Awards & OpportunitiesResearch, Scholarship & Commercialization

• CAS Deadline: September 14, 2026
• Point of Contact: Randy McBee
• 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:

• • Nominations for The Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Awards will be accepted annually as outlined in OP 32.21
  • A copy of the application is shown in OP 32.21 Attachment A.
• More Information:
  • Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Awards | Research Home | TTU

• CAS Deadline: October 2, 2026
  
• Point of Contact:Randy McBee
• Apply:
  • See Attachment B: President’s Faculty Book Nomination. Microsoft Word - OP32.24B.docx
• More information:
  • OP 32.24: Faculty Awards and Honors | Operating Policies & Procedures | Texas Tech

• CAS Deadline: October 8, 2026
• Point of Contact: Randy McBee
• 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 as outline in 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.
    • Faculty Awards Nomination form (Attachment A in O.P. 32.24) should be followed for each nomination.

• CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
• Point of Contact: Amelia Talley
• 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:
  • A scoring rubric is provided for criteria. CAS Book Development Lab Call 26_27.pdf 
•  Apply:
  • Submit proposals via Microsoft Forms, directly to the Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship at the following link.

• CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
• Point of Contact: Amelia Talley
• 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 2026-2027 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 targetedexternal 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: https://ttumain.infoready4.com/#freeformCompetitionDetail/2023530 

RAP - RED: https://ttumain.infoready4.com/#freeformCompetitionDetail/2023545

• 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. 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—Black awardees 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.

• CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
• Point of Contact: Randy McBee
• Description
• Awarded Annually at the spring Arts & Sciences Lubbock Alumni Reception
• Award Categories:
• Humanities
• Social Sciences
• Natural and Physical Sciences
• Eligibility:
• Tenured and tenure-track faculty and full-time research faculty
• May be awarded every five years to the same individual
• Apply:
• Nomination cover sheet is available from department chairs.

• CAS Deadline: October 15, 2026
• Point of Contact: Ernest Smith
• 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.
  • Applicants are asked to apply to join the College of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Academy - CASURA: 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:
  • Participating students are asked to (a) present their research either at the TTU Undergraduate Research Conference (spring) or Symposium (fall), which is held on-campus (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/true/), or at some other suitable conference and (b) enroll in the Multidisciplinary Research Certificate program. We also encourage students to apply for external awards, internships, or fellowship opportunities and/or submit a student co-authored article to the International Journal for Basic, Applied, & Multidisciplinary Research.
• Procedure:
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Arts & Sciences Research Support Staff review and rank the applications.
  • The awardees are notified by the Arts & Sciences Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship.
  • Award funding will go directly to a departmental research account of the faculty mentor for distribution.
  • Funding must be spent by end of May in the same fiscal year (5/2027).
• Apply
  • Link to Application Form: UndergraduteResearchFundingCAS_2026-2027.pdf

• CAS Deadline: November 2, 2026
  
• Point of Contact:Genevieve Durham DeCesaro
• 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:
  • Nomination Form is located at Integrated Scholars at Texas Tech | Office of the Provost | Texas Tech

• CAS Deadline: November 15, 2026
  
• Point of Contact: Amelia Talley
• 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:
  • Apply via 2026-2027 Excellence in Engagement & Outreach Award Nomination Form
  • A committee of A&S faculty and staff will evaluate awards based on eligibility and impact in conjunction with the Associate Dean for Research & Engaged Scholarship.
  • The evaluation rubric CAS EEO Evaluation Rubric.docx for applications is available for viewing.

• CAS Deadline: December 7, 2026
• Point of Contact: Amelia Talley
• 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:
   • Apply:
     • Faculty Awards Nominationform (Attachment A in O.P. 32.24) should be followed for each nomination.
     • Nominations for the Alumni Association New Faculty Award are accepted annually as outlined in OP 32.24
   • More Information:
     • President’s Excellence in Commercialization Award | Research Home | Texas Tech

• Deadline: February 1, 2027
• Point of Contact:Amelia Talley
• More information forthcoming

• 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 at Horn Distinguished Professors Graduate Achievement Award 2026
     
• More Information:
  • Horn Distinguished Professors Graduate Achievement Award Guidelines | Financial Support | Graduate School | Texas Tech

• Deadline: April 30, 2027
• Point of Contact:Ernest Smith
• CASURA members have the opportunity to apply for summer research internships.
• Contact: Ernest Smith, Director, CASURA, for more information