

CONTENTS

FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Thank you for your interest in the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study and for examining our annual report. I would like you to join me for a little thought experiment.
Let’s say you love Shakespeare’s work and are a young professor or a student seeking to specialize in his writings. Would you like to be able to discuss Shakespeare-related topics with a renowned scholar in this area? How about having access to this scholar for up to a year? Would such access likely make a difference to your career? Would you be more inspired to pursue your work, having the finest in that field waiting to hear what you have to say? Since professors live in the “publish or perish” world, designed to advance knowledge, would you benefit from co-authoring work with the finest in your field? Answering those questions inherently tells you the purpose and the impact of the Hagler Institute. The institute has, indeed, attracted the finest Shakespeare scholar to collaborate with Texas A&M University’s faculty and students. But the institute has done the same in materials science and engineering, education, quantum science, lasers, public health, chemistry, genetics, economics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, astronomy, business management, autonomous vehicles, hypersonics, mathematics, wireless technology, biology, statistics, marketing, computer science and marine sciences, to name only a few subjects. For a complete list of the fields, examine the information about the fellows of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study later in this report. In its 13 years of attracting outstanding scholars, the Hagler Institute has brought to Texas A&M 135 Hagler Fellows and 13 Distinguished Lecturers.
“It has long been my goal to bring 20 new world-class scholars to Texas A&M each year.”
Hagler Fellows come to Texas A&M for up to a year. Distinguished Lecturers were offered the Hagler Fellow position but could only agree to collaborate at Texas A&M for up to a month.
Hagler Fellows collaborate on research with our faculty and students, resulting in peer-review publications, conference presentations, enhanced external research funding and interdisciplinary breakthroughs in knowledge. The Hagler Institute facilitates the collaboration of students with fellows by awarding fellowships for students to collaborate with Hagler Fellows, releasing these students from the necessity of finding other support that could impair their time for learning from the fellow. To date, the Hagler Institute has funded or committed to fund 270 such student fellowships. Many graduate and undergraduate students are treated to lectures by Hagler Fellows, adding to the intellectual stimulation and guidance they already receive from Texas A&M’s outstanding faculty.
It has long been my goal to bring 20 new world-class scholars to Texas A&M each year. Over its first 10 years, the institute averaged between nine and 10 new scholars each year. Partly due to savings that built up during the “COVID-19 era” when fellows could not visit campus and partly at the expense of the size of next year’s fellows class, in this latest year the institute brought 20 outstanding scholars to Texas A&M, including 19 fellows and one distinguished lecturer. I wanted to demonstrate to potential donors and the Texas A&M community that the
demand and capacity exist to achieve my long-term goal if given sufficient funding, erasing any doubts that people might have. The reputation of the Hagler Institute’s high standards has become sufficiently wide-spread that many scholars we contact have heard of the institute and are immediately honored to have the opportunity to be a part of it.
This institute’s contribution to excellence at Texas A&M is based on the number of fellows and students the institute can support. The 2024-25 group of Hagler Fellows will be serving their time in the institute with periodic visits spread over an approximately four-year period. With such a large group of fellows to fund, in the coming years the number of fellows in each new group will be much smaller, unless additional funds can be found. It is the price of demonstrating our potential.
Hagler Fellows visits inherently provide occasions for fellows to experience the opportunities that Texas A&M has to offer for their own careers, and they also allow Texas A&M’s faculty sufficient time to assess the advantages of having the fellow as a colleague. More than 20% of the fellows who have completed their time in the institute have joined Texas A&M’s faculty. These faculty additions continue to serve as a catalyst attracting other academy level scholars. Excellence truly breeds more excellence, if one has the resources to add very accomplished scholars and leaders to the permanent faculty. Thanks to John Sharp’s Chancellor’s Research Initiative, Greg Abbott’s Governor’s University
Research Initiative, and the support of the Hagler Institute by Texas A&M President, General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, Texas A&M has been able to surge in the number of academy level scholars added to Texas A&M’s permanent faculty.
When the institute was first formed, its goal was to implement part of the strategic plan of Vision 2020 to enhance the quality of A&M’s faculty and students. This year I had the idea of offering sufficient graduate student support over multiple years to recruit more of the nation’s finest students to Texas A&M’s Ph.D. programs and arranging opportunities for them to collaborate with Hagler Fellows. I mentioned my idea to Chancellor John Sharp, resulting in the Chancellor’s National Academy STEM Ph.D. Fellowships (Chancellor’s Fellowships). The Chancellor’s Fellowships offer nationally competitive support for four years. The minimum grade criterion to be considered for a Chancellor’s Fellowship is an undergraduate grade point average of 3.9 or better on a 4.0 scale, even for applicants with a master’s degree.
The program teams these students with national academy members on our permanent faculty, some of whom came to Texas A&M as Hagler Fellows, as well as a “rising star” faculty member, as the student needs to affiliate with scholars on our faculty who will be awarding their degrees. Once the students are here, however, the Hagler Institute will see to it that these “off the charts” strong students have a good exposure to our Hagler Fellows. The funding for this program is provided by the Office of the Chancellor of The Texas A&M
University System, so the funds involved are not from our funds or endowment earnings, and they cannot be used to support Hagler Fellows or other expenses of the institute. However, Chancellor Sharp chose the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study to design and administer this program. After months of work, I am happy to announce that the program is in place, and national marketing of the program and the recruiting of students are underway.
The Hagler Institute is helping to enhance the excellence and academic reputation of Texas A&M, along with many other divisions and faculty. The efforts are having their impacts. During 2024, the Wall Street Journal ranked Texas A&M the top university in Texas, as well as number 11 in the nation among public universities and 28th in the nation among private and public universities.
The future is always uncertain, but less so for the Hagler Institute. The Hagler Institute has designed its policies, and they work. Over the future of Texas A&M the institute will continue to perform well. Like the “Spirit of Aggieland,” this staff will pass along to eventual replacements its culture and the Spirit of the Hagler Institute.
We are seeking donors who share our enthusiasm for this mission of academic excellence. Help us get to 20 new fellows and 40 new student fellowships each year. Thank you for affording me the time to share my heart with you.
JOHN L. JUNKINS Founding Director, Hagler Institute for Advanced Study
The Hagler Institute is devoted to the highest measure of academic excellence.
It is the only institute of its kind in the United States. Located in Rudder Tower in the heart of the Texas A&M campus, the Hagler Institute serves all colleges, select institutes, Texas A&M at Galveston and the School of Law in Fort Worth.
The Hagler Institute brings the world’s most notable scholars—known as Hagler Fellows— to campus for up to one year to inspire and collaborate with Texas A&M’s outstanding faculty and students.
A minimum criterion for selection as a Hagler Fellow is election into one of the national academies or having equivalent stature in other fields. In its first 13 years, the institute has appointed 135 Hagler Fellows and 13 Distinguished Lecturers, including six Nobel Prize recipients and winners of many other prestigious honors.
Now a permanent feature on campus, the Hagler Institute was the idea of its founding director, John L. Junkins, a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and former Texas A&M interim president. The concept was proven over a five-year period with startup funds provided by Chancellor John Sharp and Texas A&M’s Academic Master Plan.
A commitment of continuing funding by then-Texas A&M President Michael K. Young and supported by General (Ret.) President Mark A. Welsh lll, along with the resulting significant endowment provided by Distinguished Alumnus Jon L. Hagler ’58, ensures the institute’s stability.
The implications for the academic environment at Texas A&M are astounding. In
essence, each year the Hagler Institute injects new academic excellence into a variety of fields of study at the university.
The typical fellow now spends more than six months in residence, spread over three years. Within any one year, 30 or more visiting world-class scholars are commonly on the campus.
The impact of the Hagler Institute on academic excellence will advance at a pace determined by donor support and by each college or school’s participation as reflected in fellow nominations.
The Hagler Institute broadly elevates the reputation of Texas A&M by:
• Connecting faculty and students with recognized scholars from across the United States and from other countries.
• Fostering advanced problem solving, research and publications.
• Increasing external research funding through efforts of current and former Hagler Fellows.
• Attracting additional world-class scholars to Texas A&M’s faculty as a by-product of their in-residence visits, some using funds from the Governor’s University Research Initiative and the Chancellor’s Research Initiative.
• Attracting new outstanding faculty and students by providing a unique intellectual atmosphere.
Each year the Hagler Institute injects new academic excellence into a variety of fields of study at the university.
Jon L. Hagler ’58 established an endowment for the Institute for Advanced Study to secure its place as a symbol of excellence at Texas A&M University.
His devotion to Texas A&M has been evident throughout his adult life. Jon L. Hagler is recognized nationally as a leader in investment management as well as philanthropy. In 1984, he and wife Jo Ann founded the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, a private, independent foundation that has financially supported Texas A&M as well as multiple philanthropic efforts across the nation.
Hagler has shown an interest in supporting overarching initiatives that elevate Texas A&M’s academic stature and contribute to A&M’s long-term success. He is highly regarded and respected at the university for his leadership and contributions, both of which have spanned decades.
Texas A&M recognized Hagler with an honorary doctorate in 2015 and the 2005 Sterling C. Evans Medal for his dedication in supporting Texas A&M. He was named a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus in 1999 and is a past member of the board of directors of The Association of Former Students.
Hagler chaired the executive committee of the One Spirit, One Vision campaign from 2000 to 2006; co-chaired the university’s 1999 strategic planning initiative, Vision 2020: Creating a Culture of Excellence; served as past chairman and trustee emeritus of the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees; and was the leading donor of the Texas A&M Foundation’s campus headquarters named in his honor.
He has offered valuable guidance as a member of the institute’s external advisory board since its formation and through his generosity has helped make the institute a permanent part of Texas A&M. To ensure prestigious leadership in years ahead, Hagler endowed the director’s chair to provide research support for future directors of the institute. Hagler also provided matching funds that helped attract an endowment for the institute from the Robert A. Welch Foundation in 2024.
Hagler received his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M in 1958, was a Corps of Cadets commander during his senior year, and served as a Ross Volunteer. He earned an MBA from Harvard University in 1963.
The Hagler Institute Faculty Advisory Board is charged with the responsibility of studying and analyzing the records of nominees for the Hagler Fellows, assessing their qualification and selecting the scholars to be recruited.
Three of the nine seats on the Advisory Board are chosen by the university’s provost and its vice president for research. The remaining six seats are chosen by the Electorate from among its members.
TERM EXPIRES MAY 31, 2025
Robert Kennicutt College of Arts and Sciences
Glynn S. Lunney, Jr. School of Law
Jörg M. Steiner College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
TERM EXPIRES MAY 31, 2026
Valerie Hudson The Bush School of Government and Public Service
Stratos Pistikopoulos College of Engineering
Farida Sohrabji College of Medicine
TERM EXPIRES MAY 31, 2027
Marcia G. Ory School of Public Health
Stephen H. Safe College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Karen Wooley College of Arts and Sciences
JOHN SHARP Chancellor
The Texas A&M University System
One of my first actions as chancellor was to seed the Hagler Institute. I believed then that the institute would attract some of the finest professors on the planet to Texas A&M University. Now, 13 years later, I am pleased to say that it stands as one of life’s rare and glorious examples of an idea that by far has exceeded all expectations.
The Hagler Institute External Advisory Board annually reviews the activities of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M to provide guidance, advice and recommendations.
CHAIR
Ray Rothrock
Chairman, RedSeal, Inc.
Partner Emeritus, Venrock
Forbes Midas List
Former Chair, National Venture Capital Association
Member, MIT Corporation
UTIMCO, Vice Chairman
Distinguished Alumnus, The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University
Director, Check Point Software Technology, Ltd.
Director, Roku Inc.
Trustee, Carnegie Institute of Science Director, Nuclear Threat Initiative
VICE CHAIR
Ray M. Bowen
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Rice University
Former President, Texas A&M University
Former Chair, National Science Board
Former Division Director and Deputy Director, National Science Foundation
Jon L. Hagler
Former Director, GMO
Former Chairman, Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees
Former Co-Chair, Texas A&M’s Vision 2020 Planning Initiative
Sterling C. Evans Medal, Texas A&M Foundation
Distinguished Alumnus, The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University
Honorary Doctor of Letters, Texas A&M University
The Honorable
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Former U.S. Senator
Former NATO Ambassador
National Advisory Council, NASA
Global Advisory Board, Bank of America
Board of Directors, Atlantic Council
Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Former Chairman, Board of Visitors, United States Military Academy West Point
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Ronald L. Skaggs
Chairman Emeritus and CEO, HKS Inc., Architects/Engineers/Planners
President, American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Chancellor, AIA College of Fellows
Board Chairman and Vice Chair, National Institute of Building Sciences
National Academy of Construction
Distinguished Alumnus, The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University
Michael L. Slack
Founding and Managing Partner, Slack Davis Sanger L.L.P.
Formerly, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center
Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distinguished Aerospace Engineering Alumni 2018, Texas A&M University
Distinguished Aggie Lawyer 2023, Texas Aggie Bar Association
Former President, Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Board of Governors, American Association of Justice
American Board of Trial Advocates
John White
Chairman Emeritus, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents
Trustee, George and Barbara Bush Foundation
Former Chairman, Ed Rachal Foundation
Former Director, UTIMCO
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Inductee, Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor
Fifth Generation Texas Rancher
Anthony Wood
Founder, Chairman and CEO, Roku Inc.
Founder with Susan Wood, Wood Next Foundation
Technical Emmy in 2000 for creating the first Digital Video Recorder
Technical Emmy in 2013 for creating the first Streaming Video Player
Distinguished Alumnus, The Association of Former Students
Outstanding Alumni Award, College of Engineering, Texas A&M University
EMERITUS MEMBERS
Norman R. Augustine
Former Under Secretary, U.S. Army
Former Chair and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Former President, National Academy of Engineering
Committee Chair, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
National Medal of Technology
University of Warwick Distinguished Lecture
Susan R. Bailey
Partner, Fort Worth Allergy and Asthma Associates
President-elect, American Medical Association
Regent Emerita, The Texas A&M University System
Distinguished Fellow, American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
Distinguished Alumna, The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University
Former President, Texas Medical Association
Anita K. Jones
Professor Emerita, University of Virginia
Former Director, Defense Research and Engineering, U.S. Department of Defense
National Academy of Engineering
Committee Member, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
Former Vice Chair, National Science Board
Linda P. B. Katehi
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, Texas A&M University
Former Chancellor, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis
National Academy of Engineering
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Alexander von Humboldt Research Award
V. Lane Rawlins
President Emeritus, University of North Texas
Former President, Washington State University
Former President, University of Memphis
NCAA Board of Directors
Herbert H. Richardson
Chancellor Emeritus, The Texas A&M University System
Director Emeritus, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University
National Academy of Engineering
ASME Rufus Oldenburger Medal
Sheila E. Widnall
Institute Professor and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Former Secretary of the Air Force
National Academy of Engineering
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Former President, AAAS
Member, Columbia Accident Investigation Board
IN MEMORIAM
H. Norman Abramson
Former Executive Vice President, Southwest Research Institute
National Academy of Engineering
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
ASME Medal Recipient
AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Award
The Hagler Institute has emerged as one of Texas A&M’s most renowned and impactful initiatives, drawing world-class scholars to collaborate with faculty and students, advancing high-level scholarship, enriching the university’s research endeavors and shaping a legacy of lasting significance.
GENERAL (RET.) MARK A. WELSH III President Texas A&M University
Advocates for the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M champion the institute to anyone who shares an interest in the advancement of Texas A&M. In addition, Advocates identify like-minded prospective donors who may want to help establish a strong financial foundation for the institute’s mission.
