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. Broad in scope, the Hill Prizes will fund both high-risk, high-reward research and ideas and innovations that demonstrate very significant potential for real-world impact.
The Hill Prizes have five categories: Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Technology. The Medicine, 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. The selection committee is patterned after the O’Donnell Awards Committee, with five subcommittees with three to five members each.
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 and recognized on February 5, 2024, at the opening reception of the TAMEST 2024 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.
Hill Prizes Committee Members
Hill Prizes Committee Chair
President Emeritus, The University of Texas at Dallas
Past President, TAMEST
Medicine
Malcolm K. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM)
Professor, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
Baylor College of Medicine
Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D. (NAM)
Emerita Professor and Former Chair of Behavioral Science
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE)
Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering & Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Rice University
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
Engineering
Joan Frances Brennecke, Ph.D. (NAE)
Professor and Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #16
The University of Texas at Austin
John L. Junkins, Ph.D. (NAE)
Director, Hagler Institute for Advanced Study; Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Texas A&M University
Linda Katehi, Ph.D. (NAE)
Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering
Texas A&M University
Kishor C. Mehta, Ph.D. (NAE)
P. W. Horn Professor of Civil Engineering
Texas Tech University
Biological Sciences
Arthur L. Beaudet, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Professor (Retired)
Baylor College of Medicine
Luna Genetics, Inc.
Guillermina “Gigi” Lozano, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)
Department of Genetics, Division of VP, Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
David W. Russell, Ph.D. (NAS)
Professor Emeritus
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Professor, Molecular and Human Genetics
HHMI Investigator
Baylor College of Medicine
Physical Sciences
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
Peter G. Wolynes, Ph.D. (NAS, FRS)
Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Rice University
Technology
The Honorable Gordon R. England (NAE)
Distinguished Professor
University of North Texas
Partner, Dyno-Tech
Bob Metcalfe, Ph.D. (NAE)
Professor Emeritus
Chandra Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Joseph B. Powell, Ph.D. (NAE)
Founding Director, UH Energy Transition Institute; Aspire Initiative Endowed Executive Director
University of Houston
Ann Beal Salamone (NAE)
Chairman of the Board
Rochal Industries, LLC
James J. Truchard, Ph.D. (NAE)
Co-Founder
NI
