About the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit: Celebrating 20 Years of Impact and Innovation
The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit: Celebrating 20 Years of Impact and Innovation will take place Thursday, September 10, 2026, in Austin, Texas, in the Crum Auditorium of Robert B. Rowling Hall at The University of Texas at Austin.
To commemorate 20 years of the awards, TAMEST will host a special one-day summit highlighting the groundbreaking research and discoveries of past award recipients and celebrate the broader impact of the awards on Texas research and innovation.
The summit will feature success stories of past recipients, with selected recipients from the first and second decade of each category invited to present talks and host the meeting.
A welcome dinner and reception will be held the evening prior, Wednesday, September 9 at Franklin Barbecue Backyard.
The summit is open to all, including TAMEST members.
Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit
Thursday, September 10, 2026, Austin, Texas
Crum Auditorium, Robert B. Rowling Hall, The University of Texas at Austin
REGISTRATION RATES
Summit General Admission: $75
Summit General Admission for the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit includes breakfast, lunch and all programming on Thursday, September 10.
Optional Add-On: Dinner and Reception at Franklin Barbecue Backyard
A welcome dinner and reception will be held the evening prior, Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at Franklin Barbecue Backyard (2027 Anchor Lane, Austin, Texas). This optional event requires a $25 add-on in Eventbrite during registration and includes dinner, beer and wine.
For questions on registration, visit the frequently asked questions page.
Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D. (NAM '22, NAS '14, FRS '25)
George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Sciences
Director, Center for Inflammation Research
Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Center for Genetics of Host Defense
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2007 O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences
Margaret Goodell, Ph.D. (NAM '19, NAS '25)
Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Director, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center
Thomas C. Thompson Chair in Cell Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
2011 O’Donnell Award in Medicine
Kimberly A. Hambuchen, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief, Software, Robotics and Simulation Division
Robotics Engineer
NASA Johnson Space Center
2024 O’Donnell Award in Technology Innovation
Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM '13)
Professor and Chair of Molecular and Human Genetics
Robert and Janice McNair Endowed Chair in Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
2009 O’Donnell Award in Medicine
Xiaoqin Elaine Li, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Physics
Director, Texas Quantum Institute
Jack S. Josey – Welch Foundation Chair in Science
The University of Texas at Austin
2018 O’Donnell Award in Physical Sciences
Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D. (NAM '12, NAE '12)
Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor of Chemistry, and Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering
Director of the Biomaterials Lab, Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering, and J.W. Cox Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering
Rice University
2007 O’Donnell Award in Engineering
Kim Orth, Ph.D. (NAS '20)
W.W. Caruth Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research and Earl A. Forsythe Chair in Biomedical Science
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2011 O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences
Jeffrey Rimer, Ph.D.
Abraham E. Dukler Endowed Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of Houston
2020 O’Donnell Award in Engineering
S.V. Sreenivasan, Ph.D. (NAE ’21)
Professor, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering
Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #7
Director, NASCENT
Founder and CTO, Texas Institute for Electronics
The University of Texas at Austin
2010 O’Donnell Award in Technology Innovation
Jennifer Wargo, M.D. (NAM ’23)
R. Lee Clark Endowed Professor, Departments of Surgical Oncology and Genomic Medicine
Founder and Leader, Platform for Innovative Microbiome and Translational Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
2023 O’Donnell Award in Medicine
