SMU celebrates faculty excellence in research, teaching and service

At a time of growing momentum for SMU, the work of more than 60 faculty members took center stage April 8 at the 2026 Faculty Career Achievement Awards Ceremony, highlighting research and teaching that are shaping fields and delivering real-world impact.

Across disciplines, excellence in discovery, creativity and mentorship is interconnected, building momentum that extends beyond campus. These recognitions reflect a deeply engaged faculty community driving SMU’s continued ascent.

Leading this year’s honorees, SMU's Faculty Career Achievement Award for 2026 went to Stephanie Al Otaiba, the Patsy and Ray Caldwell Centennial Chair in Teaching & Learning and professor in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development. Al Otaiba is an education researcher whose work focuses on school-based literacy interventions, learning disabilities, diverse learners and teacher training.

Al Otaiba has taught at SMU since 2012. She has published more than 150 journal articles and book chapters, and her research has been supported by federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Special Education Programs, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

She serves as editor in chief of the Journal of Learning Disabilities and is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association. Among her many honors, she received the Distinguished Career Award from the Special Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association in 2017 and the Jeannette E. Fleischner Career Leadership Award from the Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children in 2021.

“Stephanie was chosen for this honor because her career clearly reflects the values that have long defined SMU,” said Rachel Mersey, executive vice president and provost. “Her work is rigorous and relevant, deeply human, and designed to make a lasting difference.”

The Faculty Career Achievement Award was established in 2015 and recognizes one individual each year for remarkable contributions across the scope of a career by a tenured and currently serving SMU faculty member who has contributed to the teaching, scholarship and service missions of the University.

The ceremony also celebrated faculty members who earned distinguished national and international accolades for their contributions to fields including law, history, the arts and other disciplines.

Al Otaiba was recognized as a Teaching and Learning Fellow by the Association for Psychological Science, which honors those who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the science of psychology in research, teaching, service and application.

Prestigious and Highly Prestigious National Research Council Awards

• Matthew Abel, assistant professor of Anthropology in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, a program offering research and teaching opportunities in more than 120 countries, who was selected to conduct research in Brazil on recent investments in bulk grain trading in the eastern Amazon and their implications for conservation and international climate policy.

• Alejandro B. Aceves, professor in the Department of Mathematics in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the highest distinctions in the scientific community, who is recognized for his work in mathematical modeling in nonlinear optics and photonics and contributions to climate change studies.

• Johan Elverskog, Dedman Family Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and recipient of the Joseph Levenson Prize from the Association for Asian Studies' East & Inner Asia Council, who was recognized for his book "A History of Uyghur Buddhism" as a distinguished contribution to Asian studies and pre-1900 China scholarship.

• Jack Levison, W.J.A. Power Chair of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew in the Perkins School of Theology and newly named Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a prestigious distinction supporting international research.

• Barbara Minsker, Bobby B. Lyle Endowed Professor of Leadership & Global Entrepreneurship, Senior Fellow in the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, and professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Computer Science, and recipient of the Julian Hinds Award, the highest honor from the American Society of Civil Engineers' Environmental & Water Resources Institute Planning and Management Council, in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the planning, development and management of water resources systems.

• Carla L. Reyes, professor in the Dedman School of Law and appointed academic representative to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Innovation Advisory Committee, a nationally recognized scholar in commercial law and technology governance whose expertise in blockchain, secured transactions, corporate governance and AI regulation will inform the committee's work on emerging technologies impacting U.S. financial markets.

• Andrea Tosato, professor in the Dedman School of Law and newly elected member of the American Law Institute, which selects eminent judges, lawyers and law professors on the basis of professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law. He is an internationally recognized expert in commercial law and new technologies and serves as Associate Research Director of the Permanent Editorial Board of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Altshuler Distinguished Teachers

Alongside research honors, the ceremony celebrated faculty whose commitment to teaching has set them apart on campus. Four faculty members were chosen by their peers as the 2026 cohort of Altshuler Distinguished Teachers:

• Bianca Lopez, W.R. Nicholson Endowed Associate Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Studies in the William P. Clements Department of History

• Jing Cao, professor and chair of the Department of Statistics and Data Science

• Ruben Sanchez-Godoy, associate professor of Spanish in the World Languages and Literatures Department

• Sid Muralidharan, professor in the Temerlin Advertising Institute

Individual Teaching Awards

The ceremony also presented individual teaching awards, each honoring a different dimension of instructional excellence at SMU.

• Liliana Hickman-Riggs, Adjunct Professor of Accounting received the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award.