Janice Adams
Norman R. Augustine
Miroslav Begovic
Jason A. Blackstone ’99
Ray M. Bowen ’58
Jean-Louis and Janet Briaud
Bill E. Carter ’69
Jerry S. Cox ’72
John L. Crompton ’77
Ronald A. DeVore
Edward S. Fry
Ram and Angela Galindo
J. Rick Giardino
Melbern G. Glasscock ’59
Janet A. Handley ‘76
William C. Hearn ’63
Rodney C. Hill
M. Cynthia Hipwell
Michael A. Hitt
Carl F. Jaedicke ’73
Antony Jameson
Linda P. B. Katehi
Christopher Layne
Frank Little
Karin C. Loftin
R. Bowen Loftin ’71
Carolyn S. Lohman
George J. Mann
William J. Merrell Jr. ’71
Richard and Susan Miles
Charles R. Munnerlyn ’62
Alan and Wanda Needleman
H. Joseph Newton
Gerald R. North
Erle A. Nye ’59
Elaine S. and Daniel Oran
Marcia Ory
George and Marilyn Pharr
Thomas W. Powell ’62
J.N. and Aruna Reddy
Herbert H. Richardson
Jess C. (Rick) Rickman III ’70
Mercedes Rodriguez
B. Don Russell ’70
Stephanie W. Sale
William S. Saric and Helen L. Reed
Marlan O. Scully
Les E. Shephard ’77
James M. Singleton IV ’66
Ronald L. Skaggs ’65
Michael L. Slack ’73
Christine A. Stanley ’90
Jörg Steiner
David G. and Valerie Woodcock
Karen and Mark Wooley
Stratos and Maria Zarai-Pistikopoulos
The Hagler Institute Administrative Council oversees the operation of the institute and reviews its progress. The university’s provost selects the institute’s director.
CHAIR
Alan Sams
Provost and Executive Vice President
VICE CHAIR
Jack G. Baldauf
Vice President for Research
Robert B. Ahdieh
Dean, School of Law
Dean and Anthony G. Buzbee
Endowed Dean’s Chair Professor, School of Law
John R. August
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
John Crawford
Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Division of Finance and Business Services
Shawn G. Gibbs
Dean, School of Public Health Professor, School of Public Health
Dimitris Lagoudas
Robert C. “Bud” Hagner Chair of Engineering
University Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering
Michael A. de Miranda
Dean, College of Education and Human Development Professor, College of Education and Human Development
Stratos Pistikopoulos
Director, Texas A&M Energy Institute Professor, College of Engineering
Kenneth S. Ramos
Associate Vice President for Research, Texas A&M Health
Executive Director, Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Director, Center for Genomic and Precision Medicine
Alkek Chair of Medical Genetics Professor, College of Medicine
Jeffrey W. Savell
Vice Chancellor and Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and E.M. “Manny” Rosenthal Chairholder
Jerry R. Strawser
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs Professor, Mays Business School
Patrick Suermann
Interim Dean, College of Architecture
Associate Professor, College of Architecture
Tyson Voelkel
President and CEO
Texas A&M Foundation
Amy Waer
Dean, College of Medicine
Jean and Tom McMullin Endowed Dean
More than 20% of the fellows who have completed their time in the Hagler Institute have joined Texas A&M’s permanent faculty. These scholars are Permanent Members of the Hagler Institute, and they have been catalysts for attracting other academy-level scholars to Texas A&M’s faculty. Other National Academy scholars on the Texas A&M faculty, as well as members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, are Affiliates of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.
This list refers only to those members of the congressionally mandated National Academies: the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, or the National Academy of Sciences.
Kyle T. Alfriend College of Engineering
Robert Ambrose College of Engineering
Leif Andersson* College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Aristos Aristidou College of Engineering
Vanderlei S. Bagnato College of Engineering
Regan Bailey College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Mark A. Barteau College of Engineering
Donald J. Darensbourg College of Arts and Sciences
Marcetta Darensbourg College of Arts and Sciences
Akhil Datta-Gupta College of Engineering
Luiz Davidovich* Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering
Ronald A. DeVore College of Arts and Sciences
Nancy W. Dickey Emeritus College of Medicine
Bonnie J. Dunbar College of Engineering
Ali Erdemir College of Engineering
Yassin A. Hassan College of Engineering
Dudley R. Herschbach Emeritus College of Arts and Sciences
M. Cynthia Hipwell College of Engineering
James Hubbard Jr.* College of Engineering
Antony Jameson College of Engineering
John L. Junkins College of Engineering
Linda KatehiTseregounis College of Engineering
Robert Kennicutt Jr.* College of Arts and Science
Mladen Kezunovic College of Engineering
Panganamala Ramana Kumar College of Engineering
Enrique J. Lavernia College of Engineering
David Lee College of Arts and Sciences
W. John Lee College of Engineering
Frances Ligler College of Engineering
George Ligler College of Engineering
Nathan Meehan College of Engineering
Richard Bryant Miles College of Engineering
Warren “Pete” Miller College of Engineering
William J. Murphy College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Alan Needleman* College of Engineering
Elaine S. Oran College of Engineering
Thomas J. Overbye College of Engineering
Roderic I. Pettigrew School of Engineering Medicine
George M. Pharr College of Engineering
Kenneth S. Ramos Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Junuthula N. Reddy College of Engineering
Peter Rentzepis College of Engineering
Catharine Ross College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
B. Don Russell College of Engineering
William Sage* School of Law
William S. Saric Emeritus College of Engineering
Julie M. Schoenung College of Engineering
Marlan O. Scully Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering
Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Chanan Singh College of Engineering
Vijay Singh College of Engineering
Patrick J. Stover College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Edwin “Ned” Thomas College of Engineering
Karen L. Wooley College of Arts and Sciences
*Hagler Institute Permanent Member The list does not include A&M faculty who are members of other prestigious U.S. or international academies. (As of January 2025: source Faculty Affairs)
FULL TIME
John L. Junkins
Founding Director University Distinguished Professor Department of Aerospace Engineering College of Engineering
Clifford L. Fry Associate Director
The Take Flight Leadership Award is conferred only on individuals whose sustained leadership contributions have resulted in highly significant elevation of both the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study and Texas A&M.
The inaugural Take Flight Leadership Award was presented at the 2024 Hagler Institute gala to Norman R. Augustine.
Augustine served as the first chair of the Hagler Institute’s External Advisory Board and provided extraordinary leadership that helped guide the institute on an upward trajectory during its first 12 years. Augustine was the first person that Junkins asked to join him after he received permission to build this institute.
Junkins and Augustine had known each other for several years and shared a mutual respect. Junkins approached Augustine at a meeting of the National Academy of Engineering. The encounter went something like this:
“Norm, I am establishing a new institute at Texas A&M to attract the world’s most outstanding scholars to Texas A&M for extensive collaborative visits, and I would like you to chair my External Advisory Board.
It sounds interesting. How many scholars have you brought to Texas A&M so far?
None. The institute has just been approved.
Well, how many people are on your External Advisory Board?
None yet.
You mean I am chairman of an advisory board that has no other members and for an institute that does not exist?”
Why Junkins was anxious to get Augustine to head his External Advisory Board becomes evident when you know more about Augustine. He is arguably the nation’s icon of leadership.
After graduating from Princeton University with a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, Augustine worked for Douglas Aircraft as a research engineer, program manager and chief engineer. He served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as assistant director of defense research and engineering. Augustine then joined LTV Missiles and Space Company, serving as vice president for advanced programs and marketing. He returned to the government with the U.S. Army as assistant secretary for research and development, culminating his government service as Secretary of the Army.
Joining Martin Marietta corporation as vice president of technical operations, Augustine rose to become president, then chief operating officer, CEO, and finally chairman. He then served as president and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation. In his mid-60s, He retired as chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin and joined the faculty at Princeton University. His volunteer service since his so-called retirement has been truly remarkable. Augustine has served as chairman of the Council of the National Academy of Engineering,
chaired the Aerospace Industries Association and the Defense Science Board, and served as president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
He also devoted his time to be president of the Red Cross. He led several impactful studies by the National Academy of Sciences, including the “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” study.
Augustine served as a regent of the University System of Maryland, is a trustee of The Johns Hopkins University, and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Augustine has served on many industrial boards and has advised the U.S. departments of Homeland Security, Energy, Defense, Commerce,Transportation and Health and Human Services, as well as NASA, Congress and the White House.
In addition to being a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Augustine is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Council on Foreign Relations and is a fellow of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Explorers Club.
The impact of Augustine’s leadership, dedication, and vision has been extremely important to the Hagler Institute. His reputation helped Junkins attract other great people for his External Advisory Board, and his leadership helped guide the development of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.
For Augustine’s willingness to take a gamble on tying his name to an institute that was then only a novel idea, and for his subsequent devotion to the institute’s development, the Hagler Institute awarded Norman R. Augustine its first “Take Flight Leadership Award.”
The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study is a beacon of excellence at Texas A&M University.
Each year, the Hagler Institute attracts a new group of world-class scholars, called Hagler Fellows, who stay from three to 12 months on the Texas A&M campus, and Distinguished Lecturers, who come for shorter visits.
That annual influx of talent enriches Texas A&M’s intellectual atmosphere, enhances the quality of academic programs, accelerates solutions to complex research problems, assists in external research funding, and heightens Texas A&M’s reputation as a top-tier research university. Like a ripple in still water caused by a stone’s throw, the presence of the Hagler Fellows provides inspiration that permeates through the participating departments, colleges, schools, and institutes and affects all the students who collaborate on research with these top scholars or hear their lectures.
Another hallmark of a great university is that renowned scholars at other universities want to interact with its faculty and students. The Hagler Institute has proven an important magnet for such engagement at Texas A&M.
During their time on campus, Hagler Fellows collaborate in intense research with Texas A&M’s internationally known senior faculty and rising-star junior faculty. Furthermore, the Hagler Institute provides two graduate student fellowships per fellow to ensure that Texas A&M’s top students have the opportunity to team with Hagler Fellows and their university hosts in meaningful research. These associations can fundamentally enhance students’ career options.
In their host colleges or schools, Hagler Fellows often present lectures that reach a broad audience.
In addition, the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study chooses one fellow each semester to present its public Eminent Scholar Lecture.
Although the institute is not designed to recruit permanent faculty, the time in residence gives Hagler Fellows a valuable look at the opportunities and research facilities of this great institution. Since its inception, more than 20% of the Hagler Fellows who completed their time in the Hagler Institute joined Texas A&M’s permanent faculty. Each of these fellows represent the cream of the crop of potential faculty additions. Such distinguished faculty in turn attract other outstanding scholars. Since the Hagler Institute’s first class arrived in fiscal year 2013, the number of members of the congressionally mandated National Academies of Engineering, Medicine and Sciences on Texas A&M’s faculty has increased from 11 to 54. This remarkable influx of talent has helped make Texas A&M the first academic institution in Texas to attain more than $1.1 billion in research expenditures in a fiscal year.
Within the addition of fellows to engineering faculty lies a unique success story. Alan Needleman, a 2012–13 fellow and one of the world’s most cited scholars, joined Texas A&M’s faculty upon completing his work in the Hagler Institute. The College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering joined forces to form a new Department of Materials Science and Engineering with Needleman as its most distinguished faculty member. He was soon joined by new hires of top professors, including George Pharr, another noted researcher and member of the National Academy of Engineering. Renowned scientist and engineer Edwin “Ned” Thomas later joined the faculty of that department after initially being attracted to the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study while at Rice University. These three highly
accomplished individuals were hired into either a Chancellor’s Research Initiative (CRI) position or a Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI) position. Each CRI and GURI position came with two additional faculty positions and startup funds of about $5 million. These three National Academy of Engineering hires were instrumental in advancing the new department from startup to national and international prominence.
The Hagler Institute has paid for itself many times over. Its excellence mission has attracted significant donor contributions. In addition, funds have come to Texas A&M due to former fellows who joined Texas A&M’s faculty and other new professors attracted to Texas A&M because of these additions. These funds have come from the CRI, the GURI and increases in outside research funding.
Christodoulos Floudas, a former fellow of the Hagler Institute and a renowned chemical engineer from Princeton University, joined Texas A&M’s faculty, and in February 2015 became the director of Texas A&M’s Energy Institute. Floudas recruited Stratos Pistikopoulos, a member of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, and together they rebuilt Texas A&M’s Energy Institute into a vibrant asset. Before Floudas’ sudden death in August 2018 at 56, the two attracted more than $20 million in new research funds. Since then, under Pistikopoulos’ leadership, the Energy Institute has been awarded more than $45 million through projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National
The Hagler Institute has paid for itself many times over. Its excellence mission has attracted significant donor contributions.
Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of State and other sources.
Top faculty and funding are combined with top students at the finest universities. Adding more of the nation’s most outstanding students to Texas A&M’s graduate programs will enhance excellence at Texas A&M University. Adopting an idea from John Junkins, Chancellor John Sharp has committed funds to a new Chancellor’s National Academy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Ph.D. Fellowships program with that objective, starting with certain fields of study. Although the funds are not available for Hagler Institute objectives and functions, the Chancellor not surprisingly chose the Hagler Institute to design and administer this program. The program requires qualified candidates to have a 3.9 or better out of a 4.0 grading system as an undergraduate, even if they are already earning or have a Master’s degree. The student must also team with a Texas A&M University faculty member who is also a national academy member, as well as team with a “rising star” faculty member. This competitive program pays $40,000 per year to the student for a guaranteed four years, plus tuition, university fees and cost of health insurance for the four years.
Because the Hagler Institute is administering the new Chancellor’s Fellowship program, we will know all students involved, and we look forward to connecting them with visiting Hagler Fellows. The Hagler Institute is helping Texas A&M in its climb to the top of public universities in the nation.
SCHOLARS IN THE FIRST 13 CLASSES HAVE CHOSEN TO JOIN TEXAS A&M’S PERMANENT
Harold Adams RKTL International College of Architecture
Luiz Davidovich Federal University of Rio de,Janeiro, Brazil Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering
Roger Howe Yale University College of Education and Human Development
Rachel Moran University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
William M. Sage University of Texas at Austin College of Medicine School of Law
Robert Skelton University of California, San Diego College of Engineering
Leif Andersson Uppsala University, Sweden College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Vanderlei Bagnato University of São Paulo, Brazil College of Engineering
Christodoulos Floudas Princeton University College of Engineering, Energy Institute
Karl Hedrick University of California, Berkeley College of Engineering
James E. Hubbard Jr. University of Maryland College of Engineering
Alan Needleman University of North Texas College of Engineering
Robert Kennicutt Jr. University of Cambridge, England College of Arts and Sciences
Jean-Paul Rodrigue Hofstra University Texas A&M University at Galveston
Edwin “Ned” L. Thomas Rice University College of Engineering
William G. Unruh University of British Columbia, Canada Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
42 INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIES
6 NOBEL PRIZE
2
WOLF PRIZE
12
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
43
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
2
1
N AT I O NA L ME DA L OF S CI E NC E
2
AT IONAL ACAD E MY OF EDU CAT IO N
ACADEMY AWARD
1 1 1 1
STATE PRIZE OF RUSSIA
AT IONAL ACAD E MY OF SCIENCES N AT IONAL HUMANITIES MEDAL
NATIONAL MEDAL OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
50
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING
1
HUBBELL MEDAL IN LITERARY SCHOLARSHIP
39
Hagler Fellows go to their respective departments to collaborate with faculty and students in their discipline. Those of us at the Hagler Institute enjoy meeting and getting to know all the fellows.
The Hagler Institute and the colleges, schools and institutes (hereafter referred to as colleges) share in the costs of the fellows. The Hagler Institute pays 70% of each fellow’s stipend and provides two one-year fellowships for students to work on research with this visiting scholar. The nominating college and department commit to fund travel and housing expenses plus 30% of the fellow’s stipend, as well as provide a discretionary fund for research expenses.
The selection process is as fair as we can make it. The Hagler Institute allows each college five and a half nominees, regardless of the size of the college. The half nomination represents a multidisciplinary nominee for whom two colleges share costs. The Hagler Institute allows those colleges with endowments devoted to supporting Hagler Fellows one additional nomination slot for each such endowment.
The Hagler Institute invites all faculty members to consider their choice of a top scholar, not at Texas A&M, with whom they would like to work. Nominations are confidential. The nominees are not informed of their nomination unless they are selected. Department heads and deans determine which nominations are sent to the Hagler Institute for evaluation as potential Hagler Fellows.
