From the Founding Director | | |
The official induction of the 2025-26 class of Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers is right around the corner as I write. Staff is busy organizing and getting ready for this elegant black-tie event, and I look forward to addressing the A&M community and introducing in person each of our new visiting scholars. In our next newsletter we will provide pictures from this special evening.
In the meantime, if a picture is worth a thousand words, we will share with you in this newsletter many thousands about recent events. However, not all that we do is photogenic. In recent months, the institute’s Faculty Advisory Board assessed and approved nominees for the 2026-27 group of potential Fellows, and recruitment is underway. Associate Director Amanda Scott directed the process for the selection of the second group of Chancellor’s Fellowship recipients. To help handle our increasing workload, we added a new staff member, Melanie Schaefer, whom you will soon read more about. The institute also engaged in considerable strategic planning related to additional funding which arrived thanks to encouragement from our External Advisory Board, university administrators who value the institute’s excellence mission, and the generosity of donors.
Daily interactions are ongoing between the A&M community and Hagler Fellows from various classes. Amazing education and research are occurring on this campus. Members of the Hagler Institute staff and I are regularly in touch with the deans and department heads and many of the faculty throughout Texas A&M University, and we are blessed to work with these great people.
As we look back on a successful 2025 and forward to a promising 2026, it is fitting that I close by bringing your attention to a recently released book authored by Tim Gregg, titled Advancing Excellence: The Making of Texas A&M University's Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. Gregg's book describes the administrative and funding challenges that had to be overcome to establish the institute and highlights the awesome contributions of our namesake Jon Hagler and our Founding External Advisory Board Chair Norm Augustine. Most of the book, however, is devoted to some of the scholars who came to Texas A&M University as Fellows of the Hagler Institute. You can read about their adventures, devotions, and successes that led them to the top tier of their professions. Click on the image below for more information.
-John L. Junkins
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September: Recognition of
Chancellor's Fellowship Inaugural Class
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On September 10, 2025, the Hagler Institute hosted a reception honoring the first class of Chancellor’s National Academy STEM Ph.D. Fellowship (Chancellor's Fellowship) recipients.
The Chancellor's Fellowship is for outstanding students working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The program is funded by the Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, and its purpose is to attract more of the nation’s top students to Texas A&M University and team them with a national academy member and a rising star faculty member. Collaboration between students, national academy members, and rising star faculty is a signature component of the program. The program awards four-year fellowships to 15 new recipients every year.
The recognition event honoring the inaugural Chancellor’s Fellowship class was held at the Hagler Institute office suite in Rudder Tower and was attended by all 15 fellowship recipients, as well as Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and other distinguished guests. Chancellor Hegar provided the keynote address to congratulate and encourage the students.
| | Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar addressing the inaugural class of Chancellor’s National Academy STEM Ph.D. Fellowship recipients on September 10, 2025 at the Hagler Institute Office Suite in Rudder Tower, Texas A&M University. | | Pictured above is Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar in discussion with Chancellor’s Fellowship recipients and Texas A&M faculty. | | Pictured from left to right: Dr. John Junkins, Founding Director, Hagler Institute for Advanced Study; Chancellor’s Fellowship recipients Benjamin Jacobs, Edward Yu, Joshua Greene, Elvis Perez Galarza, Dave Boisie Laygo, Matthew Barrows, Luke Holloway, Luke Lovelace, Molly Bickle, Justin Fiore, Hannah Lamar, Owen Cornmesser, Landry Graves, Ethan Rogers; and Dr. James Hallmark, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Texas A&M University System. Not pictured is Chancellor’s Fellowship recipient Rahma Kamal. | | October: Community of Scholars Engagement Evening | | |
The Hagler Institute was proud to support the Texas A&M University Community of Scholars Engagement Evening held October 2, 2025. Dr. Joerg Steiner, Regents Professor, University Distinguished Professor, and Dr. Mark Morris Chair in Small Animal Gastroenterology & Nutrition, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, was the principal founder of the event while he was faculty liaison for the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.
