Friday, May 8, 2026
  Faculty Focus, Accolades, Recognitions, Awards

By News and Media Relations

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – MAY 8, 2026 – The UTRGV Office of Faculty Affairs has named 10 faculty members as recipients of the 2025–2026 Faculty Impact Awards, formerly the Faculty Excellence Awards.

The annual awards, held on May 1 in Edinburg, recognize faculty for outstanding work in teaching, research and service.

UTRGV Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Luis H. Zayas, congratulated this year’s awardees for their accomplishments and commended the impact of their work.

“Today, we proudly celebrate those whose dedication and impact exemplify the very best of our institution,” Zayas said. “These awards represent UTRGV’s highest tribute to faculty who advance teaching, research and service at the university and beyond. The awards also reflect the key forms of scholarship that are at the heart of higher education.”

Recipients of the 2025-2026 UTRGV Faculty Impact Awards are:

  • Teaching
    • Kelsey Baker, associate professor and assistant dean, School of Medicine
    • Marcus Galle, lecturer III, Psychological Science, College of Liberal Arts
    • Julia Cuevas, assistant professor, Human Development and School Services, College of Education and P-16 Integration
  • Research – Scholarship – Creative Work
    • Upal Roy, associate professor, Health and Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Professions
    • Farid Ahmed, assistant professor, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering, College of Health Professions
    • Lin Jiang, associate professor, School of Social Work
  • Service
    • Timothy Huber, professor, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, College of Sciences
    • Denise Longoria, associate professor and associate dean, School of Social Work
    • Candace Robledo, associate professor of medicine, School of Medicine
  • Distinguished Career
    • David Hicks, professor, School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences, College of Sciences

The UTRGV Faculty Impact Awards are sponsored by the Division of Insitutional Advancement, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Center Online Learning and Teaching Technology (COLTT).



ABOUT UTRGV

Celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2025-2026 academic year, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is on a mission to transform the Rio Grande Valley, the Americas, and the world. As one of the country’s largest Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Seal of Excelencia certified, UTRGV has earned national recognition for its academic excellence, social mobility, and student success since opening in Fall 2015. Ranked among the Best Colleges for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars in 2025 by Washington Monthly (7 nationally; 1 in Texas), UTRGV continues to break enrollment records, launch new academic and athletics programs and progress toward achieving R1 research status. Additionally, UTRGV holds the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, awarded in 2020 and 2025, reflecting its commitment to strengthening community ties and addressing local challenges.

The only university in Texas with schools of Medicine and Podiatric Medicine, UTRGV’s regional footprint spans South Texas – with locations, teaching sites, and centers established in Edinburg, Brownsville, Rio Grande City, McAllen, Weslaco, Harlingen, Laredo, Port Isabel and South Padre Island.