Selection of fellows of the Hagler Institute is a multiyear process. Our nomination period opens in April and concludes in August, allowing the deans and faculty sufficient time to assess nominees. The Hagler Institute’s Faculty Advisory Board is charged with completing its evaluations of the nominees by late November or early December. Most of the recruiting of the fellows then takes place in January through August of the following year.
The Faculty Advisory Board carefully reviews and evaluates the nominees based on excellence criteria. The fundamental questions are:
1. Is the nominee of National Academy stature in their field?
2. Is the nominee currently active as a leader in their field?
3. Is the nominee a strong mentor?
To assist in the assessments, Associate Director Amanda Scott provides information – typically a 20-page dossier – about each nominee. She prepares detailed analyses of the nominee’s refereed publication data and citations, the nominee’s three most recent publications and the three most cited publications. This helps the Faculty Advisory Board assess the nominee’s impact on the literature and how active they are in their current scholarship. Scott conducts a historical protégé and mentorship assessment that includes teaching and mentoring awards, as well as documented research collaboration with current and former students. She provides each member with a sheet for scoring nominees. The photo shows the packet she provided in fall of 2024 to each Faculty Advisory Board member for their use in evaluating the nominees for the upcoming 2025-26 class of fellows.
The evaluation process is a serious endeavor. As Junkins conveys to the Faculty Advisory Board, “We are like academic venture capitalists spending money from other people who trust us. Let’s get this right.”
Junkins does not advocate for or against a nominee and cannot vote for approval or disapproval of any nominee. The Faculty Advisory Board members score each nominee from one to four, providing for the rank ordering for recruiting. Any nominee receiving an average of two or above is approved for recruiting. Junkins makes recruiting calls starting in December and continuing through the early months of the following year.
The recruitment process begins with calls from Junkins informing the scholars that they have won a contest that they did not know they were in. He explains the honor of being chosen for the Hagler Institute and shows the exclusive group of prior fellows with whom the nominee will be associated. Junkin’s call is followed by one from the nominating college, typically the dean. Associate Director Clifford Fry assists with negotiations and preparation of fellow agreements.
News about the Hagler Institute has now sufficiently spread that most scholars are aware when contacted of the honor of being chosen for the institute. Additionally, many know faculty at Texas A&M and look forward to the collaborations. Given the people in many departments with whom the Hagler Institute staff must work during the recruiting process, along with the busy schedules of prospective fellows, recruitment is usually on-going through August despite the early start.
Table 1 provides a history of the nomination, approval and recruitment of Hagler Fellows by year, for fiscal years 2013 through 2025. Over this 13-year period, a total of 260 scholars were nominated. The
* This table reports nomination, approval, and recruitment data by the fiscal year in which the corresponding announcement of Fellows takes place. The fiscal year begins September 1. Fiscal year 2013, for example, extends from September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013. In the fall of each year, the Hagler Institute announces a new class of Fellows. The process of nominating, approving, and recruiting potential Fellows, however, begins more than a year prior to the announcement. The nomination process for the FY25 class of Fellows announced in fall 2025, for example, began in spring 2023.
** Some Fellows cannot accept a Hagler Institute appointment in the year for which they are first nominated and approved, but instead accept in a later year. This column reports the number of the current year’s approved nominees who are successfully recruited as Fellows in any year.
*** This column reports the number of Fellows announced in the current fiscal year, regardless of when the Fellows were originally nominated and approved.
TABLE 2: PERCENTAGE OF APPROVED NOMINEES SUCCESSFULLY RECRUITED AS FELLOWS
TABLE 3 : NUMBER OF FELLOWS PER FISCAL YEAR
Faculty Advisory Board deemed 229 (88%) of these nominees to meet the high standards required for fellows and approved them for recruiting. Of the 229 approved nominees, the institute successfully recruited 135 (59%) as fellows.
Tables 2 and 3 further depict select data from Table 1. Table 2 shows the percentage of each year’s approved nominees which are successfully recruited, with an average of 58% and a high of 76% for fiscal year 2025.
Table 3 shows the number of fellows announced each fiscal year. The count reached a high of 19 in fiscal year 2025, an encouraging indication of the institute’s potential to reach its goal of 20 new fellows per year given sufficient resources.
The Hagler Institute has already received nominations for the fiscal year 2026 group of fellows. These nominations are currently under review. Table 4 reports the nomination count by college.
The Hagler Institute advances the Texas A&M research enterprise by fostering collaboration between distinguished Hagler Fellows and our leading faculty to address global challenges, mentor emerging scholars and expand knowledge across disciplines. Through its support of pioneering research, the Institute strengthens the university’s contributions to progress and innovation.
The Hagler Institute awards two one-year fellowships per Hagler Fellow to students so they can team with that Fellow without other work responsibilities .
Sometimes, instead of two students receiving a fellowship, one student receives the fellowship for a two-year period, allowing collaboration with the Hagler Fellow whose visits are spread over multiple years. Such a student is Caleb Shackelford, who has been working with Donald L. Sparks, a Hagler Fellow in the 2022-23 class.
Here is what Shackelford wrote to the institute about the importance of receiving his fellowship. “I am incredibly grateful for my time with the Hagler Institute, as it has exceeded all my expectations. Dr. Sparks, who is my mentor, embodies exceptional intelligence, humility and kindness, which makes it a true honor to be
under his mentorship. The generous funding provided by the institute has enabled me to wholeheartedly pursue my aspirations of becoming an accomplished scientist without the need for external employment, which is a unique and invaluable opportunity. I genuinely believe that this institution has empowered me to strive for greatness, and my first semester has only further confirmed this belief. I am blessed to be a part of the Hagler Institute.”
Shackelford is, indeed, fortunate to be in the company of Sparks. Sparks, a fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science, is the Unidel S. Hallock du Pont Chair and Francis Alison Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware. Sparks has published over 300 peer-review journal articles, has written three books and been editor of numerous volumes of Advances in Agronomy. For three years he chaired the U.S. National Committee on Soil Science for the National Academy of Sciences. His research has been honored with awards, including the Geochemistry Medal from the American Chemical Society and the Pioneer in Clay Science Award from the Clay Minerals Society. In his Hagler Fellow appointment, Sparks is collaborating with faculty and students in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he met fellowship student Shackelford.
During their first year they worked together on “…soil aggregate formation and carbon sequestration via root exudation in drought conditions. Root exudation refers to the phenomenon where plants release various molecules through their root systems, thereby modifying the soil environment to better suit their requirements… the objective of our research is to investigate root exudation processes during drought to determine its impact on mineral associated carbon formation and soil aggregation, as well as ascertain whether recalcitrant carbon is being generated or simply broken down and converted back into CO2 by microbes”
The research has potential implications for those interested in long-term carbon storage.
The photo above shows Harrison Coker (left), Texas A&M Ph.D. student, Donald L. Sparks (middle) and Texas A&M Ph.D. student, Caleb Shackelford (right), at the 2023 Tri-society meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. The meeting is a joint conference of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America, for which Sparks once served as president. Sparks is a mentor to Coker as well as to Shackelford.
Coker and Shackelford co-authored a paper published in Frontiers in Plant Science titled, “Drought Stimulates Root Exudation of Organic Nitrogen in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutem).” They also have both conducted research with Sparks, presenting their research at the October 2023 meeting. Their paper is authored by Caleb E.B. Shackelford, Harrison R. Coker, Donald L. Sparks and Julie A. Howe, and titled “Alterations in Root Exudates Induced by Repeated Drought and Recovery Cycles in Wheat Cultivars.” Howe is a Professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M.
In Shackelford’s second year on the Hagler Institute fellowship, he is focusing on mineral associated carbon formation and phosphorus and sulfur sorption via root exudation. The photo shows Shackelford involved in soil research.
Shackelford presented another paper at the 2024 Tri meetings in November in San Antonio, co-authored with Donald L. Sparks, Harrison Coker, Suravi Dhar, Aenghus Denvir, Emily De La Fuente and Julie Howe. Sparks’ influence has filtered down, as Shackelford has been a research mentor to Dhar, Denvir and De La Fuente, three exceptional undergraduate students.
This past summer, Shackelford visited Brookhaven National Laboratory to use synchrotron-based spectroscopy to identify root exudate phosphorus and sulfur speciation on three soil minerals. He is pictured below at the synchrotron with Kathryn Szerlag, Assistant Professor of Soil and Water Chemistry at Texas A&M, with whom he has also been collaborating. On that visit he also worked alongside Ryan Tappero and Paul Northrup, some of the world’s leading scientists in synchrotron spectroscopy.
Shackelford’s association with Sparks has helped him make contacts within his profession that could prove valuable to his career over time. Shackelford is pictured below with Sparks and Howe in Italy for the meeting of the World Soil Congress.
BY HAGLER FELLOWS
‘HAMLET’ IN THE DIGITAL AGE
THE BOX THAT MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND AI
The Cushing Memorial Library & Archives at Texas A&M University is home to a Second Folio of William Shakespeare’s collected plays, a rare 1632 edition produced only nine years after the First Folio, preserving works that might otherwise have been lost. Without these folio collections, half of Shakespeare’s plays would not have survived.
BY LENA COWEN ORLIN HAGLER FELLOW 2020-21
The university’s strength in digital humanities complements this treasure, exemplified by its involvement in the New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare, a project tracing scholarly interpretations since 1709 and now producing updated and digitized editions. This resource serves as an invaluable tool for Shakespeare scholars and directors alike, offering a wealth of interpretive possibilities for both stage and screen adaptations.
As a Hagler Fellow, I helped and monitored the project’s transitions to its new status in the Department of English. Before describing the New Variorum in more detail, it will help to emphasize its usefulness by discussing one of Shakespeare’s major works, “Hamlet.”
Even if you’ve never read “Hamlet,” you know “Hamlet.” You picture a man holding a skull, or you think, “To thine own self be true,” or you quote, “To be or not to be, that is the question.”
This is probably the most famous work of literature in the English language.
However, the story was not original to Shakespeare. It concerns a Danish ruler who has been murdered by his brother, Claudius. Claudius marries the widow, Gertrude, and succeeds to the throne. The king’s son, Hamlet, suspects Claudius and, as he contemplates revenge, feigns madness. Claudius’s counsellor, Polonius, believes Hamlet is crazed by love for his daughter Ophelia.
But when Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius, Claudius realizes that Hamlet is dangerous to him and dispatches him to England with an order for his execution. Hamlet arranges for the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be killed in his place and returns to seek retribution.
All these plot elements originated in the legend of “Amleth” from the “Gesta Danorum,” a history of Denmark written in Latin around the year 1200 by Saxo Grammaticus. But while Saxo’s Amleth lived on to have other adventures, Shakespeare’s Hamlet does not survive his revenge. Unlike Amleth, Hamlet does not feed the body of Polonius to pigs. Shakespeare created other spectacular scenes, including visitations by the ghost of Hamlet’s father, a re-enactment of his father’s murder by a group of traveling actors and the report of Ophelia’s drowning death.
In 1570, Amleth’s tale was retold in French by François de Belleforest, who made his tragic hero more self-doubting, troubled that he was not swifter to enact retribution. In his own voice, as narrator, Belleforest questioned the morality of revenge. Here, you will recognize the troubled conscience of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare developed the theme by giving Hamlet a confidant, Horatio, and by adding two men of action, Fortinbras,
prince of Norway and Laertes, son of Polonius. For Hamlet, the comparisons were iniquitous.
Shakespeare’s genius, however, was to locate the story’s ethical debate not in other characters, not in a narrator, but in the person of Hamlet himself. The voice we hear throughout the play is his, speaking in soliloquy. What, he asks us even as he asks himself, is the meaning of life? Can earthly justice redeem fatal injustice? Is it evil to avenge evil? How do we survive the consequences of our actions and inactions?
Some 40 years before René Descartes declared “Cogito, ergo sum” – “I think, therefore I am” – Hamlet invited us to engage with his innermost thoughts. He became the avatar for what we still identify as personhood.
If you have read “Hamlet,” you have read just one of many versions of “Hamlet.” Every editor cobbles together a different “Hamlet” from among three early versions of the play.
After Shakespeare’s death in 1616, his colleagues gathered the scripts for thirty-six plays in a book known as the First Folio, for its large (“folio”) size. About half the plays had already been printed during
Shakespeare’s lifetime, in smaller, paperback-sized quartos. ”Hamlet” appears in a quarto of 1603 (Q1), a quarto of 1604-05 (Q2) and the Folio of 1623 (F).
Behind each printed version of the play, there will have been a handwritten version from which type was set, but none of these survive. There are no authorial manuscripts for any of Shakespeare’s works.
Q1, AT 15,983 WORDS, IS THE SHORTEST OF THE THREE.
The title page indicates that this “Hamlet” was performed in London, Cambridge and Oxford – and it includes some vivid stage directions for movement and costuming. The ghost of Hamlet’s father enters in full body armor; only in Q1 does he later change into a dressing gown. But Q1’s Polonius is called “Corambis,” and many lines seem garbled. In Q1, “To be, or not to be, that is the question” appears as, “To be or not to be; aye, there’s the point.” One school of thought is that Q1 is Shakespeare’s first draft. Another is that Q1 was pirated, recreated from an actor’s best memory of the script behind Q2.
Q2 IS THE LONGEST VERSION, WITH 28,628 WORDS.
In a direct challenge to Q1, it declares that it is “newly imprinted and enlarged to almost as much again as it was, according to the true and perfect copy.” It is the only text to give Hamlet seven soliloquies.
F HAS 27,602 WORDS BUT IS NOT A LIGHTLY EDITED VERSION OF Q2.
While F omits one of Q2’s soliloquies, it includes 1,914 words that are not in Q2. Among them is Hamlet’s famous observation that “Denmark’s a prison.” F was based on a different manuscript than that used for Q2, with only 220 of Q2’s original lines being identical to those in F, highlighting the distinct textual variations between the two versions.
Believing that all three versions are flawed, editors set out to make their ideal “Hamlet.” Most start
with Q2 as their base version, or “copy text,” because they don’t want to give up any of those signature soliloquies. They will add in material that is unique to F because they can’t bear to lose “Denmark’s a prison.” They may adopt Q1’s description of the ghost’s dressing gown. The result is a “conflated” text, giving you as much “Hamlet” as possible.
TIME READ OR SAW THE VERSION OF “HAMLET” THAT YOU KNOW TODAY.
Conflation flattens out differences among the three versions. Q1 has enjoyed the least editorial traction, in part because just two printed copies survive, and these were undiscovered until 1823 and 1856. But Q1 gives us a very different Gertrude from the underwritten, ambiguous character we encounter in Q2 and F. Rather than switching her allegiance to her new husband Claudius in a vacuous and oblivious way, she enjoys a scene with Horatio in which she shows herself to be actively supportive of her son. You will not find this Gertrude in modern conflated editions.
Editors make the plays easier for us to read. They break the text into acts and scenes and indicate when characters enter and exit. They modernize spellings, capitalization and punctuation. They regularize the “speech headings” that tell us which characters are speaking.
Take a notorious example from “Romeo and Juliet,” where a single character is identified in one scene as “Wife,” “Old La.” (for “Old Lady”) and “Mo.” (for “Mother”); in another scene as “Ca. Wi.” (for “Capulet’s Wife”); and in a third scene as “La.” (for “Lady”), “Mo.” (for “Mother), “M.” (for “Mother”) and “Wi.” (for “Wife”). It is a relief to read a modern edition where she is always “Lady Capulet.”
Editors also introduce many other changes. We entered the era of edited texts in 1709, when Nicholas Rowe published Shakespeare’s collected works in six volumes. Like every editor since, Rowe set out to improve the plays by correcting what seemed to him to be obvious mistakes and lapses.
Each editor believes this process to be justified by the practices of early modern printing houses, where pages came off the printing press one by one, each page proofread independently. When proofreaders caught an error, they corrected it for all subsequent pages. But, because paper was the most expensive part of production, they did not discard the incorrect pages. With the next page, they might discover another error. Every page of every early printed book can be a unique combination of corrected and uncorrected readings.
