WT’s Hunt Named to New Position Meant to Enhance University-Wide Research

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Dr. Emily Hunt, dean of West Texas A&M University's College of Engineering, will take on a new role meant to further advance the University's expanding emphasis on research.

Hunt will be the new associate vice president for research development and innovation in addition to her continuing role as dean.

"Dr. Hunt's appointment reflects our commitment to building a research enterprise that is both regionally grounded and globally relevant," WT President Walter V. Wendler said. "Her leadership and continued collaboration with the Office of Research and Compliance have already contributed significantly to the University's research trajectory. This appointment formally recognizes those contributions and further strengthens our ability to serve the region through research and innovation."

Hunt joined WT in 2005 after earning her bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University.

"I am excited for the opportunity to further support researchers across this campus, most of whom are conducting work that will have an impact on this region for decades to come," Hunt said. "From water resources and agriculture to energy systems, national security to health sciences, rural educational practices to emerging technologies, our faculty are engaged in research that directly serves the needs of the Panhandle while contributing solutions with much broader significance."

Adding Hunt to the research leadership team reinforces work she already has been actively engaged in for the University, said Dr. Angela Spaulding, vice president for research and compliance and dean of the Graduate School.

"Formalizing this additional leadership responsibility recognizes both Dr. Hunt's contributions and the growing importance of coordinated research development," Spaulding said. "Together, we remain committed to supporting faculty and students across all disciplines while expanding the University's research impact from the Panhandle to the world."

Hunt will work in close partnership with Spaulding to support institution-wide research development initiatives, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, expand external funding opportunities, and enhance partnerships with industry, government and The Texas A&M University System. WT's expanded research aligns with the System's Research Excellence Fund and Strategic Research Initiatives program, designed to advance critical research areas of state and national importance across the System.

Hunt's new position also comes as WT continues to build its research capacity through new institutes, expanding doctoral education and stronger connections to regional and System priorities.

An anonymous $5 million gift in 2025 established the new Panhandle Institute for Engineering Research, where the first major project is a search for alternative water sources for the region. More recently, a $5 million gift from High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation established a new Health Institute in its name at WT.

The appointment also is a strategic step in WT's goal of earning a Research 2 classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

In 2025, WT was classified as a Research College and University, or RCU, the new Carnegie designation that identifies research happening at colleges and universities that historically have not been recognized for their research activity.

According to the Carnegie Foundation, the RCU designation encompasses institutions that spend more than $2.5 million annually on research, regardless of whether they offer doctoral degrees.

R2 schools, meanwhile, spend at least $5 million on research and development and award at least 20 research doctorates.

WT spends approximately $10 million per year on research activities and currently offers two doctoral degrees: one in agriculture and one in educational leadership.

Hunt was elected to the board of the national Engineering Research Council in 2025. She also is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Materials Research Society and the American Society of Engineering Education.

She also is the author of "Nanostructured Metallic Alloys: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications" and the children's book "Engineering Elephants."

Expanding WT's reach and impact as a Regional Research University is the primary goal of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: Dr. Emily Hunt, dean of West Texas A&M University's College of Engineering, now also serves as the new associate vice president for research development and innovation.

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