more than $10,000. Requested amounts may differ from the amount awarded
    • In both cases, these awards serve as internal funding opportunities whose goals will be to support research-related and scholarly activities, as well as to catalyze collaborations, external awards, and a more visible presence of Texas Tech’s faculty on an international stage.
    • Funding may be used to support research projects and professional development opportunities, including (but not limited to): quantitative and qualitative research activities; workshops; panel discussions; and travel for site or archival visits, conference presentations, collaborative meetings, or other reasons directly pertinent to a research project or scholarly endeavor. Awardees will complete a brief, one-page report to the Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship at the conclusion of the grant detailing: the activities that were undertaken, the goals that were pursued, and the degree of success they enjoyed in reaching their proposed goals within the designated award period.
    • For RAP—Black awardees, at least one proposal to an external funding agency or book publisher must be made within six months after the conclusion of the RAP—Black award period. Formal notification of this submission—including a copy of the proposal—should be provided to the Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship within the timeline specified.
      • *Any agencies included in the Office of Research’s list of targeted external awardsqualify as appropriate. Additionally, recognizing that federal funding is not necessarily germane to many projects, other external funding sources are also appropriate, excluding those with an application process managed for Texas Tech faculty by Institutional Advancement, such as the CH and Helen Jones Foundations. 
    • Awardees will be invited to participate in a formal event to be held at the end of the academic year that includes a reception to celebrate RAP—Black and RAP—Red awardees. The college will publish a website featuring abstracts and biographies related to each funded award.
  • Apply:
    • The application cycle for both awards opens each Fall term on September 15 and closes on October 15. Applicants will complete a submission form online, using the InfoReady system.

RAP- BLACK: http://ttumain.infoready4.com/CompetitionSpace/#competitionDetail/1950829

RAP - RED: http://ttumain.infoready4.com/CompetitionSpace/#competitionDetail/1950966 

  • More information:
    • The Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship will appoint a committee, with representation from the Physical & Life Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities, to review all applications using criteria articulated in a standardized and published rubric. Reviewing rubrics will be provided to faculty. The reviewing committee either accepts or rejects individual applications in their entirety and will not attempt to revise applications beyond the scope of the original proposal. The reviewing committee will notify applicants by November 15 or as otherwise specified should additional time for a thorough review be necessary. Committee reviews will be conducted in a double-blind manner in that identities of both the proposing and reviewing individuals will be concealed from each other.
    • The relevant unit business office will administer all awards. Faculty receiving RAP—Red awards will have the fiscal year (i.e., until the end of July) to expend their award, while RAP—Blackawardees will have two fiscal years to use funds. For both awards, disbursement will occur on or around November 30th. Unexpended monies at the end of the award period will be returned to the funding pool for future awards. In extenuating circumstances, faculty may appeal to the Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship to request an extension of their award period. Such extensions are discouraged and often not approved. 
Outreach & Engagement RAP
  • CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
  • Description:
    • One of the CAS RAP RED Awards will be reserved for proposals that co-develop knowledge in concert with a community partner to advance an identified need.
  • Eligibility:
    • Applicants must indicate that they would like their CAS RAP proposal to be considered, specifically, for the Outreach & Engagement RAP.
Integrated Scholar Nominations
  • CAS Deadline: October 16, 2026
  • Description:
    • Integrated Scholars are faculty who dedicate themselves to a course of lifelong learning and advance Texas Tech's role in educating, serving and inspiring others to do the same. Integrated Scholars are not only outstanding in teaching, research and service, but they are also able to generate synergy among the three functions.
  • Criteria:
    • Faculty members who are Integrated Scholars consistently promote active learning and infuse the results of their research and scholarship in courses and other learning experiences. Integrated Scholars publish results of their teaching innovations in peer-reviewed journals. Finally, Integrated Scholar faculty members plan and execute service commitments to complement their teaching and research goals.
  • More Information:
Faculty Distinguished Leadership Award
  • CAS Deadline: October 16, 2026
  • Description:
    • This award recognizes outstanding achievements in teaching, research, creative activity, and engagement across all appointment types. The awards are designed to support faculty success and position Texas Tech as a national leader in academic excellence.
  • Apply:
Barnie E. Rushing Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award
  • CAS Deadline: October 16, 2026
  • Description:
    • The Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Distinguished Research Award recognizes excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activity.
    • Two awards will be given: one in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines and one in the social science, humanities, and creative arts disciplines.
  • Selection:
    • Finalists for this award are selected through a three-phase process.
      • Initial nominations are made by the colleges.
      • Nominees are evaluated by a college committee composed of the associate deans for research during the second phase. They are evaluated on quality of scholarship, publications or creative works, and reference letters.
      • Two nominees from each award category are submitted to the Texas Tech Parents Association who will make the final award decision.
      • The recipients of this award will each receive an honorarium and be recognized at both the Parents Association's Annual Faculty & Student Breakfast Reception and the Faculty Honors Convocation hosted by the Provost's Office.
    • Eligibility:
      • Nominees must hold the rank of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or above and their research contributions should be of such quality that their significance has been or likely will be recognized nationally by peers in the nominee's own discipline. For the purpose of this award, achievements in the arts, such as paintings and musical compositions, will be considered along with more traditional research or intellectual property development.
    • Nominate:
      • Nominations for the Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Award and the Outstanding Researcher award are accepted annually through https://ttu.infoready4.com/as outline in TTU OP 32.24.
      • The nomination form and additional information is available beginning in early November.
    • More Information:
      • Nominees who are not chosen as recipients of the Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research awards will be considered for the Outstanding Researcher Award. Recipients of the Outstanding Researcher Award will be recognized at the Faculty Honors Convocation.
      • See Attachment A: Faculty Awards Nomination: Microsoft Word - OP32.24A.docx