Editors of “Hamlet” must deal with printing differences across all three versions of the play. The first of Hamlet’s soliloquies, the one that establishes both his intimacy with us and his spiritual malaise, begins as follows:
Here is Q1:
O that this too much grieu’d and sallied flesh
Would melt to nothing, or that the vniuersall Globe of heauen would turne al to a Chaos! . . .
And Q2:
O that this too too sallied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolue it selfe into a dewe, Or that the euerlasting had not fixt
His cannon gainst seale slaughter, o God, God,
How wary, stale, flat and vnprofitable Seeme to me all the vses of this world? . . .
And finally, F:
Oh that this too too solid Flesh, would melt, Thaw and resolue it selfe into a Dew: Or that the Euerlasting had not fixt
His cannon ’gainst Selfe-slaughter. O God, O God!
How weary, stale, flat and vnprofitable
Seemes to me all the vses of this world? . . .
If you were editing this passage, you would begin by changing each early modern “u” to a “v,” and vice versa. You would update spellings and punctuation. You would deduce that Shakespeare referred not to the Almighty’s “cannon,” or heavy artillery (Q2 and F), but to his “canon,” or religious dogma. You would reject the idea that there was a canonical prohibition against killing seals (Q2), concluding that Hamlet’s subject is the mortal sin of “self-slaughter” (F), or suicide.
But what would you do with the first line? Is the flesh “sallied” (Q1, Q2) or “solid” (F)? Rowe chose “solid,” an adjective that pairs contrapuntally with the verbs “melt,” “thaw,” and “resolve.” Most later editors agreed, despite their preference for Q2 over F and even after the rediscovered Q1 reinforced Q2’s “sallied.” Why, they reasoned, would Hamlet analogize his body to a besieged military force issuing from a place of retreat to make an aggressive attack? Isn’t it rather that he laments the body’s material resistance to his mind’s nihilistic desire?
“Solid” prevailed until 1934, when the editor John Dover Wilson suggested that “sallied” was right after all, if you understood “sallied” to be a typographical error for “sullied.” Hamlet, as Dover Wilson saw it, was imagining himself to have been sullied by the sin of his mother and the moral contamination of mortal existence. This tilted the balance for editors whose preferred copy text was already Q2, and “sullied” is now a common reading even though it does not appear in Q1, Q2, or F.
A century and a half after the publication of the First Folio, in 1773, there had already been so much editorial attention to Shakespeare that a “variorum” version was compiled, recording all “the corrections and illustrations of various commentators.” This was updated several times. In 1871, the American lawyer Horace Howard Furness debuted a New Variorum Shakespeare (NVS). He and his son would complete NVS editions of 20
plays, only one of which, “Hamlet,” required two volumes to document its complex textual history.
In 1933, the New Variorum series was adopted by the leading professional organization for American scholars of literature, the Modern Language Association (MLA), which published a few more NVS editions. By the 2010s it had become obvious the project could not sustain itself in print media. For “Hamlet,” for example, an NVS edition must compile emendations made by more than 200 editors over more than 300 years. If the Furnesses had had the technological capacity, they would have worked through hyperlinks rather than footnotes, because nearly any word in any Shakespeare play can lead to a world of editorial interpretation.
The task of digitizing the NVS was too extensive for the MLA to manage. In 2017, the MLA assembled a working group to determine the project’s future, which I chaired. The group included professors Matt Cohen (University of Nebraska), Julia Flanders (Northeastern University), Alan Galey (University of Toronto) and Valerie Wayne (University of Hawai’i), representing expertise in digital scholarship, Shakespeare editing and humanities project development.
Working with the NVS general editors, professors Eric Rasmussen (University of Nevada, Reno) and Paul Werstine (University of Western Ontario), we chose to partner with Texas A&M’s Center of Digital Humanities Research, then led by Professor Laura Mandell.
Today, the NVS is housed at the Texas A&M English department, where we hope its success harnessing Shakespeare scholarship will lay out pathways in pioneering digital research for other Texas A&M faculty and students working on other authors. At our website (newvariorumshakespeare.org), you will find the NVS up and running. “Hamlet” is still in progress, so you won’t yet have the chance to click on “sallied” and decide whether to follow Nicholas Rowe to “solid” or John Dover Wilson to “sullied.”
But there are countless other instances in which the work editors do to help us read Shakespeare are acts of interpretation of Shakespeare, some small, some as big as the question of Gertrude’s character, and all discoverable in our pioneering digital editions. At present, you can see where a variorum will take you for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Winter’s Tale.”
A HAGLER FELLOW FROM THE CLASS OF 2021-22, LENA COWEN ORLIN IS A RENAISSANCE LITERATURE SCHOLAR SPECIALIZING IN SHAKESPEARE, PROFESSOR EMERITA AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY AND FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FOLGER INSTITUTE AND SHAKESPEARE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. A FELLOW OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY, SHE AUTHORED “THE PRIVATE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE,” BLENDING LITERATURE, HISTORY AND ARCHIVAL RESEARCH. ORLIN HAS RECEIVED PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIPS AND SERVES AS EDITOR FOR MAJOR SHAKESPEARE SERIES. HER WORK BRIDGES DISCIPLINES, SHAPING MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF SHAKESPEARE’S LIFE AND WORKS.
BY JEAN-PAUL RODRIGUE HAGLER FELLOW 2022-23
The growth of trade and commerce has been substantial in the last half century, particularly since the entry of China into the global manufacturing landscape in the early 1990s. Export-oriented economies such as China could not exist without the transport and logistical capabilities offered by containerization. Evidence underlines that the container may have been responsible for the most significant factor in the growth of global trade, far exceeding the benefits accounted for by trade agreements and other trade facilitation measures such as information technologies. Containerization is a standardization of transport and cargo handling practices that allowed for the flourishing complexity and diversity of trade relations through a combination of lower costs and increased cargo velocity. Ships, ports and freight distribution systems have been built around the container through an infrastructureheavy path dependency. There have been so much accumulated
capital investments around the container that it has become virtually impossible to set another standard for trade and shipping.
As containerization is reaching a phase of maturity and widespread diffusion, it continues to experience ongoing growth with the occasional setback related to large economic and geopolitical events such as the financial crisis of 2008-09, the COVID-19 pandemic of 202021 and the recent Red Sea Crisis (2023-present). The big picture is revealing. It was estimated that 866 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) were handled by container ports in 2023, up from 692 million in 2015 (25% growth). For the United States, this figure was 55 million TEUs in 2023, up from 47 million in 2015 (17% growth). Houston saw its traffic jump from 2.1 million to 3.8 million TEU during the same period, an 81% surge. The latter is mainly attributed to the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2016, allowing for larger containerships servicing East Asian trade routes to call the East and the Gulf coasts.
Containerization relies on an extensive network of container terminals that act as distribution platforms between markets. Although they are mainly designed to handle a single commodity, the container, they carry an impressive variety of goods and commodities. Each container may look exactly the same, but inside the box, a multiplicity of unrelated supply chains converge at terminals. For Houston, the retail goods that account for a large share of the inbound cargo have nothing in common with the resins and plastics accounting for the bulk of containerized exports. The only commonality is the container, which is used as a load unit to support logistical and distribution capabilities. An analogy would be the individual passengers on a flight using airports as points of origin and destination, but each for a different reason.
Ongoing growth puts pressure on container terminal operations, which are flow-based structures involving three main components.
On the pier side, container terminals must accommodate larger ship sizes with their draft requirements. A standard containership now requires a draft of around 50 feet. There is also the issue of throughput and turnover, where enough cranes must be available to handle the unloading and loading process, often within less than 24 hours. Pier-side infrastructure and equipment are highly capital-intensive.
The container yard is the most spaceintensive component, where traffic growth must be accompanied by growth
in the availability and density of storage space. The yard acts as a buffer in supply chains, reconciling maritime and inland circulation systems. On the maritime side, a large containership can easily require the handling of 3,000 TEUs during a port call, which requires the equivalent of three hectares of yard space. On the land side, trucks deliver and pick up individual containers on a constant basis during terminal operating hours. If the facility has an on-dock rail yard, unit trains of around 400 TEUs each can be assembled. As containerships are getting bigger, there is a growing discrepancy between the modal capacity in maritime and inland transportation systems, underlining the strategic importance of container terminals as buffers in global supply chains.
The gate is the entry and exit point for a container terminal where each container must be tallied and tracked. Some facilities can generate around 25,000 truck moves per week, with each move resulting in a container to be picked up or dropped at the yard.
Figure 1 is particularly illustrative of the enduring pressure that container terminals have been facing for the last 50 years as new classes of containerships were recursively introduced. There has been a stepwise process that accelerated in the 1990s with the deployment of ships beyond the specifications of the Panama Canal. Since then, each step has involved a substantial growth of containership capacity, tripling in 20 years and reaching a threshold of 24,000 TEUs in 2018 when Ultra Large Containerships (ULCS) of the “Megamax”
25%
It was estimated that 866 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) were handled by container ports in 2023, up from 692 million in 2015.
For the United States, this figure was 55 million TEUs in 2023, up from 47 million in 2015.
17% GROWTH GROWTH
class were introduced. Ports have responded to this process, occasionally preemptively, with expensive infrastructure investments, terminal expansions and channel dredging. Port authorities and terminal operators are challenged to provide the funds to keep up with massification, leading to controversy between providing public funds and promoting the efficiency of private shipping operations.
The effects of this ongoing massification of trade have been substantial on the footprint and operations of container terminals, placing some ports in a conundrum. Container terminals consume waterfront space, a scarce commodity that has become highly valuable. Increasing capacity and throughput requires additional scarce waterfront land and the intensification of the use of the existing footprint.
Even if the container terminal is based on standardization, an overview of their footprint underlines that there is diversity amid this standardization. The first enduring and recurring observation concerns a Pareto distribution in the global container traffic, where the 20 largest ports accounted for 364 million TEU in 2020, which is 45% of the global port traffic. This distribution underlines an acute global hierarchy and concentration of container ports. Thus, the
growth in container shipping and ship size incites the development of mega container terminal facilities in the most productive and capitalintensive commercial gateways. This process is apparent in the size distribution of the more than 800 container terminal facilities, which account for 36,776 hectares of footprint (Figure 2).
While the median container terminal is around 30 hectares, 67% of the container terminals are below the average of 45 hectares and only 8% are above 100 hectares. Large terminal facilities tend to be operated by global terminal operators that control a transnational portfolio of terminal concessions across markets. Half of the assets are operated by companies with a stevedore background replicating their business model in new locations. Another third is operated by parent companies of shipping lines seeking to integrate vertically along the maritime transport chains. The remaining include terminal operating companies owned by large financial holdings, such as sovereign wealth funds, acquiring terminal assets as a form of portfolio diversification with a long-term financial alignment.
While an ideal container terminal would be rectangular, evidence underlines an impressive diversity in shapes. Standardized container terminal operations adapt to the differences in
port sites, draft and available land (Figure 3). The matter is to make a series of rectangular container stacks fit the available footprint, which can lead to original designs and adaptations.
Building and expanding new terminal facilities, particularly in advanced economies, is becoming uncommon. Options and land are scarce and prone to controversy, notably concerning environmental impacts on coastal ecosystems. Under such circumstances, there is an ongoing push toward increasing levels of terminal automation, which is transformative and disruptive, often sparking labor conflicts. Still, the container terminal is an essential footprint requiring careful consideration as an element of the national economic fabric. This footprint is a price to pay to enable global trade and the wide variety of goods and resources it provides.
Further Readings
Levinson, M. (2006) The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, Princeton: Princeton University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/20032089
Levinson, M. (2020) Outside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas, Princeton: Princeton University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13437-022-00265-3
Notteboom, T., A. Pallis and J-P Rodrigue (2022) Port Economics, Management and Policy, New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429318184
Rodrigue, J-P (2024) The Geography of Transport Systems, Sixth Edition, New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003343196
JEAN-PAUL RODRIGUE IS A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MARITIME BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY–GALVESTON AND A HAGLER FELLOW, CLASS OF 2022-23. A LEADING EXPERT IN TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY, HE HAS PUBLISHED NUMEROUS INFLUENTIAL WORKS, INCLUDING THE GEOGRAPHY OF TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AND PORT ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT AND POLICY. HE RANKS AMONG THE TOP 2% OF CITED SCHOLARS GLOBALLY AND HAS ADVISED INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, EARNING THE 2019 EDWARD L. ULLMAN AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY.
Medical imaging offers a dazzling array of approaches for acquiring information that supports disease detection, staging, treatment selection, and follow up.
BY KYLE J. MYERS HAGLER FELLOW 2023-24
Recent advances in computing power and the widespread availability of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have enabled rapid acquisition and processing of vast amounts of data and the very real potential for development of a metaverse for intelligent healthcare. A metaverse of ‘Medical Technology and AI’ (MeTAI) can facilitate the development, prototyping, evaluation, regulation, translation and refinement of AIbased medical practice. How then to determine when such nascent tools are ready for prime time?
Image Science provides a framework for the objective, or task-based, assessment of medical imaging systems and the quality of the data they produce. This framework has been used to support the evaluation
of medical imaging system hardware, image reconstruction and other image processing methods (including artificial intelligence and machine learning), and display devices by academia, industry, and FDA. As medical imaging systems have become more complex the stateof-the-science for image quality assessment has similarly advanced to meet current challenges in the design, regulatory approval and clinical translation of such systems. Key among these advances is the use of virtual clinical trials or in silico assessments of medical imaging technologies.
“Image Quality” has an intuitive meaning for most of us. A better photo taken on our cameras or
mobile devices is less noisy, or perhaps sharper so that finer details are clear. First in film-based photographic imaging, then in defense applications for surveillance, later in the television world, and subsequently in medical imaging, measures of image quality were developed to quantify such imaging system characteristics as noise, contrast, resolution, and dynamic range. Drawing from concepts developed by electronics engineers in communications, medical imaging scientists and clinicians came to appreciate that such technical measures of image properties can be combined into task-based figures of merit that summarize the quality of an imaging system in terms of its ability to support medical decisionmaking. In short, a better medical imaging system is one that supports improved inferences derived from medical images, e.g, improved disease detection and classification, treatment planning, or patient follow-up to assess treatment effectiveness.
Figure 1 lays out a medical imaging pipeline, including the subject being imaged, the imaging system hardware, any image reconstruction or image processing steps, and finally the interpretation of the image by an observer. In modern times, artificial intelligence (AI) may play a role in any of the imaging steps in the figure. The imaging hardware can be tuned with the support of AI, as is the case for the Caption Health system that assists ultrasound (US) sonographers in finding the best orientations for
U.S. transducers when imaging the heart. Many AI-enabled image processing algorithms are on the market in the United States that reduce noise in images acquired with lower radiation dose, so as to enable reduced patient exposure to radiation while not compromising diagnostic quality. The longest record of AI in medical imaging, dating back to the 1990s, belongs to the field of computeraided diagnosis (CAD), in which algorithms assist radiologists, pathologists, or other clinicians in the detection of cancers or other abnormalities in the brain, breast, colon, lungs, and even pathology specimens. These are just a few examples across the hundreds of AI-enabled medical imaging devices now on the market in the U.S. In each of these examples the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required clinical data demonstrating that a reader’s ability to detect the target or disease of interest with AI was improved over a reader’s performance without that AI system. The “quality” of the AI-enabled imaging pipeline was improved in a task-based sense.
Task-based evaluation of an imaging system thus requires the specification of all the elements in the pipeline shown in Figure 1: the subjects being imaged, the components of the imaging system, the readers, and the task. In the sections that follow we discuss advances in computational methods for assessing medical imaging systems in silico intended to facilitate the task-based evaluation of imaging
systems, including AI-enabled medical imaging devices. These advances are bringing us ever closer to the possibility of realizing rigorous, predictive task-based assessment studies of medical imaging systems without humans in the loop either as patients in a clinical study or as image readers. Ultimately, a metaverse of ‘Medical Technology and AI’ (MeTAI) based on these tools can facilitate the development, prototyping, evaluation, regulation, translation and refinement of AI-based medical practice.
