• Why do research at Baylor? Compassion, curiosity and courage.

    Baylor’s growing emphasis on faculty and student research is driven by three factors:

    • Compassion — the desire to help people in countless ways;
    • Curiosity — the desire to learn more about the world God created; and
    • Courage — the desire to go places and tackle issues that others might shy away from.

    Beyond that, each Baylor professor has their own specific “why”; below, five BU faculty members explain what drives their work:


    “I study people that I believe history has kind of left behind… so that I can tell their story.”
    — Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson, history


    “I like to work on problems that have an impact on humans… and I think that because of Baylor’s Christian mission, that’s very much a focus at this university.”
    — Dr. Amanda Hering, statistical science


    “[Baylor’s mission] perfectly aligns with the type of work we’re trying to do… improving lives, protecting ecosystems, and ultimately preventing challenges.”
    — Dr. Bryan Brooks, environmental science


    “There are a lot of rewards that come from being in social work, because you’re helping people — people who desperately need it.”
    — Dr. Danielle Parrish, social work


    “We teach students, and we need compassion to be able to educate them. You need to give them challenges so they can grow.”
    — Dr. Zhenrong Zhang, physics


    Sic ’em, Baylor researchers!