The Hill Prizes Committee
The Hill Prizes, funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, recognize and advance top Texas innovators whose high-risk, high‑reward ideas have potential for significant real‑world impact. The prizes aim to elevate exceptional researchers, accelerate paradigm‑shifting science and position Texas as a premier destination for world‑class innovation. By providing funding that helps bridge the gap between early‑stage research and business development, the Hill Prizes strengthen recipients’ ability to pursue large‑scale grants, build collaborations and bring transformative discoveries closer to practical application.
The Hill Prizes have seven categories: artificial intelligence; commercialization, innovation and technology; biological sciences; engineering; medicine; physical sciences; and public health. The Hill Prize in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be given to researchers and teams at academic and medical institutions and in government and in the private sector (including university and government spinout companies). The biological sciences, engineering, medicine, physical sciences and public health prizes will be given to researchers and teams at academic and medical institutions. The Hill Prize in Commercialization, Innovation and Technology will be given to individuals and teams in the private sector in applied sciences, biotechnology, engineering, life sciences and medicine.
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, non-dilutive funding from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to accelerate their work. Prize recipients will be announced in January 2027 and recognized on February 1, 2027, at the opening reception of the TAMEST 2027 Annual Conference in Houston, 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
Hill Prizes Committee Chair
President Emeritus, The University of Texas at Dallas
Past President, TAMEST
Artificial Intelligence
Lydia E. Kavraki, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE, NAS)
Subcommittee Chair
University Professor
Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing
Professor of Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Bioengineering
Director, Ken Kennedy Institute
Rice University
Pallab K. Chatterjee, Ph.D. (NAE)
Chairman of the Board
3Lines Venture Capital
Mark Papermaster (NAE)
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
AMD
Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE)
Director, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences
Associate Vice President for Research
Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Biological Sciences
Richard A. Dixon D. Phil, D.Sc. (NAS, FRS)
Subcommittee Chair
Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
University of North Texas
Guillermina “Gigi” Lozano, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)
Chair
Department of Genetics, Division of VP, Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Margaret Phillips, Ph.D. (NAS)
Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Professor, Molecular and Human Genetics
HHMI Investigator
Baylor College of Medicine
Commercialization, Innovation and Technology
Lynda Chin, M.D. (NAM)
Subcommittee Chair
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Apricity Health
Amos Avidan, Ph.D. (NAE)
Senior Vice President (Retired)
Bechtel Corporation
Dale Klein, Ph.D. (NAE)
Frank and Kay Reese Endowed Professor Emeritus in Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Former Commissioner of the NRC
Mary Pat Moyer, Ph.D. (NAE)
Founder, CEO and Chief Science Officer
INCELL Corporation LLC
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
James J. Coleman, Ph.D. (NAE)
The University of Texas at Arlington
Kaushik Rajashekara, Ph.D. (NAE)
Distinguished Professor of Engineering
University of Houston
Jerome Schultz, Ph.D. (NAE)
Professor Emeritus
University of Houston
Medicine
Martin M. Matzuk, M.D., Ph.D. (NAS)
Subcommittee Chair
2024 Hill Prize in Medicine
Department Chair, Pathology & Immunology
Baylor College of Medicine
Florence P. Haseltine, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM)
Jenkins Garrett Professor and Presidential Distinguished Professor
The University of Texas at Arlington
Bettie Sue Masters, Ph.D., D.Sc. (NAM)
Professor Emeritus
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Catherine Y. Spong, M.D. (NAM)
Paul C. MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
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
Marcetta Y. Darensbourg, Ph.D. (NAS)
Distinguished Professor
Davidson Chair in Science
Texas A&M University
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
Public Health
William M. Sage, M.D., J.D. (NAM)
Subcommittee Chair
Assistant Vice President, Texas A&M Health
Texas A&M University
Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D. (NAM)
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
The University of Texas at 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
