TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards

The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards were established in 2005 and first awarded in 2006. They are named in honor of Edith and Peter O’Donnell, who were among Texas’ most devoted advocates for excellence in scientific advancement and STEM education. The awards recognize rising star Texas researchers who are addressing the essential role that science and technology play in society and whose work meets the highest standards of exemplary professional performance, creativity and resourcefulness.

The O’Donnell Awards acknowledge outstanding achievements by Texas-based researchers in five categories: medicine, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences and technology innovation.

Each award includes a $25,000 honorarium and an invitation to present at TAMEST’s Annual Conference each year. Since 2006, 18 O’Donnell Awards recipients have been elected to one of the National Academies and six have been elected to multiple academies.

Nominations for the 2027 O’Donnell Awards will open on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and close on Monday, March 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CT. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Shaw at stephanie.shaw@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 471-3823.

2027 O'Donnell Awards Information Sessions

To learn more about the nomination process for the O’Donnell Awards, join one or both information sessions on Thursday, February 12, 2026, on Zoom. The medicine, engineering, biological sciences and physical sciences awards session will take place from 10:00–10:45 a.m. CT. The technology innovation award session will take place from 1:00–1:45 p.m. CT.

Information Session:
Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences & Physical Sciences

Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Register Now

Information Session:
Technology Innovation

Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.

Register Now

Join Us for the 20th Anniversary O’Donnell Awards and Dinner

Save the date for the 20th Anniversary Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Ceremony and Dinner. The reception at the TAMEST 2026 Annual Conference: Pioneering Climate Innovations will mark 20 years since the awards were first given. We hope you can join us on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, to celebrate this special occasion at the Kimpton Santo Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. Register for the conference here. Tickets to the anniversary reception and dinner are included.

2026 O’Donnell Awards Recipients

Using innovative genome and RNA sequencing to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases. Advancing sustainable and high-efficiency energy conversion systems for electric vehicles and industrial automation. Uncovering how RNAs and proteins interact at the molecular level and providing key insights for gene regulation, cancer biology and RNA-based therapeutics. Exploring new quantum behaviors in ultra-thin materials that change how we think about physics. Applying artificial intelligence to optimize real-time industrial processes in the energy sector.

These are the breakthroughs by Texas’ rising stars in research being honored with the 2026 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards by TAMEST:

Learn more >

Medicine

Engineering

Biological Sciences

Physical Sciences

Technology Innovation

Nomination Guidelines and Application

Nominations for the 2027 O’Donnell Awards will open on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and close on Monday, March 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CT.

Nomination Guides

For more detailed information on submitting a nomination, download the appropriate guide below:

Application

Nominations for the 2027 O’Donnell Awards will open on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and close on Monday, March 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CT. All nominations must be submitted through the online portal.

Nomination Guidelines and Eligibility Requirements

Nomination Guidelines

Nomination Categories
Nominators must choose only one category — Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, or Technology Innovation—for their nominee. The O’Donnell Awards Selection Committee reserves the right to move a nominee into a different category if they determine it to be a better fit.

Renomination of Candidates from Previous Year
All nominees will be automatically renominated for the two years following their initial nomination, provided they continue to meet all eligibility requirements. To ensure nominees remains strong in the review process, nominators are encouraged to update nomination materials. Nominators wishing to withdraw a nominee or update nomination materials may contact TAMEST staff to make the changes.

Research Teams
Research teams may be nominated in any category, provided that each team member meets all eligibility requirements. If a research team is selected to receive an award, the $25,000 honorarium will be divided evenly among the team members, and each member will receive a medal.

Nominator Requirements
Qualified nominators include TAMEST members, university presidents, chancellors, provosts, deans, vice presidents for research, department chairs, past O’Donnell Awards recipients, industry executives, administrators and managers.

Content Guidelines
Instructions for preparing nominations are meant to serve as guidelines. TAMEST encourages nominators to be innovative in presenting candidate accomplishments. The committee is looking for substantiation of achievements as well as the significance of the nominee's accomplishments. Please include information regarding how the nominee helps train and mentor the next generation of scientists.

Eligibility Requirements

Medicine, Engineering and Sciences Eligibility Requirements

Nominees must be within 15 years of their first faculty appointment as of calendar year 2011 or later.
Nominees must have spent the past two years performing research in Texas.
For team nominations, all team members must meet eligibility requirements.
TAMEST members are not eligible.

