Guimaraes honored with Caplenor award
Tor Guimaraes, professor in the Department of Decision Sciences and Management in
the College of Business, has been awarded Tennessee Tech University’s highest faculty
honor, the 2019 Caplenor Faculty Research Award.
Guimaraes received the honor at a faculty recognition reception on Thursday night at Tech.
“It is an honor,” said Guimaraes about the Caplenor award. “It also means I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing and what I’m getting paid to do.”
Guimaraes, a native of Brazil, has accomplished a lot in his 27 years at Tech. In 1991, he was chosen by Tech to hold the Jesse E. Owen Chair whose mission is discovery and validation of new knowledge in the area of technology management for business innovation. Rated by several independent studies as one of the most productive researchers in the world based on publications in the top information technology management journals, he has over 110 publications in refereed journals, 69 publications in refereed conference proceedings, 74 conference presentations, nine refereed book chapters, and a host of other publications and professional presentations.
“In terms of research quantity, Dr. Guimaraes’ productivity has been truly astonishing,” said Tom Timmerman, chair of Tech’s Department of Decision Sciences and Management. “More important than the quantity, however, is the quality and impact of his research activity. According to Google Scholar, his total body of work has been cited over 8,000 times and most of those citations occurred after 2000. Dr. Guimaraes has been cited more than Tech’s four other most-cited researchers combined.”
Guimaraes’ most recent research has many focal areas with important fundamental research and practical applications, including: Testing special Cultural Traits to Banks’ Ability to Innovate; An expanded Model of Success Factors for New Product Development Performance; Human Factors Affecting Hospital Management Systems Impact on Nurses Jobs; Testing Important Factors for City E-Gov Implementation Success; and Assessing Important Factors to Reduce Obstacles in Product Innovation.
“I couldn’t have done everything that I have done without all the partners that I have had. I would feel very guilty if I didn’t give them much credit,” said Guimaraes, who has had more than 100 research partners from 12 countries. “Many times I pick a research question that I don’t know much about at all, so I would be starting at zero with knowledge. It’s extremely important that I would identify people in the world who would be the authorities on that subject.”
Guimaraes is recognized by his colleagues as one of the most impressive, in-depth researchers in manufacturing and healthcare, in multiple disciplines ranging from management information systems to entrepreneurship and innovation.
“With Tor’s mentorship, I have been able to co-author several conference papers and peer reviewed journal articles,” said Curtis Armstrong, a professor in decision sciences and management. “I have found his passion for research to be quite infectious. He is also great at pushing those whom he works with to excel in their research.
The Caplenor award was established in 1984 in memory of Charles Donald Caplenor, former associate vice president for research and dean of instructional development. This is the second time Guimaraes has received the award, first earning the honor in 1999.
“I get criticized a lot by family and friends that I work too much, but I can’t help it. It’s my hobby. It’s very exciting,” said Guimaraes. “Research deals with new knowledge. I get a big kick out of thinking that nobody knows the answer to a question until I do.”
Caplenor Award Recipients
- 2018-19, Dr. Tor Guimaraes, Department of Decision Sciences and Management
- 2017-18, Dr. Joseph Biernacki, Department of Chemical Engineering
- 2016-2017, No award
- 2015-2016, Dr. Michael Birdwell, Department of History
- 2014-2015, Dr. Pedro Arce, Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr. Greg Danner, Department of Music
- 2013-2014, Dr. Ying Zhang, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
- 2012-2013, Dr. Robert Qiu, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- 2011-2012, Dr. Faisal Hossain, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- 2010-2011, Dr. Sakir Ayik, Department of Physics
- 2009-2010, Dr. Joseph Biernacki, Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- 2008-2009, Dr. Jiahong (John) Zhu, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
- 2007-2008, Dr. Phillip Bettoli, Dept. of Biology, and Dr. Kwun-Lon Ting, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- 2006-2007, Dr. Lewis Keith Crouch, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- 2005-2006, Dr. David Dean Richey, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
- 2004-2005, Dr. George Buchanan, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. David Viera, Department of Foreign Languages
- 2003-2004, Mr. Ralph Winston Morris, Professor, Department of Music and Art
- 2002-2003, Dr. John J. Wheeler, Associate Dean and Professor, College of Education
- 2001-2002, Dr. Joseph O. Ojo, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- 2000-2001, Dr. Ali Alouani, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- 1999-2000, Dr. Tor Guimaraes, Decision Science and Management
- 1998-1999, Dr. Sastry Munukutla, Mechanical Engineering
- 1997-1998, Prof. Robert Jager, Music
- 1996-1997, Dr. Sharon Berk, Biology
- 1995-1996, Dr. Michael Gunter, Political Science
- 1994-1995, Dr. Helen Deese, English
- 1993-1994, Dr. George Webb, History
- 1992-1993, Dr. Raymond Kozub, Physics
- 1991-1992, Dr. John Peddieson, Jr., Mechanical Engineering
- 1990-1991, Dr. Dale Ensor, Chemistry
- 1990, Dr. Periasamy Rajan, Electrical Engineering
- 1989, Dr. Donald Weinrauch, Management and Marketing
- 1988, Dr. Scott Northrup, Chemistry
- 1987, Dr. David Yarbrough, Chemical Engineering
- 1986, Dr. Jerry Ayers, Education
- 1985, Dr. John Gordon, Civil Engineering
- 1984, Dr. Cemil Bagci, Mechanical Engineering