CAS Deadline: November 2026

Distinguished Faculty Awards
Excellence in Engagement & Outreach Award
  • CAS Deadline: November 15, 2026
  • Description:
    • The A&S Excellence in Engagement & Outreach awards are intended to recognize the outstanding efforts and contributions of Arts & Sciences' faculty and/or staff in supporting and amplifying engaged scholarship and community outreach at Texas Tech University. The A&S Excellence in Engagement & Outreach awards recognize emerging and/or sustained efforts in applying teaching, research, or creative activities, especially in early- and middle career stages, to address a community need or provide innovative solutions addressing significant societal issues. These efforts involve shared collaborations with community members and stakeholders (local, regional, national, global) who actively engaged in the design and/or implementation of the project activities. Awards are $1,000, subject to the availability of funds.
  • Criteria:
    • Nominees who have received an A&S Excellence in Engagement & Outreach award in the past three years are not eligible. Nominated employees must have a current appointment at the time of nomination.
    • Submitted materials include: (a) this application form; (b) nominating letter (1000 words or less) (self­nominations are encouraged); (c) nominee's shortened (4-page) vitae/resume; and (d) an *optional* supporting letter (1000 words or less).
  • Nominate:

CAS Deadline: December 2026

Alumni Association New Faculty Award
  • CAS Deadline: December 7, 2026
  • Description:
    • To assist Texas Tech in attracting and retaining world class faculty, the TTAA established the New Faculty Awards program in 1987 to recognize outstanding new members of the faculty.
  • Eligibility:
    • The awards are presented to faculty who have four years, or fewer, of service at any university and who have earned distinction for dedicated service to Texas Tech.
  • Selection:
    • The dean of each of these academic units designates the recipient of the award, which carries with it a certificate and an honorarium of $500 funded by the TTAA.
  • Apply:
President’s Excellence in Commercialization Award
  • CAS Deadline: December 7, 2026
  • Description:
    • The intent of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions to the commercialization of innovative work conducted by Texas Tech University faculty. The award shall consist of a $5,000 cash gift. Each year in which a suitable recipient is identified, the award shall be presented at the President's Excellence Awards Luncheon and at the Faculty Honors Convocation.
  • Nominate:
    • The nomination form and additional information is available at https://ttu.infoready4.com/#vpr, beginning in early January
    • Nominees should be submitted through the appropriate college dean only.
  • Eligibility:
    • Eligibility is limited to faculty members who at the time of their nomination have been in tenured or tenure-track positions at Texas Tech University. The entire body of work used in the application must have been carried out at Texas Tech University. An individual may receive this award only once in their career.
  • Criteria:
    • Recipients will be individuals who have achieved recognition for work done at Texas Tech as judged by one or more of the following measures:
  1. If applicable, demonstration of a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.
  2. If applicable, exceptional contributions to innovation in areas such as patents, licensing, innovative discovery and technology development.
  3. If applicable, nominee is a named inventor on at least one provisional patent with submission of an application for a full patent to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  4. If applicable, holder of at least one registered trademark.
  5. If applicable, substantial IP development protected through Trade Secrets or common law copyright will be considered.Apply:

