TAMEST Member News Roundup – January 2026
TAMEST loves to share the accolades of our membership. If you have been nominated for an award, been interviewed by the media or otherwise have a reason to celebrate, please share your news with TAMEST.
TAMEST In The News
Time: How a Nobel-Winning Researcher Transformed Cancer Treatments With His Lifesaving Curiosity, TAMEST Member and Nobel Laureate James P. Allison, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
The Dallas Morning News (Subscription Required): Steven McKnight is a Finalist for 2025 Texan of the Year, TAMEST Member Steven L. McKnight, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
D Magazine: How Dr. Kern Wildenthal Built the Modern UT Southwestern, TAMEST Member Kern Wildenthal, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Innovation Map: These 50+ Houston Scientists Rank Among World’s Most Cited, Nobel Laureate James P. Allison, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS) and TAMEST Members Jennifer Wargo, M.D. (NAM), Menachem Elimelech, Ph.D. (NAE), Naomi J. Halas, Ph.D., D.Sc. (NAE, NAS), James M. Tour, Ph.D. (NAE), Richard A. Gibbs, Ph.D. (NAM)
Austin American-Statesman (Subscription Required): The University of Texas at Austin is Opening New Doors for Students in Energy’s Tech Future, The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, TAMEST Honorary Chair and TAMEST Member Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
San Antonio Report: Meet the Tiny, Marshmallow-Loving Monkeys at Texas Biomed that Contribute to Longevity Research, Texas Biomedical Research Institute
KXAN: Texas Takes Charge of World’s Most Powerful Telescope, Daniel T. Jaffe, Ph.D., Vice President for Research at The University of Texas at Austin
Member Briefs
Rice’s Pol D. Spanos Receives Biennial Medal for Contributions to Computational Mechanics
TAMEST Member Pol D. Spanos, Ph.D. (NAE), Rice University, has been awarded the O.C. Zienkiewicz Medal, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field of computational mechanics. Dr. Spanos received the award in the category honoring foreign scientists of merit for the development of computational mechanics in Poland, highlighting the international reach and influence of his work. Read More
Scientists Uncover Nuclear Droplets that Link Multiple Leukemias, a Potential New Therapeutic Target
A hidden structure inside the cell is rewriting how scientists understand leukemia. Beneath the microscope, what looked like disorder turned out to follow a simple physical rule – one that connects several major mutations behind the disease. In research from Baylor College of Medicine published in Cell, scientists including TAMEST Member and TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Committee Chair Margaret “Peggy” A. Goodell, Ph.D. (NAM), have discovered that different genetic drivers of leukemia use the same compartments inside the cell nucleus to keep cancer growing. The finding points to a shared physical target that could inspire new kinds of treatments. Read More
NAI Welcomes 2025 Class of Fellows
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has elected the newest class of Fellows, naming 169 U.S. distinguished academic and institutional inventors and 16 International Fellows to the 2025 cohort. NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. The 2025 class includes 2025 Hill Prize in Engineering Co-PI and TAMEST Member Benny D. Freeman, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin, 2026 Hill Prize in Medicine Recipient Raghu Kalluri, M.D., Ph.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Jochen Reiser, M.D., Ph.D., President of The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Read More
Allan MacDonald Wins Frontiers of Knowledge Award
TAMEST Member and 2024 Hill Prize in Physical Sciences Recipient Allan H. MacDonald, Ph.D. (NAS), The University of Texas at Austin, has won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in basic sciences for his work that has enabled scientists to transform and control extraordinary phenomena linked to new materials. Read More
Texas A&M AgriLife Awarded $2.1 Million to Improve Women’s Heart Health
Texas A&M AgriLife researcher and TAMEST Member Rebecca Anne Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D. (NAM), Texas A&M University, was awarded $2.1 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to help rural Texas women take charge of their heart health through evidence-based nutrition, physical activity and community engagement strategies. Read More
Scientists Capture First Detailed Look Inside Droplet-Like Structures of Compacted DNA
A team of researchers led by TAMEST Member and 2006 O’Donnell Awards Recipient Michael K. Rosen, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center, has captured the most detailed images yet of the molecules in chromatin condensates — droplet-like structures of compacted DNA. The team used advanced imaging techniques to understand how fibers of compacted DNA and proteins are organized and interact inside membrane-less, droplet-like structures called condensates. Read More
Doubling Down on Reliability, Risk and Resilience from Disasters
Rice University’s civil and environmental engineering department (CEE) has established a national reputation for tackling one of society’s most pressing challenges: enhancing our understanding of and mitigating the risks posed by natural hazards to our communities and infrastructure. “Our faculty have been historically at the forefront of landmark endeavors across the region and nation, advancing the science of resilience quantification, sparking innovation in predictive modeling grounded in real-world needs and cultivating a vibrant community built on shared research infrastructure, open data and accessible models,” said 2023 O’Donnell Award in Engineering Recipient Jamie Padgett, Ph.D. Read More
Baylor College of Medicine Names New Leader: Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D.
The Board of Trustees of Baylor College of Medicine has named Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D. as its new president, CEO and executive dean beginning July 1, 2026. He will succeed Dr. Paul Klotman, who is retiring June 30 after successfully leading Baylor for over 15 years. Read More