Technology Innovation Eligibility Requirements

Nominees must be within 25 years from their first full-time private-sector or government- affiliated position as of calendar year 2001 or later.
Nominees must have been continually employed in Texas for the past two years.
For team nominations, all team members must meet eligibility requirements. If a research team is selected to receive an award, the $25,000 honorarium will be divided evenly among the team members, and each member will receive a medal.
TAMEST members are not eligible.

Selection Process

A committee of TAMEST members (Texas-based members of the National Academies) evaluates nominations and recommends recipients, in consultation with a panel of National Academies members from outside of Texas. A committee of Texas Nobel and Breakthrough Laureates reviews and endorses the recipients. The TAMEST Board of Directors provides final approval of the recipients.

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions Guide >

For questions, contact Stephanie Shaw at stephanie.shaw@austin.utexas.edu or at (512) 471-3823.

2026 O’Donnell Awards Committee

A committee of TAMEST members (Texas-based members of the National Academies) evaluates applicants and recommends finalists in consultation with a panel of National Academies members from outside of Texas.

Margaret “Peggy” A. Goodell, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)

Awards Committee Chair
Baylor College of Medicine

Medicine Subcommittee

Maria Elena Bottazzi, Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine
Kendall M. Campbell, M.D. (NAM), The University of Texas, Medical Branch at Galveston
David R. Piwnica-Worms, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Engineering Subcommittee

Robert B. Gilbert, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
Frances S. Ligler, D.Phil., D.Sc. (NAE), Texas A&M University
Karen Lozano, Ph.D. (NAE), Rice University

Science Subcommittee – Biological

Russell A. DeBose-Boyd, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Mark A. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. (NAS), The University of Texas at Austin
Richard D. Wood, Ph.D. (NAS, FRS), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Science Subcommittee – Physical

Robert C. Kennicutt, Ph.D. (NAS, FRS), Texas A&M University
Allan H. MacDonald, Ph.D. (NAS), The University of Texas at Austin
Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Ph.D. (NAE, NAS, FRS), Rice University

Technology Innovation Subcommittee

Leo H. Chiang, Ph.D. (NAE), Lubrizol
Qinghuang Lin, Ph.D. (NAE), Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc.
Jie Zhang, Ph.D. (NAE), GeoTomo

Nobel and Breakthrough Laureates Committee

A committee of Texas Nobel and Breakthrough Laureates reviews and endorses the finalists.

James P. Allison, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS)
Chair, Department of Immunology and Executive Director, Immunotherapy Platform
Deputy Director, David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2018

Bruce A. Beutler, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Regental Professor
Director of the Center for Genetics of Host Defense
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2011

Michael S. Brown, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Paul J. Thomas Professor of Molecular Genetics
Director of the Jonsson Center for Molecular Genetics
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1985

Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS, FRS)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science
Professor, Department of Molecular Biology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, 2019

Johann Deisenhofer, Ph.D. (NAS)
Regental Professor Virginia and Edward Linthicum Distinguished Chair in Biomolecular Science
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1988

Joseph L. Goldstein, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Chairman of the Department of Molecular Genetics
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1985

Helen H. Hobbs, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Director, Eugene McDermott Center for Growth and Development; Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics
Howard Hughes Investigator
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, 2015

Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. (NAM, NAS)
Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Director, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Baylor College of Medicine
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, 2017

Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards 10th Anniversary

2016 marked the 10th anniversary of the O’Donnell Awards. Over $1 million has been awarded to dozens of recipients in the categories of medicine, engineering, science and technology innovation since the inception of the program. The awards are named in honor of Edith and Peter O’Donnell who are among Texas’ staunchest advocates for excellence in scientific advancement and STEM education.

O’Donnell Awards Supporters

The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Endowment Fund was established in 2005 through the generous contributions of the following individuals and organizations:

Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Altshuler
Anonymous (2)
AT&T Foundation
Austin Industries, Inc. and William T. Solomon, Former President, CEO and Chairman
Julie and Louis A. Beecherl
Melanie and Tim Byrne
Mr. and Mrs. W. Plack Carr Jr.
William P. and Rita Clements Jr.
Collins Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Copley
The Cullen Foundation
Cullen Trust for Health Care