CAS Deadline: January 2027

President’s Institutional Effectiveness Excellence Award
  • CAS Deadline: January 29, 2027
  • Description:
    • This award is designed to recognize an academic department for its commitment to continuous improvement and enhancing student learning at the degree program level.
    • The award includes $5,000 - presented to the department.
  • Apply:

CAS Deadline: February 2027

Arts & Humanities Exchange Award (*First-Year of Award*)
  • Deadline: February 1, 2027
  • More information forthcoming
Nancy J. Bell Faculty Excellence in Mentoring
  • Deadline: February 1, 2027
  • Description:
    • The Nancy J. Bell Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award is designed to recognize faculty members who have significantly contributed to the mentoring of graduate students.
  • Nominate:
    • Nominations due to the Graduate School
Horn Distinguished Professors Graduate Achievement Award
  • Deadline for Nominations: February 2, 2027
  • Description:
    • The Horn Distinguished Professors Graduate Achievement Award has been established by the Paul Whitfield Horn Professors at Texas Tech University to recognize and reward outstanding research or creative activity performed by graduate students while at Texas Tech University.
  • Nominate:
    • Students may not apply directly for this award, but must be nominated by a graduate faculty member at Texas Tech.
  • More Information:
President’s Emerging Engaged Scholarship Award
  • Deadline: February 2027
  • Description:
    • The President's Emerging Engaged Scholarship Award recognizes a TTU faculty member or a faculty-staff team for a relatively new project or activity that demonstrates high potential for the advancement of engaged scholarship.
      • The award carries a monetary prize of $1,500 and recipients are recognized at university events.
      • Communities are broadly defined as groups affiliated by shared characteristics such as geography, interests, or needs.
    • Criteria:
      • Project is at least one year old and addresses a community need or societal issue.
      • Based on a reciprocal relationship with community partners.
      • Applies discipline-specific and community-based knowledge collaboratively.
      • Demonstrates potential for long-term impact and scholarly outcomes.
    • Eligibility:
President’s Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award
  • Deadline: February 2027
  • Description:
    • The President’s Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award recognizes Texas Tech faculty or faculty-staff teams for exemplary projects that address important community needs and societal issues through mutually beneficial partnerships.
    • Communities are broadly defined as groups of people connected by shared characteristics such as geography, interests, or needs. This award honors long-term projects demonstrating deep university-community collaboration and meaningful impact.
    • The award is given in three categories:
      • Community Engaged Research
      • Community Engaged Creative Activity
      • Community Engaged Teaching
    • The award carries a monetary prize of $2,000 per category. Recipients are recognized at the Engaged Scholarship Symposium and Faculty Honors Convocation.
  • Criteria:
    • Addresses a significant community need or societal issue
    • Demonstrates sustained reciprocal relationships with partners
    • Applies discipline-specific and community knowledge in mutually beneficial ways
    • Shows evidence of shared decision-making and community input
    • Demonstrates significant impact on community and university
    • Produces scholarly outputs such as publications, reports, or presentations
  • Eligibility:

CAS Deadline: February 2027

Summer Undergraduate Research Internship (SURI) Application DUE
  • Deadline: April 30, 2027
  • CASURA members have the opportunity to apply for summer research internships.
  • Contact: Ernest Smith, Director, CASURA, for more information
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