Arguably the most challenging element in the in silico modeling of the imaging pipeline of Figure 1 is the modeling of patients. We refer to these as object models, distinguishing them from the data at the output of a medical imaging system – the image. Early studies of task-based image quality in medical imaging made use of highly stylized object models, typically with signals that were exactly known and backgrounds that were uniform. These studies included theoretical investigations, computational studies using simplistic digital objects, or simple physical imaging phantoms. It soon became clear that more complex models for the object were needed to avoid conclusions regarding system quality that did not generalize well to more complex imaging scenarios. An imaging system optimized for the detection of a signal, intended to represent a lesion, of a known size and location in a known background of normal tissue would not perform well for tasks involving the detection of cancers of unknown size at unknown locations. We’ve come a very long way since those early efforts toward the development of models for signals and backgrounds with greater realism.
Procedural, analytical, or parameterized models are one major area of significant technical advances in recent years. For example, the digital breast model developed by my former FDA group makes use of a set of procedures to generate the major anatomical structures of the female breast, including fat and glandular tissues, the ductal tree, vasculature, and ligaments. The model allows for patient
characteristics such as breast shape, volume, density, and compressed thickness to be controlled. Source code for the model is freely available on the FDA website. Models for masses and microcalcifications based on procedure models allow for the insertion of pathologies in such digital breast objects, resulting in the ability to generate a realistic family of digital breasts with simulated lesions of varying size and shape, and with even the possibility of modeling tumor growth over time. (Figure 2)
Another approach to creating models of patients, so-called hybrid models, combines normal clinical backgrounds with edited clinical lesions to create larger datasets. Atlas models derive virtual patients from segmented clinical image sets. The use of images at the output of an imaging system to derive models for patients at the input to an imaging system requires some approach to adding back in whatever information is lost in the image formation process. This might take the form of interpolation, extrapolation, or digitally adding in information from higher-resolution images, for example, pathology images.
A very recent entry into the toolbox for creating models of patients is the use of learning models based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). A recent competition hosted by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine challenged the entrants to develop GANs with the ability to synthesize patient models for the human breast, with the winning model being the one that generated patient data sets most statistically similar to a large set of digital breast objects of known statistical properties. Notably, such a set of models is assessed on a statistical or population basis. This approach is philosophically different from the goal of making a digital twin of a particular person, a topic we’ll return to below.
As computing power and storage have grown, so has our ability to model imaging hardware and
the many physical interactions that comprise the imaging process. Imaging scientists have created and shared software for simulating the image-formation process for all major medical imaging modalities, including x-ray imaging (especially mammography and computed tomography), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine systems. GANs are also being investigated for their potential to learn the imaging process so as to produce realistic images from digital body phantoms without needing to understand and “code up” the fundamental physics that underpins a particular imaging system. Because many commercial imaging systems incorporate proprietary data processing steps, imaging models derived from GANs are attractive for their potential to replicate those unknown, confidential elements. While there is, unsurprisingly, an ongoing debate regarding the relative strengths of the physics firstprinciples vs AI approaches, the bottom line is that very good models of medical imaging systems exist, and their realism continues to improve.
If modeling of the patients at the input to a medical imaging system is the greatest challenge in creating an in silico representation of the process in Figure 1, the modeling of the image interpretation process is a close second. Broadly speaking, models for image readers, often referred to as observer models, pursue one of two goals. For some model developers, the
goal is to replicate human perceptual processes in order to apply the resulting model in the evaluation of medical imaging devices that create or display data for human interpretation. Image reconstruction algorithms and novel display or visualization systems are notable examples where the FDA has made regulatory decisions based on studies using model observers. In the future, it is likely that we’ll see model observers take the place of human readers in the evaluation of systems for which FDA requires reader studies today. To facilitate the development of such models for observers and build confidence that FDA would consider their use in regulatory evaluations more broadly, Agency scientists have published papers and shared software for modelling human observers.
The second track in the modeling of observers is pursued by those who seek to estimate the performance of the Ideal (also known as the Bayesian) Observer (IO). By definition, the IO captures all information in the detected data without adding noise or uncertainty. Optimizing imaging system designs in terms of IO performance means that the information in the resulting images is maximized for the specified task; task performance is thus as high as achievable for that imaging device. Until fairly recently, however, the IO was intractable for optimizing medical imaging systems other than for simple tasks. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have recently been shown to be able to approximate the IO, changing the landscape with respect to truly optimizing medical imaging systems in an information-theoretic, task-specific way.
An interesting side note is this: Any difference in predicted task performance between the IO and that measured for human observers suggests ways in which a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) algorithm might support and therefore improve the performance of human readers. The first CAD
devices were approved by the FDA in the late 1990s; close to 1,000 AI devices intended to support imaging tasks have now been cleared or approved. While the field of CAD is far from new, and CAD systems have been shown to improve reader performance in many applications, it has never been clear what the ceiling is for a particular imaging device and clinical task. Being able to compute the IO using deep CNNs means that it is becoming possible to determine that upper bound. While CAD systems have not replaced human observers, deep learning has opened up new avenues for task-based optimization of imaging system components in the design phase and realizing the upper bounds of that system’s performance in the hands of the clinical user.
Clinical trials are expensive, can take years to complete, and often still leave important questions unanswered, for example, how well does an imaging device work on a particular subpopulation of patients? This good news is this: With so many advances in computational modeling and simulations as building blocks for performing task-based assessment of medical imaging devices, we now have the opportunity to evaluate medical imaging systems entirely in silico and demonstrate comparable results to actual clinical studies. A notable example is the FDA’s Virtual Imaging Clinical Trial for Regulatory Evaluation or VICTRE. That work set out to replicate an actual clinical trial performed by a company seeking U.S. marketing authorization for a digital breast tomosynthesis system as a replacement
for digital mammography. VICTRE utilized in silico models for the study subjects, the imaging systems under comparison, and the image readers, the full pipeline in Figure 1 for both devices. The difference in the performance estimates for the two imaging systems found in VICTRE was consistent with that found in the actual trial while computed at a fraction of the cost. FDA subsequently made the VICTRE modeling software publicly available, meaning that the next uses of the tools will be even less costly. FDA has also issued guidance on the reporting of the results from computational models in medical device submissions as well as the assessment of model credibility. Truly, the FDA is open for business when it comes to the acceptance of computational modeling and simulations in regulatory submissions.
Thus far we’ve considered models for patients in a distributional sense, for example, all potential subjects who might be imaged by an imaging device in a breast cancer screening setting. Virtual imaging trials can be used to assess the performance of a novel
breast imaging system across the entire so-called target population, as was done in the clinical trial referred to above and its in silico representation. Those studies assessed the competing imaging devices for the target population’s distribution of patient ages, sizes, breast densities, lesion types, and so on. Task-based optimization over a broad intended-use population results in a system that is best in an average sense. Notably, that may not be the best imaging system for a subpopulation of subjects (e.g., only women with dense breasts) and especially for one particular patient. A digital twin for a patient is that person’s realistic virtual representation. Similarly, the digital twin of an imaging system is its in silico representation. The creation of a digital twin for a particular patient, along with the models of the other system elements in Figure 1, allows for the probing of what is best in terms of taskbased image quality for that individual. It would be extremely costly, and even unethical in the case of imaging systems involving ionizing radiation, to perform patient-specific optimizations of imaging systems and imaging settings, of which there are a great many on a sophisticated multipurpose device like a CT or MRI scanner, by repeated image
acquisitions on actual patients. Digital twins for patients and imaging systems are the key to the personalized application of an imaging device to provide optimal healthcare for a given patient.
Figure 3 depicts a metaverse of medical technology and AI built around the concept of digital twins for patients and medical imaging systems. Virtual scanning on a digital twin determines the best imaging protocol for a particular patient and imaging task, followed by actual imaging using that patient-specific optimized protocol. Human and model/AI observers will be essential to the task-based evaluations that select the best imaging protocol as well as the interpretation of the actual data that comes from the optimized imaging setup. Patient-specific optimized radiation treatment plans or other image-guided therapies can be similarly imagined as depicted in the figure. As our modeling tools and AI capabilities grow, imaging system development, prototyping, evaluation, regulation, translation and refinement can all be metaversed through deep connected networks.
FDA is invested in this futuristic vision and is facilitating its coming through its own research as well encouragements for regulated industry to incorporate these methods while also preparing for related medical device submissions. In addition, FDA has partnered with NSF and NIH to support research funding in digital twin technologies for biomedical applications.
Texas A&M has also embraced the power and potential of digital twins and virtual engineering. TAMU’s Institute of Data Science recently announced a new initiative to increase research collaborations in order to advance engineering research through the use of digital twins. In the TAMU Biomedical Engineering Department, researchers like Reza Avazmohammadi and his students are making use of digital twin methodologies to build cohorts of models for healthy patients as well as those with known cardiovascular
and/or pulmonary pathologies. These models can be used to design better approaches to imaging such patients; they can also be used to develop AI algorithms that facilitate the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of disease and its detection. Figure 4 shows an example of this work, in which a lung phantom is generated through a series of steps starting with a human CT scan of the chest: A) segmentation of the lungs, B) extraction of the airways, and C) creation of a final lung geometry for use in in silico simulations.
The language and methodology of “task-based image quality assessment” has become commonplace in medical imaging. Tremendous progress is being made toward realistic in silico task-based assessments using population models for patients as well as digital twins for patients and imaging systems. Future efforts that build on studies like the FDA’s VICTRE project will continue to bring down the cost of in silico task-based assessments and system optimization as simulation models are developed, validated, and shared. Open science in this spirit will reduce the redundancy in small efforts while increasing the likelihood of robustness and generalizability of the evaluations that are performed in this manner. This in turn will lead to improved understanding of disease mechanisms and improved imaging systems – defined by improved inferences derived from the resulting images. A Metaverse of ‘Medical Technology and AI’ (MeTAI) is coming that will leverage these tools for the benefit of patients. Researchers at Texas A&M are significantly engaged in this field, building cross-university collaborations in support of model development and sharing best practices across engineering applications of digital twin technologies.
In Collaboration With:
Reza Avazmohammadi, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Tanmay Mukherjee, Graduate Student, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Sunder Neelakantan, Hagler Institute for Advanced Study HEEP Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Bibliography
Barrett, H.H. and Myers, K.J., Foundations of Image Science, Wiley and Sons, New York, (2004).
GitHub - DIDSR/breastPhantom: A multi-modality anthropomorphic digital breast phantom,” (accessed 15 October 2024).
Badano, A., Graff, C.G., Badal, A., Sharma, D., Zeng, R., Samuelson, F.W., Glick, S., Myers, K.J., “Evaluation of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis as Replacement of Full-Field Digital Mammography Using an In Silico Imaging Trial,” JAMA Netw Open 1(7):e185474 (2018).
GitHub - DIDSR/VICTRE: Virtual Imaging Clinical Trial for Regulatory Evaluation, (accessed 15 October 2024).
Wang, G., Badal, A., Jia, X., Maltz, J.S., Mueller, K., Myers, K.J., Niu, C., Vannier, M., Yan, P., Yu, Z., Zeng, R., “Development of Metaverse for Intelligent Healthcare,” Nat. Mach. Intell. 4, 922-929 (2022).
S. Neelakantan, T. Mukherjee, B.J. Smith, K.J. Myers, R. Rizi, R. Avazmohammadi, “In-silico CT lung phantom generated from finite-element mesh,” Proc. SPIE 12928, Medical Imaging 2024: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling, 1292829 (29 March 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3006973.
A HAGLER FELLOW FROM THE CLASS OF 2023-24, KYLE J. MYERS IS BEST KNOWN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL AND REGULATORY SCIENCE
METHODS FOR ASSESSING THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDICAL IMAGING DEVICES. HER WORK ESTABLISHED NEXT-GENERATION STUDY DESIGNS AND EVALUATION METHODS FOR NOVEL MEDICAL IMAGING AND DIAGNOSTICS
PRODUCTS INCLUDING DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY, 3D BREAST IMAGING, LOW-DOSE CT FOR LUNG CANCER SCREENING AND WHOLE-SLIDE DIGITAL PATHOLOGY.
AS FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL OF PUENTE SOLUTIONS LLC, SHE NOW WORKS AS AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH COLLABORATOR AND CONSULTANT TO MED-TECH COMPANIES.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Robert F. Durden Distinguished Professor of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology Department of Biology
Dean of Natural Sciences
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Duke University
Susan C. Alberts is renowned for her pioneering research in the behavior, ecology, physiology and genetics of wild populations of large mammals.
She directs one of the longest-running studies of wild primates globally: a 50-plus year study of baboons in the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya. This program’s significance is underscored by the numerous awards and honors received by its directors, including Alberts, Elizabeth Archie, Jenny Tung and former director Jeanne Altmann.
Alberts received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Honors include the BBVA Frontiers of Science Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Medical and Biological Sciences Alumni Association at the University of Chicago, the Sewall Wright Award from the American Society of Naturalists and the Cozzarelli Prize from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and serves as a handling editor for PNAS manuscripts.
ALBERTS WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering A.J. Clark School of Engineering University of Maryland College Park
Renowned for his pioneering work in risk and reliability of civil infrastructure, Gregory B. Baecher has significantly advanced the field of geotechnical and water-resources engineering through the development and implementation of probabilistic methods.
Currently, his scholarship focuses on improving the safety and resilience of civil infrastructure systems by applying these probabilistic approaches.
Baecher received his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He is an emeritus chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park.
Baecher is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Honors include the Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers; the Arthur T. Wellington Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers; the Anwar Wissa Memorial Lecture Award from the American Society of Civil
Engineers Geo-Institute of Florida; the Distinguished Lecture at the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; the Terzaghi Lecture Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute; the Buchanan Lecture at Texas A&M; the Lacasse Lecture of GEOSnet from the American Society of Civil Engineers; the GEOSnet Distinguished Achievement Award; membership in the University of California, Berkeley, Civil Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni; the Panamanian National Award for Science and Technology Innovation; the Commander’s Award for Public Service from the Headquarters of the United States Army Corps of Engineers; the Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers; the State-of-the-Art Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers; and being a Rockefeller Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellow.
BAECHER WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Chair Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences
City University of Hong Kong
Julia A. Beatty is an accomplished veterinary virologist whose research program focuses on tumor virology, aiming to characterize novel oncogenic viruses in companion animals to improve cancer outcomes for cats and dogs.
Her work has made significant strides in the field of companion animal infectious diseases, particularly in investigating viral causes of cancer in cats and advancing the scholarship of clinical feline medicine.
Beatty received her Ph.D. in virology from the University of Glasgow and is a fellow of both the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.
She is the founding director of the Centre for Animal Health and Welfare at City University of
Hong Kong, where she also led the establishment of the first veterinary clinical department in Hong Kong.
Beatty is recognized by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as a specialist in Feline Medicine. Honors include the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Award for Scientific Excellence.
She has authored 14 book chapters, more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and more than 130 research abstracts. She serves as an editor for the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery and Viruses.
BEATTY WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES.
Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Statistics Department of Statistical Science College of Arts and Sciences Duke University
James O. Berger is known for his pioneering work in Bayesian statistical analysis, decision analysis and uncertainty quantification, as well as the application of statistics to other disciplines such as astronomy, pharmaceutical research and geoscience.
His current research focuses are on the foundations of Bayesian statistics and uncertainty quantification for computer modeling of processes (such as climate modeling). He is completing a book on Bayesian model uncertainty, having just finished an accompanying book on objective Bayesian inference.
Berger received his Ph.D. from Cornell University.
He was the Richard M. Brumfield Distinguished Professor of Statistics at Purdue University until 1997. He has served as honorary professor at East China Normal University since 2011.
Berger is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Spanish Real Academia de Ciencias.
Honors include the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Sloan Fellowship, the Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Award from the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the Arnold Zellner Medal from the International Society of Bayesian Analysis. He received the Wald Lectureship from the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the Fisher Lectureship from the ASA, the highest honors of each society.
