The Hill Prizes Committee
The Hill Prizes, funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, recognize and advance top Texas innovators and researchers whose work could have significant impact on science and society. The prizes propel high-risk, high-reward ideas and innovations that demonstrate very significant potential for real-world impact and can lead to new, paradigm-shifting paths in research.
The Hill Prizes have six categories: medicine, public health, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences and technology. The medicine, public health, engineering, biological sciences and physical sciences prizes will be given to researchers at academic and medical institutions. The Hill Prize in Technology will be given to individuals in the private sector in applied sciences and engineering.
Lyda Hill Philanthropies has committed over $10 million in funding to continue the prize program and include at least $1 million in discretionary research funding allocated by Lyda Hill Philanthropies on an ad hoc basis to highly ranked applicants and finalists not selected as recipients.
Each prize recipient’s institution or organization will receive $500,000 in direct funding from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to accelerate their work. Prize recipients will be announced in January 2026 and recognized on February 2, 2026, at the opening reception of the TAMEST 2026 Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
The goal of the prizes is to recognize exceptional innovators and provide seed funding to advance innovative science and highlight Texas as a premier destination for world-class research. The prizes will bridge the path from research to business development and further innovations that need additional funding to have a greater impact. The Hill Prizes will also put recipients in a stronger position to receive more research funding and seek large-scale grants and collaborations.
Hill Prizes Committee Members
David E. Daniel, Ph.D. (NAE)
Hill Prizes Committee Chair
President Emeritus, The University of Texas at Dallas
Past President, TAMEST
Medicine
Catherine Y. Spong, M.D. (NAM)
Subcommittee Chair
Paul C. MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Martin M. Matzuk, M.D., Ph.D. (NAS)
2024 Hill Prize in Medicine
Department Chair, Pathology & Immunology
Baylor College of Medicine
Helen Piwnica-Worms, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)
Professor, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology
Senator A.M. Aikin Jr. Distinguished Chair
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Public Health
Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D. (NAM)
Subcommittee Chair
Emerita Professor and Former Chair of Behavioral Science
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Carlos Roberto Jaén, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM)
Professor and Chair, Department of Family & Community Medicine
UT Health San Antonio
Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM)
Matthew P. Nemeroff Endowed Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
William M. Sage, M.D., J.D. (NAM)
Assistant Vice President, Texas A&M Health
Texas A&M University
Engineering
Joan Frances Brennecke, Ph.D. (NAE)
Subcommittee Chair
2025 Hill Prize in Engineering
Professor and Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #16
The University of Texas at Austin
Linda Katehi, Ph.D. (NAE)
Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering
Texas A&M University
Lydia E. Kavraki, Ph.D. (NAM)
Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science
Professor of Bioengineering, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Rice University
Kaushik Rajashekara, Ph.D. (NAE)
Distinguished Professor of Engineering
University of Houston
Biological Sciences
Guillermina “Gigi” Lozano, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)
Subcommittee Chair
Chair
Department of Genetics, Division of VP, Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Richard A. Dixon D. Phil, D.Sc. (NAS, FRS)
Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
University of North Texas
David J. Mangelsdorf, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)
2025 Hill Prize in Biological Sciences
Alfred G. Gilman Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology
Raymond and Ellen Willie Distinguished Chair in Molecular Neuropharmacology in Honor of Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D.
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Professor, Molecular and Human Genetics
HHMI Investigator
Baylor College of Medicine
Physical Sciences
Peter G. Wolynes, Ph.D. (NAS)
Subcommittee Chair
Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Rice University
Paul C.W. Chu, Ph.D. (NAS)
Professor of Physics; T.L.L. Temple Chair of Science; Founding Director and Chief Scientist, Texas Center for Superconductivity
University of Houston
David R. Nygren, Ph.D. (NAS)
Professor, Physics
The University of Texas at Arlington
William H. Press, Ph.D. (NAS)
Leslie Surginer Endowed Professorship
Warren J. and Viola Mae Raymer Chair
Oden Institute
The University of Texas at Austin
Technology
Lynda Chin, M.D. (NAM)
Subcommittee Chair
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Apricity Health
Mary Pat Moyer, Ph.D. (NAE)
Founder, CEO and Chief Science Officer
INCELL Corporation LLC
Joseph B. Powell, Ph.D. (NAE)
Founding Director, UH Energy Transition Institute
Aspire Initiative Endowed Executive Director
University of Houston
James J. Truchard, Ph.D. (NAE)
Co-Founder
NI (Retired)
