Baylor University Graduate School Announces 2026 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award Recipients
WACO, Texas — The Baylor University Graduate School has announced the recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Awards, recognizing distinguished faculty members for their exceptional contributions to graduate education, scholarly mentorship, teaching excellence, and administrative leadership across doctoral, master’s, and professional degree programs.
These inaugural Graduate Faculty Awards honor faculty who exemplify Baylor’s commitment to transformative graduate education and scholarly mentorship. Through rigorous scholarship, hands-on professional development, and compassionate student support, these educators shape the next generation of researchers, leaders, clinicians, and educators.
Graduate School Dean Michael E. Young comments, ""The recipients of these inaugural awards reflect the strength and distinction of graduate education at Baylor. Their dedication to mentorship, teaching, scholarship, and leadership enriches the graduate experience and prepares students to make meaningful contributions in their professions and communities."
2026 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award Recipients
Outstanding Graduate Program Director Award • Dr. Joseph Taube
Associate Professor of Biology and Graduate Program Director, Department of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Joseph Taube has provided transformative leadership for the Biology doctoral program since assuming the director role. Under his guidance, the program expanded from roughly 50 doctoral students in 2020 to nearly 80 students in 2026, while applicant volume grew substantially from approximately 50 to 140 per year. Dr. Taube successfully restructured the Ph.D. curriculum from 78 to 60 credit hours to align with peer R1 institutions, introduced core cohort courses, improved average completion time to 5.25 years, and helped establish the innovative Biology of Global Health 4+1 BS/MS program. In addition to managing 65 Teaching Assistantships and stewarding the Charles G. and Cornelia M. Smith Scholarship Fund, he was instrumental in expanding the department’s annual research symposium into a campus-wide showcase celebrated as Baylor Student Research Week.
Outstanding Graduate Faculty in Professional Programs Award • Dr. Teresa Bachman
Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Curriculum, and Assistant DPT Program Director, Department of Physical Therapy, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences
Dr. Teresa Bachman has been integral to the success and national prominence of Baylor’s hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program since its inception in 2018. Overseeing 97 online credit hours alongside 80 onsite immersive laboratory days, Dr. Bachman spearheaded major curricular redesigns and pioneered innovative medical simulation experiences. She created realistic hospital-based simulations within flexible program spaces and contributed to developing the new 4th Floor Cashion Simulation Space serving multiple health disciplines across Robbins College. Her dedication to clinical readiness is reflected in a 98% clinical instructor satisfaction rating, a 100% graduate employment rate, and the program’s top-15% national ranking.
Outstanding Graduate Faculty in Master’s Programs Award • Dr. Jeffrey C. Petersen
Professor of Sport Management, Department of Educational Leadership, Moody School of Education
Since joining Baylor in 2009, Dr. Jeffrey C. Petersen has guided the Sport Management Graduate Program through remarkable growth, reaching record enrollments with students hailing from over 109 institutions and 11 countries. Serving as the program’s academic advisor for 16 years, Dr. Petersen secured more than $733,000 in internal and $866,000 in external funding through strategic partnerships across the sports industry, establishing dozens of funded graduate assistantships. His collaborative research approach has engaged 172 student co-authors across 83 peer-reviewed conference presentations and eight published manuscripts. His students have gone on to leadership roles in collegiate athletics, professional franchises, and university faculty positions nationwide.
Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor in the Humanities Award • Dr. Joe Fulton
Professor of English, Department of English, College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Joe Fulton, who joined Baylor in 2001, is celebrated for his deep devotion to graduate student scholarship, editing, and teaching in American literature. Dr. Fulton has directed dozens of master’s theses and doctoral dissertations, mentoring students toward successful tenured and tenure-track academic careers across the country. As editor of the Mark Twain Journal, he created meaningful editorial internships and guest-editorship opportunities that equip graduate students with essential professional publishing skills, grant proposal experience, and national recognition in literary scholarship.
Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor in the Social Sciences Award • Dr. Paul Froese
Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences
Over more than two decades at Baylor, Dr. Paul Froese has served as a foundational pillar of the Sociology Ph.D. program. He has chaired 18 completed Ph.D. dissertations, hooded at least one doctoral graduate nearly every year since 2011, and co-authored 19 peer-reviewed journal articles with graduate students. As director of four waves of the renowned Baylor Religion Survey (BRS), Dr. Froese has provided generations of doctoral students with invaluable hands-on survey design, data analysis, and publication experience. His former students now hold tenured and tenure-track faculty appointments at top universities and key research roles in government and technology.
Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor in STEM Award • Dr. Elyssia Gallagher
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Elyssia Gallagher has mentored 17 Ph.D. students since 2015, fostering an inclusive, empowering lab culture where students develop into independent scientists. Her doctoral graduates have co-authored 24 peer-reviewed publications with her—averaging 4.6 publications per student—earning prestigious honors such as the ACS Editor’s Choice Award and the Ron Hites Award. Dr. Gallagher conducts innovative summer scientific writing book clubs and manuscript workshops, provides comprehensive career development, and actively advocates for women in STEM through national scientific societies. Her alumni have successfully transitioned into high-impact careers across academia, industry leaders like Amgen and Bristol Myers Squibb, and government agencies including the FDA.
For more information on the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Awards and graduate education at Baylor University, please visit https://graduate.baylor.edu/graduate-faculty-awards.