He has authored or co-authored 18 books and 209 peer-reviewed articles.
Berger has served as co-editor of the Annals of Statistics and was a founding co-editor of the Journal on Uncertainty Quantification.
BERGER WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 2024-25
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Joseph T. and Bernice S. Lewis Distinguished Service Professor of Marketing Booth School of Business University of Chicago
Pradeep K. Chintagunta is a distinguished scholar in the field of quantitative marketing, known for his innovative work linking marketing with industrial organization and development economics. His research focuses on development marketing, using marketing and business tools to assist individuals, entrepreneurs and small businesses in emerging economies.
His most notable accomplishment is broadening the field of quantitative marketing by integrating it with adjacent fields, significantly influencing the development and implementation of marketing strategy.
Chintagunta earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
He is a fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
and the Society for Marketing Science and received the Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr. Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Marketing Research Special Interest Group of the American Marketing Association (AMA).
He ranked as the most productive marketing scholar in premier marketing journals for 2014-23, according to the AMA DocSIG Research Productivity Report. Chintagunta has authored more than 100 peerreviewed articles in marketing, statistics and economics journals.
CHINTAGUNTA WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE MAYS BUSINESS SCHOOL.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Professor and Chair
Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience University College Cork, Ireland
John F. Cryan is an internationally recognized neuroscientist known for his groundbreaking research on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. His work has significantly advanced understanding of how the gut microbiome influences brain function and behavior, particularly in relation to stress, anxiety and depression.
Cryan’s research employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining neuroscience, microbiology, psychiatry and pharmacology to explore the complex interactions between the brain and gut microbiota.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of Galway, Ireland.
Cryan is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and is a former president of the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society. He was chair of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Scientific Programme Committee from 2022-24.
Honors include the Datta Medal from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology plus awards from Neuroscience Ireland,
American Gastrointestinal Association, American Physiological Society, Neonatal Society, Neurobehavioral Teratology Society, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, British Association of Psychopharmacology, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland as well as from Utrecht University and University College Cork. He received an honorary degree from University of Antwerp.
He has served on the editorial boards of several leading journals in neuroscience and psychopharmacology and is actively involved in numerous international research collaborations.
Cryan has authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications and five books, including The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection.
He is recognized as a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher.
CRYAN WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Professor of Materials Engineering Department of Engineering
Cambridge University, England
A leading scholar in the micromechanics of materials, with a focus on the design of micro-architectured materials and the modeling of soft and active materials, Vikram Deshpande has fundamentally reshaped the field of microstructural mechanics in both engineering and biological systems. He has created a new area of study that combines experimental innovation with theoretical insights.
He is highly regarded for his contributions to the mechanics of materials, which were highlighted in his citation for election to the Royal Society.
Deshpande earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge University.
He is an international member of the National Academy of Engineering,
a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Royal Society of London.
Honors include the Zdeněk P. Bažant Medal for Failure and Damage Prevention from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Warner T. Koiter Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Rodney Hill Prize in Solid Mechanics.
He has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and four book chapters. He holds four patents.
DESHPANDE WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Intel Alumni Endowed Chair Emeritus Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Grainger College of Engineering University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
J. Gary Eden is a distinguished physicist and engineer recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to laser physics, atomic, molecular, and optical physics, and deepultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photochemistry.
He co-discovered excimer lasers and high-power UV/VUV lamps, technologies that have advanced fields such as atomic clocks, photolithography, air and water disinfection, and laser fusion energy.
His innovative research has greatly impacted the development of these technologies, pushing the boundaries of laser applications and microplasma devices.
Eden earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign (UIUC).
Over his career, he has held several prominent positions, including associate vice-chancellor for research and associate dean of the graduate college at UIUC.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, and Optica (formerly known as the Optical Society of America).
Honors include the IEEE Plasma Science and Applications Award, the C.E.K. Mees Medal from the Optical Society of America and the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. Eden has authored or co-authored 12 books or book chapters and 371 peerreviewed articles. He holds 105 patents.
EDEN WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE INSTITUTE FOR QUANTUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Distinguished Professor of Astronomy
Department of Astronomy, College of Letters and Science University of California, Berkeley
Alexei V. Filippenko is renowned for his research on supernovae, black holes, active galaxies, gamma-ray bursts, neutron stars, dark matter and observational cosmology.
He was a pivotal member of the teams that discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe in 1998, a groundbreaking achievement that contributed to the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics to the teams’ leaders for discovering gravitationally repulsive dark energy. Filippenko earned his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.
He holds a Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professorship in the Physical Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has made significant contributions to the field of astrophysics.
He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Honors include the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching/Council for Advancement and Support of Education National Professor of the Year, the Gruber Cosmology Prize and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
He has authored nearly 1,000 peer-reviewed articles and has contributed extensively to conference proceedings and book chapters.
FILIPPENKO WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Professor
Holder of the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Grainger College of Engineering University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Youssef M.A. Hashash is a leading expert in geotechnical earthquake and tunnel engineering, known for his innovative work in numerical modeling, seismic analysis of underground structures, and static and seismic soil-structure interaction.
His expertise extends to the application of artificial intelligence and deep learning in geotechnical engineering, significantly advancing the design and safety of infrastructure.
His research has led to the development of state-of-the-art computational tools, including the widely used DEEPSOIL software for non-linear seismic site response analysis.
Hashash earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He has served as president of the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Hashash is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Honors include the Peck Medal and the Huber Prize from ASCE and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
He has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and holds five patents.
HASHASH WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND THE COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry School of Arts and Sciences University of Pennsylvania
Marsha I. Lester has conducted groundbreaking research utilizing innovative methods to study complex chemical reactions involving open-shell complexes and reaction intermediates.
Her work has advanced the understanding of chemical pathways that involve hydroxyl radicals, which are key initiators of oxidation chemistry in the atmosphere. Her laboratory has developed novel spectroscopic techniques to investigate uncharted regions of chemical reaction pathways, providing valuable insights into the oxidation processes in the atmosphere.
Lester is renowned for her pioneering work on Criegee intermediates – crucial species in atmospheric chemistry – that her laboratory characterized by their very strong UV absorption as a distinctive spectral signature. Her research continues to explore the fundamental mechanisms of atmospheric reactions, particularly those involving volatile organic compounds like isoprene.
She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Columbia University.
She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.
Honors include the Herbert P. Broida Prize of the American Physical Society and the establishment of the Marsha I. Lester Award for Exemplary Impact in Physical Chemistry by the Physical Chemistry Section of American Chemical Society.
She has published 181 peer-reviewed articles and served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Chemical Physics.
LESTER WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
C. Judson King Distinguished Professor University of California, Berkeley
Known for his pioneering research in developing innovative materials for clean energy and sustainability, Jeffrey R. Long has made a significant impact on the fields of chemistry and materials science.
His current research focuses on the discovery of chemically-selective cooperative adsorption in metal–organic frameworks and its uses in the efficient separation of carbon dioxide from flue gases and air.
Long’s work extends to the development of hydrogen storage materials and advanced porous materials for gas separation and catalysis, which are crucial for sustainable energy solutions.
He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1995.
Long is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Honors include the Eni Award Energy Transition Prize; the Department of Energy Achievement Award for Driving U.S. Competitiveness and Innovations Team; the Miller Research Professorship
at UC Berkeley; the Royal Society of Chemistry Ludwig Mond Award; the Department of Energy Frontier Research Centers Ten at Ten Award; the American Chemical Society F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry; the Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program R&D Award for Hydrogen Storage; the Bakar Fellowship at UC Berkeley; the Inorganic Chemistry Lectureship Award; the National Fresenius Award; the National Science Foundation Special Creativity Award; the TR100 Award; the Wilson Prize at Harvard University; the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship; the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award; the Hellman Family Faculty Award; and the Research Corporation Research Innovation Award.
He has authored two book chapters and 402 peer-reviewed articles. Long holds 23 patents.
LONG WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and President’s Fellow School of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering Purdue University
Ajay P. Malshe has earned international recognition for his work in advanced manufacturing, bio-inspired sustainable design, multifunctional materials, system integration and product development. His contributions span such fields as in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing; biomanufacturing for future protein production and on-demand farming; high-density heterogeneous microelectronics; and nanomanufacturing for extreme-performance machines.
Malshe received his Ph.D. from Savitribai Phule Pune University in India.
At Purdue University, he is the inaugural director of the Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories, codirector of eXcellence in Manufacturing and Operations and a President’s Fellow.
Malshe is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of
Materials, the International Academy of Production Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, the Institute of Physics and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Honors include the David Dornfeld Blue Sky Manufacturing Idea Award (SME), the S.M. Wu Research Implementation Award (SME), three Edison Awards for Innovation, the Tibbett Award from the U.S. Small Business Association and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the R&D 100 Award, often referred to as the “Oscar of innovation.”
He has authored more than 225 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 100 keynote and invited speeches around the world. He holds 28 patents.
MALSHE WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES.
Founder, CEO, and Chief Science Officer, INCELL Corporation LLC INCELL Director of Clinical Therapies, Product Development, and Research Adjunct Professor, University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio
Mary Pat Moyer is a distinguished biomedical scientist, entrepreneur and manager with more than five decades of experience in biomanufacturing clinical and research-use products for regenerative medicine and infectious diseases.
At INCELL Corporation, she leads the development of innovative products, focusing on human cells, tissues, cell culture, human cellular and tissue-based products, and FDA-registered facilities.
Moyer’s notable accomplishments include leading two INCELL-sponsored Investigational New Drug applications for cell therapies to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, showcasing the first-ever successful treatment that improved disease symptoms.
She received her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin.
Moyer is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Honors include the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award from the American Association of University Women and the Athena International Award for Women in Leadership.
MOYER WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. 2024-25 HAGLER
Her expertise spans human cell therapies, infectious diseases, microbiology, virology and cancer disease mechanisms, as well as sponsorship, development, manufacturing, testing, pre-clinical and clinical studies, and commercialization of new products.
She has authored 15 books or book chapters, more than 220 peerreviewed articles and 12 Drug and Device Master Files for the Food and Drug Administration, which provide confidential detailed information about the facilities, processes or articles used in the manufacturing of drugs and medical devices; she also holds three patents.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
David Lee/Ernst Weber Professor of Electrical Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Tandon School of Engineering
New York University
Known for his pioneering work in wireless communications, Theodore S. Rappaport is considered the “father of 5G millimeter wave.” Rappaport demonstrated the viability of millimeterwave frequency bands for wi-fi and cellular applications, revolutionizing the telecommunications industry.
His research encompasses wireless communications theory, radio propagation, antennas, channel modeling, radio circuit design and millimeter-wave and terahertz communications. Rappaport also developed a global standard for modeling millimeter-wave wireless communication channels and the waste factor theory to quantify energy efficiency in communication networks.
Rappaport earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University.
He is the founding director of NYU WIRELESS, a multidisciplinary academic research center at New York University.
Rappaport is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Wireless History Foundation Wireless Hall of Fame, and a fellow of the National
Academy of Inventors, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Radio Club of America.
Honors include the IEEE Eric E. Sumner Field Award; the American Society for Engineering Education Frederick E. Terman Award; induction into the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Hall of Fame; the Institution of Engineering and Technology Sir Monty Finniston Award for Achievement in Engineering and Technology; the University of Texas Joe J. King Professional Engineering Achievement Award; the Virginia Tech Distinguished Alumni Award; recognition as a National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow; and the Marconi Society Young Scientist Award.
He has authored 24 books, including four textbooks, and has more than 100 U.S. and international patent applications issued or pending.
RAPPAPORT WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.
2024-25 HAGLER
Professor
Holder of the Gary C. Butler Family Chair School of Industrial and Systems Engineering Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Nick Sahinidis is a renowned scholar in the fields of mathematical optimization and machine learning. His work has influenced both academic research and practical applications, particularly through the development of widely used algorithms and software for optimization and machine learning.
Sahinidis earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association.
Honors include the INFORMS Computing Society Prize, the BealeOrchard-Hays Prize, the Computing in Chemical Engineering Award, the Constantin Carathéodory
Prize and the National Award and Gold Medal from the Hellenic Operational Research Society.
He serves as an editor for Optimization and Engineering, the AIChE Journal, Computational Management Science, Computational Optimization and Applications, the Journal of Global Optimization, Mathematical Programming Computation, Operational Research—An International Journal, Operations Research Forum and Optimization Letters.
Sahinidis has authored 18 books or book chapters and more than 150 peer-reviewed articles. He also holds one patent.
SAHINIDIS WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE ENERGY INSTITUTE.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Andrea Mitchell University Professor of Law, Political Science and Business Ethics Penn Law School, School of Arts and Sciences and Wharton Business School University of Pennsylvania
Beth A. Simmons is known for her research on international relations, human rights, and international law. Her work has influenced the understanding and implementation of international law, particularly in human rights and global governance. Her current research focuses on international borders, border governance, human rights and the diffusion of norms in global politics.
Simmons received her Ph.D. from Harvard University.
At the University of Pennsylvania, she teaches courses on international law, international relations and ethics.
She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Honors include the Woodrow Wilson Award and the Stein Rokkan Prize for her book, “Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics.”
Simmons was elected president of the International Studies Association and directed the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs as a professor at Harvard. She delivered the Lauterpacht Lecture in International Law at Cambridge University in 2024.
She has served on the editorial boards of more than a dozen disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals, including the American Political Science Review and the American Journal of International Law.
SIMMONS WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE BUSH SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE.
Distinguished Professor
Holder of the Edward Carter Chair in Business Administration Anderson School of Management University of California, Los Angeles
TANG WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE MAYS BUSINESS SCHOOL. 2024-25 HAGLER
Christopher Tang is renowned for his pioneering work in global supply chain management, focusing on resilient supply chain management and supply chain risk management. His research has influenced the fields of operations and business management, emphasizing the importance of developing robust and adaptable supply chains in an increasingly globalized economy.
Tang received his Ph.D. from Yale University.
At UCLA, he serves as the senior associate dean of global initiatives and the director of the Center for Global Management at the Anderson School of Management.
Tang is a fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), the Manufacturing and Service Operations Society, and the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS). He is also an inaugural fellow of the Responsible Research in Business and Management Network.
Tang has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential re-
searchers, ranking in the top 1% based on Web of Science citations.
He has authored or co-edited eight books, more than 30 book chapters and more than 200 peer-reviewed articles. His work on resilient supply chain management is widely cited and has received best paper awards from INFORMS and POMS. He wrote one of the top 10 Google Scholar Classic Papers in operations research for 2017.
He is the editor-in-chief of Manufacturing and Service Operations Management; a department editor for Management Science, Production and Operations Management, Service Science, and IISE Transactions; and an associate editor for Operations Research, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management and the Journal of Operations Management.
2024-25 HAGLER FELLOW
Distinguished Senior Technical Fellow and Vice President The Boeing Company President and CEO, Innovative Control Technologies LLC
Recognized for his expertise in aircraft and weapon vehicle management system development, intelligent autonomy and battle management, Kevin A. Wise focuses his research on aircraft and missile dynamics and control, hypersonic guidance, navigation and control, robust adaptive control, optimal control, and robustness theory.
Wise has made significant contributions to the field, including his role in developing autonomous aircraft guidance and control solutions, with notable projects such as the X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems and the Phantom Eye Hydrogenpowered Unmanned Aerial System.
Wise received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
He has been instrumental in the development of Boeing’s Defense Space and Security Systems’ aircraft guidance and control solutions, contributing advanced control theory algorithms to several high-profile programs such as the USAF T-7A Red Hawk, MQ-25 Stingray refueling drone and the Joint Direct Attack Munition family of munitions.
Wise is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Honors include the AIAA Intelligent Systems Award; the IEEE Technical Excellence in Aerospace Control Award; the American Automatic Control Council Control Engineering Practice Award; and the AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award.
He has authored one book and seven book chapters, published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and holds five patents. He is an associate editor of the AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics.
