Faculty Research Awards

Faculty in the College of Natural Sciences have won some of the most prestigious awards in science, mathematics, technology and innovation.

Award-Winning Researchers

Wolf Prizes

3

Abel Prizes

21

In National Academies 

UT Austin is the only public research university in the world to have had three faculty winners of the Abel Prize (considered the Nobel of mathematics) and three winners of the Turing Award (considered the Nobel of computing). 

Abel Prize

  • Luis A. Caffarelli (Mathematics)
  • Karen Uhlenbeck (Mathematics)

Turing Award

  • E. Allen Emerson (Computer Science) 

National Medal Recipients

  • Allen Bard (Chemistry) – National Medal of Science
  • Karen Uhlenbeck (Mathematics) – National Medal of Science
  • C. Grant Willson (Chemistry) – National Medal of Technology & Innovation

National Academies Members

National Academy of Sciences

  • Richard Aldrich (Neurobiology) 
  • Allen Bard (Chemistry)
  • James Bull (Integrative Biology) 
  • Luis A. Caffarelli (Mathematics) 
  • Katherine Freese (Physics) 
  • Cameron M. Gordon (Mathematics)
  • David Hillis (Integrative Biology) 
  • John Kormendy (Astronomy) 
  • Mark Kirkpatrick (Integrative Biology) 
  • Alan Lambowitz (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • Allan MacDonald (Physics) 
  • Nancy Moran (Integrative Biology) 
  • William Press (Integrative Biology, Computer Science) 
  • Jonathan Sessler (Chemistry) 
  • Harry Swinney (Physics) 
  • Karen Uhlenbeck (Mathematics) 

National Academy of Engineering

  • Simon Lam (Computer Science) 
  • Jay Misra (Computer Science) 
  • J Strother Moore (Computer Science) 
  • C. Grant Willson (Chemistry & Biochemistry) 

National Academy of Medicine

  • George Georgiou (Molecular Biosciences) 

National Academy of Inventors

  • George Georgiou (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • Yi Lu (Chemistry) 
  • Jonathan Sessler (Chemistry) 

21 American Academy Fellows

American Academy of Arts & Sciences 

  • Rick Aldrich (Neurobiology)
  • Allen Bard (Chemistry) 
  • James Bull (Integrative Biology)
  • Luis Caffarelli (Mathematics)
  • David Crews (Integrative Biology)
  • Björn Engquist (Mathematics) 
  • Larry Faulkner (Chemistry)
  • George Georgiou (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • David Hillis (Integrative Biology)
  • Mark Kirkpatrick (Integrative Biology) 
  • Alan Lambowitz (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Allan MacDonald (Physics)
  • Nancy Moran (Integrative Biology)
  • Bill Press (Integrative Biology & Computer Science)
  • Michael Ryan (Integrative Biology)
  • Jonathan Sessler (Chemistry)
  • Beryl Simpson (Integrative Biology)
  • Harry Swinney (Physics)
  • Karen Uhlenbeck (Mathematics)
  • Mary Wheeler (Mathematics)
  • Kelly Zamudio (Integrative Biology)

57 AAAS Fellows

American Association for the Advancement of Science  

  • Scott Aaronson (Computer Science)
  • Richard Aldrich (Neuroscience) 
  • Eric Anslyn (Chemistry)
  • Chandrajit Bajaj (Computer Science) 
  • George Bittner (Neuroscience)
  • Kate Calder (Statistics and Data Sciences)
  • David Cannatella (Integrative Biology) 
  • James Chelikowsky (Physics) 
  • Jeff Chen (Molecular Biosciences)
  • David Crews (Integrative Biology)
  • Inderjit Dhillon (Computer Science & Mathematics) 
  • Harriet Dinerstein (Astronomy)
  • Jaquelin Dudley (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Ron Elber (Chemistry/Oden Institute)
  • Andy Ellington (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Neal Evans (Astronomy)
  • Larry Faulkner (Chemistry)
  • Norma Fowler (Integrative Biology)
  • George Georgiou (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Larry Gilbert (Integrative Biology)
  • Kristen Grauman (Computer Science)
  • Kristen Harris (Neuroscience) 
  • Rasika Harshey (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • Richard Hazeltine (Physics)
  • Brent Iverson (Chemistry) 
  • Arlen Johnson (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Kenneth Johnson (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Daniel Johnston (Neuroscience) 
  • Mark Kirkpatrick (Integrative Biology) 
  • Michael Krische (Chemistry) 
  • Robert Krug (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • Alan Lambowitz (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Daniel Leahy (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Elaine Li (Physics)
  • Xiuling Li (Chemistry) 
  • Hung-Wen Liu (Chemistry)
  • Paul Macdonald (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Bassett Maguire (Integrative Biology)
  • Edward Marcotte (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Stephen Martin (Chemistry)
  • Nancy Moran (Integrative Biology) 
  • Howard Ochman (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Tanya Paull (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Keshav Pingali (Computer Science)
  • William Press (Computer Science, Integrative Biology) 
  • Mark Raizen (Physics) 
  • Stanley Roux (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • Mike Ryan (Integrative Biology)
  • Jonathan Sessler (Chemistry)
  • Beryl Simpson (Integrative Biology)
  • Peter Stone (Computer Science) 
  • H. Eldon Sutton (Molecular Biosciences)
  • Harry Swinney (Physics)
  • Keiko Torii (Molecular Biosciences) 
  • Philip "Uri” Treisman (Mathematics) 
  • Robert F. Williams (Mathematics)
  • Claus Wilke (Integrative Biology)

Other Major Awards & Fellowships

  • ACM Prize in Computing – Scott Aaronson 
  • Alan Waterman Award – Scott Aaronson 
  • Asahi Prize – Keiko Torii 
  • Charles Babbage Award – Keshav Pingali
  • Enrico Fermi Award – Allen Bard 
  • Guggenheim Fellows – Alan Campion, Cameron Gordon, Mark Kirkpatrick, Steven Phelps, Mike Ryan, Peter Stone, Karen Uhlenbeck, John Wallingford, David Zuckerman
  • International Prize for Biology – Nancy Moran 
  • Japan Prize – C. Grant Willson 
  • King Faisal International Prize in Chemistry – Allen Bard 
  • MacArthur Fellows – David Hillis, Nancy Moran, Uri Treisman, Karen Uhlenbeck 
  • Michael and Sheila Held Prize from the National Academy of Sciences – David Zuckerman
  • National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology – Jason McLellan
  • Priestley Medal – Allen Bard 
  • Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences – Luis Caffarelli
  • Stark Draper Prize – C. Grant Willson 
  • Steele Prize – Luis Caffarelli, Karen Uhlenbeck
  • Waksman Award in Microbiology from the National Academy of Sciences – Nancy Moran
  • Wolf Prize – Allen Bard, Luis Caffarelli, Allan MacDonald