Hagler Institute For Advanced Study Announces 2017-18 Faculty Fellows, Distinguished Lecturer

The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University announced today the seven members of its 2017-18 class of Faculty Fellows, each of whom is renowned for significantly advancing research in biology, computing, engineering, physics, physiology or law. In addition, the Institute announced the 2017-18 Distinguished Lecturer— recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The newest class of Faculty Fellows includes members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Nuclear Society, and the American Bar Foundation.

Each Faculty Fellow will partner with one or more of the departments offering graduate degrees housed in Texas A&M’s 16 colleges or schools or at Texas A&M’s branch campus in Galveston. The Institute provides fellowships for graduate students to work with Faculty Fellows as well as funding to support visiting graduate students and post-doctoral researchers affiliated with the Faculty Fellows.

“The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study is one of the programs that makes Texas A&M University a great place for students,” Chancellor John Sharp said. “Once again, Dr. Junkins has managed to bring a diverse, impressive and inspiring collection of the nation’s top scholars to Texas A&M.”

“This sixth class of HIAS Faculty Fellows offers exemplary credentials,” said Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young. “In collaboration with our outstanding faculty, these Fellows will advance the international reputation of the Texas A&M research enterprise, provide our students with transformational opportunities within the world of discovery and innovation, and sustain the extraordinary trajectory of HIAS.”

Provost and Executive Vice President Carol A. Fierke said, “The Hagler Institute has emerged as unique resource for advancing collaborative research and scholarship at Texas A&M. The influence of these Faculty Fellows spans seven of our colleges across many disciplines and provides vital benefits to our faculty’s research, teaching and engagement.”

Each year, the Hagler Institute selects its Faculty Fellows from among top scholars who have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional accomplishments or significant recognition. Previous classes have included two Nobel laureates, a Wolf Prize recipient, a recipient of the Hubble Medal in Literature for Lifetime Achievement, a recipient of the National Medal of Science, an awardee of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, a recipient of the highest award in Architecture and a two-time recipient of the State Prize of Russia.

Founding Director John L. Junkins of the Hagler Institute said, “This sixth class of Hager Faculty Fellows represents the highest levels of excellence in their disciplines and bring to 52 the number of remarkable scholars brought to the University since 2012. The impact on our faculty students, diverse fields of study and the reputation of Texas A&M is indelible and extremely positive.”

The Institute will induct the Faculty Fellows Class of 2017-18 at its annual gala in early 2018:

• Vijay K. Dhir, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of California, Los Angeles—Acknowledged as a pioneer in fundamental and applied sciences that involve boiling as an efficient process of heat removal, Dhir is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow and honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a fellow of the American Nuclear Society. Dhir will collaborate with faculty and students in the College of Engineering and the College of Science.
• Richard A. Dixon, Distinguished Research Professor and director of the BioDiscovery Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas—A world-renowned specialist in the biochemistry, molecular biology, and metabolic engineering of plant natural product pathways and their implications for agriculture and human health, Dixon is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas. Dixon will collaborate with faculty and students in the College of Science.
• Richard A. Epstein, the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law, New York University School of Law—Ranking among the world’s most cited legal scholars, Epstein is a member the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a senior fellow of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago’s Division of Biological Sciences, the Peter and Kirstin Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law Emeritus and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago. Epstein will collaborate with faculty and students in the School of Law.
• Thomas B. Ginsburg, the Leo Spitz Professor of International Law and Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Research Scholar in the University of Chicago Law School and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago—An early adopter in the application of multidisciplinary social scientific analysis to comparative law, particularly to comparative constitutional law, Ginsburg is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ginsburg co-directs the National Science Foundation’s Comparative Constitutions Project. He will collaborate with faculty and students in the School of Law as well as the Bush School of Government and Public Service.
• James E. Hubbard Jr., Samuel P. Langley Distinguished Professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, and director of the Center for Adaptive Aerospace Vehicle Technology and the Morpheus Laboratory, National Institute of Aerospace—A key pioneer in developing piezo-film sensors and piezo-electric actuation systems for smart structures and materials applications, Hubbard is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Hubbard will collaborate with faculty and students in the College of Engineering and faculty-researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
• Thomas J. Stipanowich, professor and holder of the William H. Webster Chair in Dispute Resolution and associate dean of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law—A leading scholar in the field of commercial arbitration and dispute resolution, Stipanowich is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers and a founding fellow of the American College of Commercial Arbitrators. Stipanowich will collaborate with faculty and students in the School of Law and the College of Architecture.
• Jerry Tessendorf, professor of Visual Computing, School of Computing, Clemson University—Recipient of an Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2008 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Tessendorf is known for advancing the use of fluid simulations in computer graphics for motion pictures. His software was used for the 2012 film “Life of Pi,” which won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Tessendorf will collaborate with faculty and students in the College of Architecture, the College of Engineering and the College of Geosciences.

The Hagler Institute announced its Distinguished Lecturer for 2017-18:

• Steven Chu, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Humanities and Sciences and professor of Physics and Molecular & Cellular Physiology in the Medical School at Stanford University—Co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to laser cooling and atom trapping, and the 12th U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chu is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Academia Sinica, and is a foreign member of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology. As a truly outstanding scholar, Chu will hold the title of Distinguished Lecturer in the Hagler Institute and will participate as a keynote speaker in a symposium with other notable scholars to address important issues in his discipline.

About the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study: The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study was established in December 2010 by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents to build on the growing academic reputation of Texas A&M and provide a framework to attract top scholars from throughout the nation and abroad for appointments of up to a year. The selection of Faculty Fellows initiates with faculty nominations of National Academies and Nobel Prize-caliber scholars who align with existing strengths and ambitions of the University. To learn more, visit http://hias.tamu.edu.

About Research at Texas A&M University: As one of the world’s leading research institutions, Texas A&M is at the forefront in making significant contributions to scholarship and discovery, including that of science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of $892.7 million in fiscal year 2016. Texas A&M ranked in the top 20 of the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey (2015), based on expenditures of $866.6 million in fiscal year 2015. Texas A&M’s research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting, in many cases, in economic benefits to the state, nation and world. To learn more, visit http://research.tamu.edu.

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Media Contact: Rusty Cawley, assistant director, Research Communication and Public Relations, Academic Affairs Communications, (979) 458-1475, rcawley@tamu.edu