WISE WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.
Professor Emeritus
Holder of the Jack and Laura Dangermond Chair Department of Geography College of Letters and Science University of California, Santa Barbara
Michael F. Goodchild is globally acknowledged as the “Father of Geographic Information Science (GIScience),” widely credited with coining the term “Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)” and is considered the foremost expert on the topic.
His work has been instrumental in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between GIScience, urban science, computer science, and other fields, laying the foundation for the advancement of spatial databases, data modeling and the integration of spatial data with other information systems.
Goodchild’s contributions have positioned GIScience as a hub for innovative approaches to spatial data analysis, geodesign and the development of digital twins.
He earned his Ph.D. from McMaster University.
He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of the Royal Society and the British Academy.
Honors include the Prix Vautrin Lud, the highest award in the field of geography, and the Founder’s Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. He has also received five honorary degrees.
With 598 peer-reviewed articles and 15 books or book chapters, Goodchild’s written works are highly regarded for their relevance to contemporary GIScience discourse and their insightful recommendations for future directions in the field.
GOODCHILD WILL COLLABORATE WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE .
Philip Calder
Head, School of Human Development and Health
Professor, Nutritional Immunology
University of Southampton, United Kingdom Research: Influence of diet and nutrients on immune and inflammatory responses and on metabolism and functionality of the roles of omega-3 fatty acids
Alicia L. Carriquiry
Distinguished Professor and holder of the President’s Chair in Statistics Director, Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence Department of Statistics
Iowa State University Research: Bayesian statistics and applications of statistical methodology
George Georgiou
Professor, Cockrell School of Engineering
Dula D. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering #2
The University of Texas at Austin Research: Adaptive-immune response and improving enzyme and antibody therapeutics for cancer treatment and inborn errors of metabolism
Jody Gookin
FluoroScience Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Scholars Research Education College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
Research: Tritrichomonas foetus in cats and gallbladder mucocele disease in dogs
Mae Jemison
President The Jemison Group, Inc.
Research: Integrating the physical and social sciences with art and culture to solve problems and foster innovation
Eric S. Maskin
Adams University Professor Professor, Economics and Mathematics
Harvard University Research: Game theory, contract theory, social-choice theory and political economy
H. Richard Milner IV Professor of Education
Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Education
Immediate Past Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Professor Department of Teaching and Learning Professor of Sociology (Secondary) Professor of Education Policy Studies (Secondary)
Founding Director, Initiative for Race Research and Justice
Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University Research: Capturing students’ experiences in schools, race and culture in education science
Kyle J. Myers
Principal, Puente Solutions LLC
Research: Development of analytical and regulatory science methods for the accuracy and safety of medical imaging devices
Konstantin Novoselov
Director, Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials
Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor
National University of Singapore Research: Condensed matter physics, mesoscopic physics and nanotechnology
Eleftherios T. Papoutsakis
Unidel Eugene DuPont Chaired Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor, Biological Sciences
University of Delaware
Research: Molecular biotechnology and synthetic biology for sustainable manufacturing and the development of human therapeutics
Radia Perlman
Fellow, Dell EMC
Research: Development and advancement of modern computer networks
Soroosh Sorooshian
Director, Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing
Distinguished Professor and the Henry Samueli Chair
Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science
University of California, Irvine
Research: Remote sensing and development of improved precipitation runoff modeling
Robyn Tanguay
University Distinguished Professor, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Director of the Superfund Research Program, the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory
Former Director of the Environmental Health Sciences Center
Oregon State University Research: Zebrafish as toxicology models
Günter Wagner
Research Lab Director, Systems Biology Institute
Alison Richard Professor Emeritus, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Yale University
Senior Research Fellow, University of Vienna, Austria
Research: Evolution of genes and gene networks
Guy Bertrand
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Director, UCSD-CNRS Joint Research Chemistry Laboratory
University of California San Diego
Research: Taming reactive molecules and transforming them into useful tools for synthetic chemists
Hui Cao
John C. Malone Professor of Applied Physics
Professor of Physics and professor of Electrical Engineering
Department of Applied Physics
Yale University
Research: Understanding and controlling light transport, scattering, absorption and amplification in complex photonic nanostructures
John Michael Cullen
Distinguished Professor, Associate in the Toxicology Faculty and Adjunct Senior Researcher, Hammer Institute
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
Research: Drug-induced hepatic disease and animal models of viral hepatitis
Odile Eisenstein
Director de Recherche CNRS Emeritus, Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier
CTMM group Universite de Montpellier Hylleraas Center for Quantum
Molecular Science
University of Oslo, Norway
Research: Molecular organic and organometallic chemistry
Dimitar Filev
Henry Ford Technical Fellow
Ford Research and Innovation Center
Research: Computational intelligence, artificial intelligence and intelligent control
Howard Frumkin
Senior Vice President, the Trust for Public Land
Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Sciences
School of Public Health
University of Washington
Research: Public health aspects of the built environment
Sebastian (Bas) Jonkman
Professor and holder of the Integral Hydraulic Engineering Chair
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands Research: Flood risk management, land reclamation and the integral design of hydraulic infrastructure
Mark O’Malley
Leverhulme Professor of Power Systems
Imperial College London Research: Integrating wind-energy systems into smart grids
Lawrence Que Jr.
Regents Professor
College of Science and Engineering
University of Minnesota
Research: Understanding how non-heme iron centers activate oxygen to carry out a diverse array of metabolically important reactions
Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Professor
Department of Global Studies and Geography
Hofstra University
Research: Mobility, freight distribution, containerization, logistics and transport terminals
Donald L. Sparks
Francis Alison Professor and holder of the Unidel S. Hallock du Pont Chair in Soil and Environmental Chemistry Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry Director, Delaware Environmental Institute College of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Delaware
Research: Kinetics of geochemical processes, molecular scale investigations of metal and nutrient fate, transport in soils and water, soil remediation and climate change impacts on soil
Madhavi Sunder
Frank Sherry Professor of Intellectual Property and Associate Dean for International and Graduate Programs
Georgetown Law Center
Research: Intellectual property law and extending into culture, human rights and the First Amendment
Michael W. Young
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor Head, Laboratory of Genetics Vice President for Academic Affairs
The Rockefeller University Research: Biological clocks that regulate the human body’s sleep patterns, metabolism and response to disease
David Zilberman
Distinguished Professor and holder of the Robinson Chair
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics College of Natural Resources University of California, Berkeley Research: Agricultural and environmental policy; economics of innovation and risk; water biotechnology; and climate change
Arthur M. Jaffe
Landon T. Clay Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Sciences
Department of Physics
Harvard University
Research: The relation between super symmetry and a new mathematical subject — non-commutative geometry — where one builds quantum space into the notion of space-time
Kevin G. Bowcutt
Principal Senior Technical Fellow and Chief Scientist of Hypersonics Boeing Research and Technology Research: Hypersonic aerodynamics, propulsion integration and vehicle design and optimization
Jacqueline H. Chen
Senior Scientist
Combustion Research Facility
Sandia National Laboratories
Research: Applies massively parallel computing to the simulation of turbulent combustion
Jennifer H. Elisseeff
Jules Stein Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Morton Goldberg Professor, Ophthalmology Director, Translational Tissue Engineering Center
Johns Hopkins University
Research: Regenerative medicine, biomaterials, tissue engineering, immunoengineering and biomedical engineering
Theodore Goodson III
Richard Barry Bernstein Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Department of Chemistry
University of Michigan
Research: Non-linear optical properties of novel organic materials
Nancy R. Sottos
Department Head and holder of the Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair Center for Advanced Study Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
The Grainger College of Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Research: Self-healing materials for energy and the environment, mechanical properties and materials for extreme conditions
Donna T. Strickland
Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Waterloo Ontario, Canada
Research: Develops novel ultrafast laser systems to study nonlinear optical phenomena
Nikolay I. Zheludev
Professor and Deputy Director of the Zepler Institute
University of Southampton, United Kingdom Co-Director, The Photonics Institute
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Research: Nanophotonics, metamaterials, nanotechnology, electrodynamics and nonlinear optics
R. Graham Cooks
Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry
Department of Chemistry
College of Science
Purdue University
Research: Mass spectrometry, including fundamental phenomena, instrumentation and analytical applications
Andrew P. Feinberg
Director, Center for Epigenetics
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor
Whiting School of Engineering and Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University
Research: Multidisciplinary research spans many fields, from genetics to computational biology and mathematics
James J. Giovannoni
Director
Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health Laboratory
USDA-ARS
Adjunct Professor
Boyce Thompson Institute
Cornell University
Research: Molecular and genetic analysis of fruit physiology and ripening and signal transduction systems in the tomato and additional fruit species
Paula T. Hammond
David H. Koch (1962) Professor in Engineering
Head, Department of Chemical Engineering
School of Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Research: Macromolecular design and synthesis, targeted drug delivery for cancer, nanoscale assembly of synthetic biomaterials and electrostatic and directed materials assembly
Timothy A. Judge
Joseph A. Alutto Chair in Leadership
Effectiveness
Department of Management and Human Resources
Fischer College of Business
The Ohio State University
Research: Clarifies the role of personality in job performance, job attitudes and career success
Julia King
Professor Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Crossbench Life Peer, House of Lords, London
Chair, Sir Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, Carbon Trust Research: Science, technology and policy to support low-carbon and new negative-emissions science
Gloria Ladson-Billings
Former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor
Department of Educational Policy Studies
School of Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students and investigates applications of critical race theory to education
Rachel F. Moran
Distinguished Professor School of Law
University of California, Irvine
Research: Education policy, civil right and race and the law
Shaul Mukamel
Distinguished Professor
Department of Chemistry School of Physical Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Research: Studies molecules by measuring their response to short pulses of light. Pioneered the field of coherent ultrafast multidimensional molecular spectroscopy
Lena Cowen Orlin
Professor
Department of English
Georgetown University
Research: Expert on private domestic life during the Renaissance and specializes in works of Shakespeare
Luiz Davidovich
Professor of Physics
Instituto de Física
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Research: Decoherence, dynamics of entanglement, laser theory and quantum metrology
Sharon Donovan
Professor and holder of the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health Department of Nutritional Sciences College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Research: Pediatric nutrition, focusing on optimizing intestinal and cognitive development and on development of the gut microbiome
Mario Andrés Hamuy
Vice President and Head of Mission, Chile Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
Washington, DC
Research: Established the use of supernovas to measure distances into the far universe, leading to the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe
Peter J. Hotez
Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine
Professor
Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology
Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics
Baylor College of Medicine
Research: Neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development
Kathleen C. Howell
Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
College of Engineering
Purdue University
Research:Contributions to the three body problem, the interplanetary superhighway and artificial satellite theories
Misha Lyubich
Professor
Department of Mathematics
Director, Institute for Mathematical Sciences College of Arts and Sciences
Stony Brook University
Research: Analytic low-dimensional dynamics of recursive maps
Henry Rousso
Directeur de recherche de Classe Exceptionelle
French National Centre for Scientific Research
Paris, France
Research: Link between history and memory and historical trauma
Peter W. Shor
Henry Adams Morss and Henry Adams Morss Jr. Professor of Applied Mathematics School of Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research: Quantum algorithm for factoring exponentially faster than the best currently known algorithm running on a classical computer
Edwin L. “Ned” Thomas
Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering School of Engineering
Rice University
Research: Development of novel photonic materials and determination of the morphology of black copolymers
Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato
Professor
Department of Physics and Materials Science University of São Paulo and the Institute of Physics of São Carlos
Brazil
Research: Laser cooling, trapping neutral atoms and applying the principles of optics and lasers in health sciences
Michael J. Duff
Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics
Senior Research Investigator
Imperial College
London
Research: Quantum gravity, quantum informatics, string theory, M-theory and unified theories of the elementary particles
Yonggang Huang
Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Northwestern University
Research: Mechanics of stretchable materials and additive manufacturing
Cameron Jones
Professor and holder of the R.L. Martin Distinguished Chair of Chemistry
Monash University
Melbourne, Australia
Research: Existing views on structure, bonding and stability
Stefan H.E. Kaufmann
Head, Department of Immunology
Founding Director
Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
Germany
Research: Vaccines for tuberculosis
H. Vincent Poor
Michael Henry Strater University Professor Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Princeton University
Research: Advancing rapid development of technology
Robert D. Putnam
Peter and Isabel Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy
Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
Research: Religion in society, the fall and revival of American community and opportunity gaps
Andrea Rinaldo
Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources
Director, Laboratory of Ecohydrology École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Switzerland
Research: Theory of self-organized fractal river networks and efficient transportation networks
William G. Unruh
Professor of Physics
Department of Physics and Astronomy University of British Columbia
Research: General relativity and refining the foundations of quantum mechanics in relation to black holes
Vijay K. Dhir
Distinguished Professor Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Samueli School of Engineering University of California, Los Angeles Research: Fundamental and applied sciences involving boiling
Richard A. Dixon
Distinguished Research Professor Department of Biological Sciences College of Science University of North Texas Research: Metabolic engineering of plants
Richard A. Epstein
Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law Director, Classical Liberal Institute School of Law
New York University Research: Legal theory property, torts, and employment
Tom Ginsburg
Leo Spitz Professor of International Law Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Research Scholar Professor of Political Science
University of Chicago Law School Research: Multidisciplinary social scientific analysis to comparative constitutional law
James E. Hubbard Jr.
Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor
Samuel P. Langley Distinguished Professor Department of Aerospace Engineering University of Maryland Research: Designs, develops and defines the state of the art in robotic platforms
Thomas J. Stipanowich
William H. Webster Chair in Dispute Resolution Professor of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Caruso School of Law Pepperdine University Research: Commercial arbitration and dispute resolution
Jerry Tessendorf Professor of Visual Computing School of Computing College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
Clemson University Research: Fluid simulations in computer graphics for motion pictures
Christopher C. Cummins
Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry School of Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research: Synthetic chemistry and inorganic synthesis methodology
Ingrid Daubechies
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Departments of Mathematics and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Pratt School of Engineering, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Duke University
Research: Wavelet and mathematical methods
Gerald Galloway
Professor Emeritus
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
A. James Clark School of Engineering
University of Maryland
Research: Civil engineering and flood plain management
Huajian Gao
Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Engineering
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Brown University
Research: Mechanical and biological engineering
Maryellen Giger
A. N. Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor Department of Radiology
Committee on Medical Physics
The College at the University of Chicago Research: Computer-aided diagnosis, digital signal and image processing
Robert Kennicutt Jr.
Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy, Emerita School of Physical Sciences
University of Cambridge Research: Astronomy, star formation and galaxies
Charles E. Kolb
Former President and Chief Executive Officer Aerodyne Research Inc.
Research: Atmospheric chemistry, air quality and climate
V. Kumar
Professor of Marketing
Goodman Academic-Industry Partnership Professor
Goodman School of Business
Brock University
Research: Marketing research methods, customer relationship management
William M. Sage
James R. Dougherty Chair for Faculty Excellence
Professor
Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care
Dell Medical School
School of Law
The University of Texas at Austin Research: Law and national health care reform
Thomas S. Ulen
Research Professor
Swanlund Chair Emeritus College of Law
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research: Law, economics, legal, scholarship and legal education
W. David Arnett
Regents Professor Emeritus
Department of Astronomy College of Science
University of Arizona
Research:Theoretical astrophysics, supernovae and stellar astronomy
John T. Brosnan
Professor Emeritus
Department of Biochemistry
Memorial University of Newfoundland Research: Amino acid biochemistry
Robert A. Calderbank
Charles S. Sydnor Distinguished Professor
Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mathematics
Director, Rhodes Information Initiative
Pratt School of Engineering, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Duke University
Research: Computer science, electrical engineering and mathematics
Richard Delgado
John J. Sparkman Chair of Law School of Law
The University of Alabama Research: Critical race theory and law
Richard Gibbs
Wofford Cain Chair and Professor Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Director and Founder, Human Genome Sequencing Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Research: Genome science and human molecular evolution
J. Karl Hedrick
James Marshall Wells Academic Chair and Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
Research: Nonlinear control theory and automotive control systems
Richard Holm
Higgins Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Harvard University
Research: Bioinorganic chemistry
Michael King
Senior Research Scientist Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
University of Colorado Boulder Research: Atmospheric and space physics
Stephen Polasky
Regents Professor, Fesler-Lampert Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics Department of Applied Economics College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences University of Minnesota Research: Ecological/environmental economics
John A. Rogers
Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery Director, Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics McCormick School of Engineering
Northwestern University Research: Materials science and engineering
Manfred Schartl
Senior Professor
Department of Developmental Biochemistry
The Biocenter University of Würzburg Germany Research: Biology and genetics
Kumares Sinha
Edgar B. and Hedwig M. Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering Lyles School of Civil Engineering
Purdue University Research: Civil engineering
Susan Suleiman
C. Douglas Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France and Professor of Comparative Literature, Emerita Department of Romance Languages and Literatures Division of Arts and Humanities
Harvard University
Research: Twentieth-century French literature
Harold Adams
Chairman Emeritus
RTKL Associates Inc.
