Three UTA professors honored for research excellence
The University of Texas at Arlington awarded three professors the Outstanding Research or Creative Activity award, as part of the 2026 Faculty Awards.
The recipients are Yue Liao, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology; Grace Brannon, associate professor in the Department of Communication and Candace Joswick, interim chair of the Department of Teacher and Administrator Preparation and associate professor of mathematics education.
Yue Liao
Nominated by the College of Nursing and Health Innovation (CONHI), Dr. Liao focuses on research that promotes an active lifestyle leveraging wearable sensors and mobile technologies. She and her research team were recently awarded a $3.82 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to explore a new way to measure stress in real time. For the survey, they will combine smartphone surveys, wearable technology and laboratory testing to track activities of the participants to better understand how everyday experiences affect the body and potentially impact heart health.
She directs the Physical Activity and Wearable Sensor Lab at UTA. In 2025, she was named to the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s 40 under 40. In 2024, she was selected as a scholar for Programs for Inclusion and Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research, a research education and mentoring initiative sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The same year, she was awarded the Annual Dean’s Community Outreach and Partnership Award from CONHI.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the University for the work I do,” Liao said. “This award represents the collaborative research environment at UTA and the great support I’ve received from my department and college. It’s a recognition to my research teams as well. It’s amazing to receive this award alongside my collaborator Grace Brannon.”
Grace Brannon
Nominated by the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Brannon examines how communication shapes patients’ and families’ healthcare experiences and health outcomes. Using mixed methods, her research translates patients’ lived experiences into practical communication strategies and interventions that support more person-centered care.
Brannon was named a 2025–26 Fulbright U.S. Scholar and was in Germany earlier this year teaching courses in health, interpersonal and patient-provider communication. While abroad, Brannon explored innovative uses of AI and assessed how patients may or may not want to interact with it during their medical care. The goal of the research is to help healthcare providers effectively introduce AI into patient care.
She has received funding from the Health Research and Services Administration, National Aeronautics Space Administration, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, American Institute of Cancer Research and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition and so grateful to the colleagues, mentors and loved ones who have supported me along the way,” Brannon said. “As a first-generation college student, this award is especially meaningful. It reflects not only my own journey, but also the generosity, encouragement and collaborative spirit of the people who have helped make my work possible. One of the best parts of receiving this honor is knowing my longtime collaborator and friend Dr. Yue Liao also was acknowledged for her many scholarly achievements!”
Candace Joswick
Nominated by the College of Education, Dr. Joswick focuses on supporting teachers and improving K–12 learning, especially in mathematics education, computational thinking and the integration of emerging technologies into teaching. Across these areas, she studies how teachers learn to notice and respond to students’ thinking, how professional learning can support changes in classroom practices and how instruction can promote meaningful and equitable participation.
She’s currently leading a project investigating how teachers can integrate AI and cybersecurity into existing K-8 subject-area instruction. She’s also coleading a study on how elementary teachers and learners develop computational thinking, including how teachers’ computational thinking develops through professional learning. Both projects are being funded by the National Science Foundation. Across all her grants, Joswick has secured approximately $9.8 million in funding.
In both 2022 and 2023, Joswick received the College of Education Pre-Tenured Faculty Teaching Award and the Department Outstanding Teaching Award (Pre-Faculty.) She was also awarded the College of Education Outstanding Faculty Research Award (Early Career) in 2022. In 2026, the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education awarded Joswick its SIG Outstanding Paper Award.
Additional award recipients
Each academic year, the University also awards the Distinguished Record of Research or Creative Activity Award and names new faculty to the Academy of Distinguished Researchers.
This year’s recipients for the Distinguished Record or Research or Creative Activity Award:
- Jiazhong Su (Mathematics)
- Junzhou Huang (Computer Science and Engineering)
- Cory Forbes (Higher Education Adult Learning and Organizational Studies)
This year’s Academy of Distinguished Researchers (members):
- Todd Castoe (Biology)
- Myrtle Bell (Management)
- Sam Haynes (History)
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 190 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 300,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.