Dr. Xuejun Fan honored with Faculty Excellence in Research Award

Lamar University recognized Dr. Xuejun Fan during the inaugural Faculty Excellence Awards Banquet hosted by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration, honoring his contributions to the university's research mission.

The Faculty Excellence Awards were established to recognize faculty members for outstanding research and artistic or creative achievements. Faculty across the university are eligible for nomination by their peers.

Dr. Fan, of the College of Engineering, received the Excellence in Research Award. He was nominated by Dr. Xinyu Liu, who highlighted the scope and impact of Fan's research career during the ceremony.

"Dr. Xuejun Fan's research exemplifies global impact, combining more than $2.7 million in competitive research funding with foundational contributions to semiconductor reliability that underpin advances in high-performance computing and hardware," Ryan J. Lee, executive director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration said. "As an IEEE Fellow, TSUS Regents' Professor, and internationally recognized Top 2% scientist worldwide, his scholarship shapes industry roadmaps while translating advanced modeling into more reliable microelectronics. Through sustained technical leadership and deep student mentorship, Dr. Fan's work elevates Lamar University as a contributor to the future of semiconductor innovation."

Peer nomination is a key component of the selection process, reflecting professional respect and recognition of influence within and beyond a nominee's field.

Nominees for the Excellence in Research Award included Dr. Philip Cole of Physics; Dr. Xuejun Fan of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Lilian Felipe of Speech and Hearing Sciences; Dr. Agim Kukeli of the College of Business; Dr. Helen Lou of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Dr. Bryan Proksch of Music; Dr. Orrin Swift of the College of Business; and Dr. Yu "Audrey" Zhao of Information Systems Analysis.

Dr. Margot Gage of Sociology and Anthropology was nominated for the Faculty Excellence in Artistic and Creative Endeavors Award.

Each nominee was reviewed by the university's Research Council, which evaluated submissions based on scholarly impact and contribution to research and creative activity.

In remarks at the banquet, Ryan J. Lee said Lamar University recorded a 40% increase in submitted research proposals over the past year, rising from 83 proposals in fiscal year 2025 to a projected 116 in fiscal year 2026.

He said the increase reflects broader faculty participation across campus rather than repeated submissions from a small group of researchers.

Lee also noted a 95% increase in total requested research funding, rising from about $21 million in fiscal year 2025 to a projected $41 million in fiscal year 2026, describing the trend as evidence of increasingly large and collaborative research efforts.

The Faculty Excellence Awards were introduced during a period of continued expansion in the university's research activity following Lamar University's recent R2 designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.