The Provost Teaching Recognition Award, given to professional and teaching faculty who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and deep dedication to teaching and learning, were awarded to:

• Gordon Law, executive in residence at the Temerlin Advertising Institute

• Joshua Crabill, senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy

• Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly, assistant professor of organizational communication in the Division of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, received the Golden Mustang Award, which honors a junior, tenure-track faculty member, whose teaching is consistently excellent, whose courses reflect thoughtful curricular development and whose scholarship makes a meaningful contribution to the discipline and to student learning.

• The President’s Associates Award, given to a tenured professor who has sustained high achievement in the classroom, was awarded to Peng Tao, professor in the Department of Chemistry.

Tom Tunks Distinguished University Citizen Award

Three faculty members were honored with the Tom Tunks Distinguished University Citizen's Award, given each year to colleagues whose efforts to strengthen the SMU community stand out among their peers:

• Leanne Ketterlin Geller, Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education, Director of Research in Mathematics Education, and Professor in Education Policy & Leadership
• Herve Tchumkam, professor of French in World Languages and Literatures
• Nils Van den Steen, clinical professor of Information Technology and Operations Management 

Additional faculty members honored include:

Dedman School of Humanities and Sciences

• Christopher Roos – Anthropology – TAMEST Protege
• Neely Myers – Anthropology – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Nia Parson – Anthropology – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Brian Stump – Earth Sciences - Jesuit Seismological Association Award - Eastern Section of the Seismological Society of America
• Stephanie Amsel – English – Visiting Artist and Scholars – American Academy in Rome
• Jill Kelly – History – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Bianca Lopez – History – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Thomas Hagstrom – Mathematics – Fellow - Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• Fred Olness – Physics – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Alicia Meuret – Psychology – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Johan Elverskog – Religious Studies – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Jing Cao – Statistics and Data Science – Elected Member - International Statistical Institute; Fellow - American Statistical Association

Dedman School of Law

• Paul Rogers – Law – Legacy Award - National Football Foundation
• Jenia Turner – Law – Member - Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules

Lyle School of Engineering

• Barbara Minsker – Civil and Environmental Engineering – Fellow - American Society of Civil Engineers
• Chen Wang – Computer Science – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Halit Uster – Operations Research and Engineering Management – Fellow - Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

Meadows School of the Arts

• Joe Phua – Advertising – Jennifer McGill Fellow – Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's Institute for Diverse Leadership in Journalism
• Alice Kendrick – Advertising – Dallas Luminary Award - American Advertising Federation
• Mark Allen – Advertising – Dallas Educator of the Year - American Advertising Federation
• Brian Molanphy – Art – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Martha Poggiolo – Art – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Nishiki Sugawara-Beda – Art – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Stephanie Langin-Hooper – Art History – Fellow – Howard Foundation
• Megan Heber – Corporate Communications and Public Affairs – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly – Corporate Communications and Public Affairs - Organizational Communication Division Outstanding Tenure-Track Teaching Award - National Communication Association; Peace and Conflict Communication Division Top Paper Award - National Communication Association; Applied Communication Division Top Paper Award - Eastern Communication Association
• Parisa Khobdeh – Dance – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Michelle Glasby-Millington – Film and Media Arts – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Jennifer Prediger – Film and Media Arts – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Devon Smith - Film and Media Arts – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; Inaugural Fellow - University Film and Video Association
• Kristina Nielsen – Music – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Margaret Winchell – Music – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Janice Lindstrom – Music Therapy – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

Perkins School of Theology

• Emily Nelms Chastain – Theology – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Dallas Gingles – Theology – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Jack Levison – Theology – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Alyce McKenzie – Theology – Lifetime Achievement Award – Academy of Homiletics
• Priscilla Pope-Levison Theology - Smith Wynkoop Book Award - Wesleyan Theological Society

Provost Office

• Jessica Garrett - University Foundations – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

Simmons School of Education and Human Development

• Kristie Abt – Applied Physiology and Sports Management – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Kevin Byon – Applied Physiology and Sports Management – Sam Taylor Fellow – General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
• Cindy Anderton – Counseling - Michael DeVoll Award of Excellence in Counseling - TxSAIGE
• Greta Davis – Counseling - Distinguished Service Award - Texas Counseling Association
• Stephanie Al Otaiba – Teaching and Learning - Norman Geschwind Memorial Lecturer - International Dyslexia Association

The SMU Faculty Career Achievement Award Ceremony is held annually to honor some of the most noteworthy accomplishments of SMU’s faculty, both this year and over the course of their careers.