
Category: Research

ACU achieves elite academic recognition with Carnegie Research 2 status
Abilene Christian University has earned Research 2 (R2) status in the latest update from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education – a milestone that reflects ACU’s intentional commitment to research growth and academic excellence. The prestigious R2 designation places Abilene Christian among top research universities in the nation, recognizing high spending and doctorate … Continued
AI Research at ACU, funded by Google: Transforming Computer Science Education
As a high school student, Gweneth Barbre was intrigued by psychology, design and computer science and she knew she wanted to explore the interaction between people and computers. So she looked for a university with a similar research focus and opportunity. Less than a year later, as a freshman computer science major at Abilene Christian … Continued
ACU partners with Texas Tech, Natura to advance cutting-edge technology
Abilene Christian University and Texas Tech University announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Natura Resources LLC of Abilene to seek business opportunities and funding for projects related to Natura’s molten salt reactor (MSR) currently under construction on the ACU campus. The collaboration, which includes the Texas Produced Water Consortium (TxPWC) located at Texas Tech, … Continued
ACU names Tech AVP Kay Tindle as new VP for research
Abilene Christian University announced the hiring of Dr. Kay Tindle as vice president for research. Tindle will begin work at ACU on Nov. 11. The vice president for research role, with a joint reporting relationship to the senior vice president for academic affairs and the president, promotes and facilitates scholarship and research, strengthens external funding … Continued
U.S. Department of Education grants $3.6 million to ACU
Abilene Christian University’s Department of Psychology has been awarded $3.6 million in research funding from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the recently announced Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Grant. The award is the largest federal grant ACU has received in the last 15 years. Under the leadership of Dr. Rachel Team, associate … Continued
ACU named top 50 nationally in Undergraduate Teaching and Undergraduate Research by U.S. News & World Report
Abilene Christian University joined an elite group of colleges nationwide to be honored for both teaching and research in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. Only 26 U.S. institutions ranked in the top 50 nationally in both “Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects” and “Undergraduate Teaching,” including only two Texas universities – ACU and … Continued
NRC issues construction permit for Natura Resources molten salt reactor at ACU’s NEXT Lab
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a construction permit to Abilene Christian University to build the Natura MSR-1, marking the first liquid salt fueled reactor licensed by the NRC in American history and the first U.S. university research reactor approved in more than 30 years. ACU’s molten salt research reactor (MSRR) will be the … Continued
Sen. Ted Cruz visits ACU’s NEXT Lab
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz visited Abilene Christian University’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory (NEXT Lab) Aug. 20 to learn more about the groundbreaking nuclear research taking place, sponsored by Natura Resources. Cruz toured the new Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center where nuclear research is underway and where the future reactor will be housed. He also … Continued
ACU establishes Bioanalytics Laboratory, achieves CLIA certification
Building on decades of thriving research, Abilene Christian University has formally established the ACU Bioanalytics Laboratory in the Department of Biology and has received certification through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA). Dr. Charla Miertschin, dean of the Onstead College of Science and Engineering, appointed Dr. John Xu as director of the ACU Bioanalytics Laboratory. … Continued