Research: Architecture and building construction
Rakesh Agrawal
Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering
Davidson School of Chemical Engineering College of Engineering
Purdue University
Research: Chemical engineering and invention
Jack Dongarra
University Distinguished Professor
Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Director, Innovative Computing Laboratory
Tickle College of Engineering
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Research: Computational mathematics
William Marras
Honda Chair in Transportation Department of Integrated Systems Engineering
Director, Spine Research Institute
The Ohio State University Research: Ergonomics and occupational health
Ed Moses
President
Longview Consulting, Inc.
Research: Fusion energy and high-power laser physics
Yuri Oganessian
Scientific Director
Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
Dubna, Russia
Research: Nuclear physics
Robert Skelton
Professor Emeritus, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Daniel L. Alspach Professor of Dynamic Systems and Controls
Jacobs School of Engineering
University of California, San Diego
Research: Systems and aerospace engineering
Leif Andersson
Professor
Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Uppsala University, Sweden
Research: Animal genetics
Satya Atluri
Presidential Chair and University Distinguished Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering
Texas Tech University
Research: Mechanical and aerospace engineering
Claude Bouchard
John W. Barton, Sr. Endowed Chair in Genetics and Nutrition
Boyd Professor and Professor in Human Genomics
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Louisiana State University
Research: Genetics and nutrition
Christodoulos Floudas
Stephen C. Macaleer ’63 Professor in Engineering and Applied Science
Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Princeton University
Research: Chemical and biological engineering
Roy Glauber
Harvard University
Nobel Prize in Physics
Research: Quantum physics
Roger Howe
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Mathematics
Yale University
Research: Mathematics
Robert Levine
Distinguished University Professor, English Departments of English and American Studies College of Arts and Humanities
University of Maryland Research: Literary and comparative studies
Wolfgang Schleich
Chair Professor of Theoretical Physics
Director, Institute of Quantum Physics
Ulm University, Germany
Research: Theoretical and quantum physics
Peter Stang
Distinguished Professor and David P. Gardner Presidential Chair Department of Chemistry
College of Science
University of Utah
Research: Organic chemistry
Jay Dunlap
Nathan Smith Professor
Departments of Molecular and Systems
Biology and Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Geisel School of Medicine
Dartmouth College Research: Genetics and biochemistry
Peter Liss
Professor Emeritus
School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Research: Environmental sciences
Alan Needleman
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
University of North Texas
Research: Materials science and engineering
Aleda Roth
Burlington Industries Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management
Department of Management
Wilburn O. and Ann Powers College of Business
Clemson University
Research: Global supply chain management
Vernon Smith
Nobel Prize in Economics
George L. Argyros Endowed Chair in Finance and Economics, Professor of Economics and Law
Founder, Economic Science Institute
The George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Dale E. Fowler School of Law
Chapman University
Research: Experimental economics
Katepalli Sreenivasan
Dean Emeritus of NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Eugene Kleiner Professor for Innovation in Mechanical Engineering University Professor
Departments of Physics and Mathematics
College of Arts and Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
New York University
Research: Mechanical engineering
By attracting visionary scholars whose work inspires collaboration and innovation, the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study infuses their extraordinary knowledge, talents and networks into Texas A&M to amplify its academic impact, reinforcing our mission to prepare students and faculty to lead in a rapidly evolving world.
ALAN SAMS
Provost and Executive
Vice President
Texas A&M University
In fiscal year 2017, Jon L. Hagler ’58 committed a $10 million cash gift and a $10 million estate gift to help endow what is now the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.
Jon L. Hagler’s endowment, coupled with Academic Master Plan funds ($1.8 million per year in 2016 dollars) and Heep Foundation earnings ($400,000 per year) contributed by Texas A&M University President, General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, ensure that the Hagler Institute will serve permanently as a beacon of excellence at Texas A&M.
The 2024-25 class of Hagler Fellows reached new heights with a total of 19 fellows plus one distinguished lecturer, financed in part with surplus funds from prior years. The institute’s current financing is enough to support an average of about 10 new Hagler Fellows per year. Our goal is to increase endowment funding to a level that will fully support 20 fellows annually on an ongoing basis.
Hagler Institute revenues exceeded its expenditures for academic fiscal year 2024, which ended Aug. 31, 2024. The largest sources of revenues came from Texas A&M to pay operating expenses and compensation to fellows. Endowment income continues to grow, however, and we hope someday it will become our largest source of revenue.
Compensation to fellows and distinguished lecturers paid by the Hagler Institute during fiscal year 2024 totaled $1,068,892 and included compensation for over 30 fellows and lecturers spanning class years 2017-18 to 2024-25. Due to fellows now serving their terms in the institute over a three-to-four-year period, it is common to have fellows from multiple classes on campus at any one time.
Hagler Institute expenditures during fiscal year 2024 for operating and miscellaneous expenses and salaries totaled $1,333,742. This expense category is defined broadly and includes staff salaries, student workers, office supplies, expenditures for the annual Hagler Institute gala, support for symposiums and Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings, production of our annual report and a brochure with the Texas A&M Foundation, support for Fellows gatherings and a host of other miscellaneous expenditures.
Fiscal year 2024 expenditures for student fellowships totaled $509,164. These fellowship expenditures enable students to work directly on research with Hagler Fellows and their Texas A&M faculty hosts.
The expenditures noted above and shown in the charts on the following page are reported on a cash basis and
Our goal is to increase endowment funding to a level that will fully support 20 fellows annually on an ongoing basis.
do not reflect outstanding commitments for future expenditures. For example, the Hagler Institute’s obligations to fellows and distinguished lecturers of the newly recruited 2024-25 class sum to $2,584,400 in potential stipends, while total stipends paid by the institute during fiscal year 2024 to fellows and lecturers of all class years totaled $1,068,892.
The figures shown in the charts exclude revenues and expenditures which are accounted for within specific colleges but nonetheless related to Hagler Fellows, including but not limited to revenue from endowments which are devoted to the support of Hagler Fellows but housed within the colleges rather than the Hagler Institute. For example, the $2,584,400 obligation noted above with respect to the 2024-25 class pertains to stipends for only 14 of the 19 fellows, along with the distinguished lecturer, because five of the 19 fellows will be supported from endowments devoted solely to support of Hagler Fellows but placed within the colleges. Similarly, the $2,584,400 sum excludes, for all fellows, obligations which fall to the colleges rather than the institute, including payment for travel, lodging, discretionary funds and a 30% portion of the total stipend.
Former students led by Jon L. Hagler ‘58 have provided impressive support for Texas A&M. For those alumni wanting to underwrite a legacy of ultimate academic excellence, the Hagler Institute is an ideal solution. For the life of the university, donors of a cash endowment or a planned estate gift will have their names associated with a series of the world’s most remarkable scholars. Endowed chairs for Hagler Fellows and endowed fellowships for graduate students to work with fellows are among the most prestigious on campus. These endowments bear the name of the donor and may be focused in particular colleges, schools, departments or disciplines.
Three Hagler Institute college chairs of $3 million each and a fourth chair endowed for $1 million are fully funded and generating earnings for their respective colleges to support Hagler Fellows. Those chairs were funded by Trisha and L.C. “Chaz” Neely ’62 (Mays Business School), Eric Yong Xu ’93 (Department of Biology), Thomas W. Powell ’62 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Karin C. and R. Bowen Loftin ’71 (Bush School of Government and Public Service). The Hagler Institute provided matching funds for each of these college chair endowments.
The Jerry ’72 and Kay ’02 Cox Foundation was the first to establish an endowment within the Hagler Institute to support fellows from any discipline, subsequently joined by Susanne M. and Melbern G. Glasscock ’59, who established a similar endowment. Bradley L. “Brad” Worsham ’88 and Mary and Charles H. Gregory ’64 have established endowments for graduate student fellowships. Anthony J. Wood ’90 and Susan D. Wood ’89 have also funded an endowment for discretionary use by the Hagler Institute and supplemented the Director Chair endowment. Former Hagler Fellows are another source of significant support. Judy and the late Robert Skelton donated funds to endow a discretionary account emphasizing graduate student support.
During 2024, The Robert A. Welch Foundation approved a $10 million endowment for the Hagler Institute to support Hagler Fellows coming from outside of Texas to engage in research at Texas A&M in chemistry and related fields in which chemistry is an essential component. As matching funds to secure the Welch Foundation endowment, Jon L. Hagler ’58 agreed to fund $5 million. Other matching funds include a commitment of $200,000 per year for 10 years from Texas A&M, to be used for fellowships for graduate students to work with the Welch Foundation supported fellows. Also during 2024, the Ramiro A. Galindo Foundation established a $1 million endowment to support Hagler Fellows in civil engineering.
We are pleased that more and more members of the Aggie Network are recognizing the merit and power of investing in the Hagler Institute.
Some individuals have donated unsolicited estate gifts. The largest was from Jon L. Hagler ’58 as part of his signature gift and renaming of the institute. The first professor to establish an estate gift was Ozden O. Ochoa ‘77, Professor Emerita, Mechanical Engineering. Walter W. Buchanan, professor in the College of Engineering and a graduate of Purdue University and Indiana University, along with his wife, Charlotte, donated their estates to establish a Hagler Chair within the College of Engineering. Elouise and John L. Junkins, Founding Director of the Hagler Institute, have endowed a chair from their estate to support Hagler Fellows in the field of aerospace engineering. Professor Janet F. Bluemel and University Distinguished Professor John A. Gladysz, holder of the Dow Chair in Chemical Invention, both faculty in the new College of Arts and Sciences, have made provisions in their wills to contribute to the Hagler Institute. Other estate gifts to the Hagler Institute include gifts from Associate Director Clifford L. Fry ’67 and his wife Judy, Roderick D. Stepp ’59, and Christi L. ’98 and Tyson T. Voelkel ’96, plus another from an anonymous donor.
The Hagler Institute was also blessed to receive a gift from the estate of former External Advisory Board member, the late H. Norman Abramson.
The mission of the Hagler Institute has inspired Texas A&M faculty members who
are not former students to contribute support for the institute. Some have walked in unsolicited to the Hagler office with a check in hand. Katepalli Sreenivasan and Alan Needleman, from the first group of Hagler Fellows, have made several cash gifts, as has the Willard and Anne Levin Foundation, thanks to Trustee Terrell Mullins ’67. Advocates Janet and Jean-Louis Briaud have also provided welcome gifts. A number of other donors who wish to remain anonymous have stepped forward to contribute. It is remarkable that none of the gifts to date have been solicited.
Our near-term goal is to find one or more additional endowments for the Hagler Institute to support fellows in colleges and schools currently lacking such support, as well as $25 million in endowments for graduate student fellowships. Despite substantial progress, we are still well short of that goal, but gaining momentum. We are pleased that more and more members of the Aggie Network are recognizing the merit and power of investing in the Hagler Institute. Achieving this goal will vastly accelerate every college and school and make Hagler Fellows easily affordable for all disciplines. You can make a difference in the excellence of your department, college, school and Texas A&M.
We would be delighted for you to join us to help elevate Texas A&M in perpetuity.
By enhancing academic excellence each year, the Hagler Institute is steadily helping Texas A&M University progress to national recognition as a top public university.
For academic year 2024-25 the Hagler Institute recruited 19 world-class scholars to visit the Texas A&M campus for up to a year’s time to collaborate with our faculty and students. Can you imagine the impact on Texas A&M of having this number of new top scholars every year into the future, devoting up to a year on our campus in collaborative research and lectures? Someday soon we hope to have the resources to make this happen.
When one is working at the frontiers of knowledge, ideas and more ideas, and investigating where the ideas lead, are at the heart of advancements. Our students and faculty are top-notch, and the exchange of ideas flows both ways or else the collaborations would not work. Visiting Hagler Fellows are catalysts for new discussions and potential breakthroughs
that can change the world. No other university in America, or even around the world, has this type of extensive academic enrichment program, driven directly by faculty nominations.
Research breakthroughs at Texas A&M enhance our university’s reputation, increase external research funding and put the students involved at the cusp of new eras in their fields. Access to Hagler Fellows enhances student interest and the quality of their research, increases the number of valuable contacts they have in their profession and inspires students to be their best.
Developing people to carry on excellence in research is a focus of graduate studies at Texas A&M. This is true for engineering, veterinary medicine, agriculture, energy and for many other fields of study.
Fresh opportunities have surfaced in the recent year. The Hagler Institute is managing the new Chancellor’s National Academy STEM Ph.D. Fellowship Program designed to attract more of the nation’s most outstanding graduate students to Texas A&M. The Hagler Institute will be at the helm of connecting these students with Hagler Fellows. The upside impact of this program can only be imagined.
For the life of the university, donors of a cash endowment or a planned estate gift will have their names associated with a series of the world’s most remarkable scholars. Endowed chairs for Hagler Fellows, and endowed fellowships for graduate students to work with fellows, are among the most prestigious on campus. These endowments bear the name of the donor and may be focused for particular colleges, schools, departments or disciplines.
To enhance efficiency of the use of earnings, the institute prefers such endowments to be provided to the Hagler Institute. Such funds can be earmarked for particular departments or colleges, but when the Hagler Institute can see the financial reports of earnings it can better manage use and ensure the impact of the funds. Fellow recruitment is where our attention is focused, and the Hagler Institute can appropriately encourage nominations for the best possible use of earnings.
Our near-term goal is to find one or more additional endowments for the Hagler Institute to support fellows in colleges and schools currently lacking such support, as well as $25 million in endowments for graduate student fellowships. Despite substantial progress, we are still well short of that goal but gaining momentum. Achieving this goal will vastly accelerate every college and school and make Hagler Fellows easily affordable for all disciplines.
Many of us have reached “the prime of life,” that delightful period between 65 and infinity. For those of us also blessed with more than sufficient funds to
live out our days in comfort and then tell our loved ones that we remembered them, the question naturally arises, “How do I best pay forward the blessings that enabled me to prosper?” Upon asking ourselves this question 15 years ago, Elouise and I had little difficulty voting with our life savings to help insure the future of this institute. Providing estate gifts and endowments are very personal decisions that reflect our circumstances and what we value. They are not to be taken lightly, and I never (explicitly!) ask for endowments for this institute. However, I am deeply grateful and moved whenever someone recognizes the importance of what this institute can mean in so many lives and the excellence of Texas A&M University.
Indeed, we are pleased and blessed that more and more members of the Aggie Network are recognizing the merit and power of investing in the Hagler Institute. As Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” You can make a difference in the excellence of your beloved department, college or school. We would be delighted for you to join us to help elevate Texas A&M University in perpetuity.
FOR INQUIRIES, CONTACT:
Clifford L. Fry
Associate Director
Hagler Institute for Advanced Study cfry@tamu.edu / 979.458.5723 or
John L. Junkins
Founding Director
Hagler Institute for Advanced Study junkins@tamu.edu / 979.458.4992
EXCELLENCE TRULY BREEDS MORE EXCELLENCE
JOHN L. JUNKINS
Texas A&M University / 8th Floor, Rudder Tower / 3572 TAMU / College Station, Texas, 77843-3572
hias.tamu.edu