The Community of Scholars event was first held in the Fall of 2022 and has been held each spring and fall semester since then. The gathering is attended by University Distinguished Professors, Regents Professors, and their invited faculty and students. Hagler Fellows are often guest speakers at these events, and all Hagler Fellows on campus are invited to attend. Seating is arranged so that scholars are not seated with others in their field, as the purpose of the event is to foster interdisciplinary interaction.
| | Community of Scholar Engagement Evening, October 2, 2025 | | Dr. Joerg Steiner, Community of Scholars Engagement Evening, Oct. 2, 2025. | | |
November: Eminent Scholar Lecture
by Alex Filippenko
| | On November 10, 2025, Hagler Fellow Dr. Alexei (Alex) V. Filippenko presented the Hagler Institute’s Fall 2025 Eminent Scholar Lecture on “Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe.” | | Dr. Alex Filippenko, Hagler Institute Fall 2025 Eminent Scholar Lecture, Nov. 10, 2025, MSC Bethancourt Ballroom, Texas A&M University | | Hagler Institute Fall 2025 Eminent Scholar Lecture, Presented by Dr. Alex Filippenko, Nov. 10, 2025, MSC Bethancourt Ballroom, Texas A&M University | | Among those in the audience for the Fall 2025 Eminent Scholar Lecture were Hagler Institute Associate Director Dr. Clifford Fry and 2025-26 Hagler Fellow Dr. Alison Butler. | | After the lecture, Dr. Filippenko dined with (pictured from left) Hagler Institute supporters Ram and Angela Galindo and Hagler Institute Associate Director Fry. Ram Galindo '60 is a 2025 recipient of the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Graduate Award. He is also a financial supporter of the Hagler Institute and, through his foundation, has established the Galindo-Lowery Chair to support Hagler Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers in civil and environmental engineering. | | Luncheon with Honors Academy Undergraduate Students | | Prior to his Eminent Scholar Lecture, Dr. Filippenko met for a working lunch with Texas A&M undergraduate Honors Academy students. Dr. John Junkins, Hagler Institute Director, and Dr. Grigory Rogachev, Department Head, Physics & Astronomy, also joined the interactive lunch with students. | | Dr. Filippenko, along with Dr. Junkins and Dr. Rogachev, at lunch with Honors Academy students, Nov. 10, 2025, Hagler Institute Conference Room, Texas A&M University. | | Dr. Filippenko and Dr. Junkins addressing Honors Academy students, Nov. 10, 2025, Hagler Institute Conference Room, Texas A&M University. | | Dr. Filippenko (foreground) continuing discussion with Honors Academy students after lunch, Hagler Institute Office Suite, Nov. 10, 2025, Texas A&M University. | | |
December: Distinguished Lecture
by Julio Ottino
| | On December 9, 2025, Hagler Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Julio M. Ottino visited Texas A&M to give a lecture on scientific revolutions. | | Dr. Julio Ottino, Hagler Institute Distinguished Lecture, Dec. 9, 2025, Rudder Forum, Texas A&M University | | Malina Medallion Awarded to Dr. Ottino | | |
Following the lecture, Hagler Institute Associate Director Dr. Clifford Fry presented Dr. Ottino with the Frank J. Malina '34 Renaissance Medallion Award for his outstanding technical and artistic contributions.
About the award:
Frank J. Malina '34 excelled in scholarly research and was renowned for his work in the field of rocketry, including work on multi-stage and solid-fuel rocketry as well as helping create the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Malina also created kinetic art and had a deep appreciation and passion for the arts. He founded the Leonardo magazine to explore the interaction between art and science. Five decades later, Leonardo—The International Society for Art, Science, and Technology—continues to promote and document work at the intersection of the arts, sciences, and technology.
As stated by Dr. Ottino, "Frank Malina stands as proof that the most transformative minds refuse to choose between clocks and clouds—they inhabit both."
In 2021, Dr. John Junkins, who was then interim president of Texas A&M University, established the Frank J. Malina '34 Renaissance Medallion Award to honor the legacy of scholarly excellence and keen appreciation for the arts exhibited by Frank Malina.
About Dr. Ottino:
Dr. Ottino is a distinguished professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Management at Northwestern University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
With a research portfolio that includes projects in chemical, mechanical, and polymer engineering—as well as nonlinear dynamics, complex systems, geophysics, oceanography, and environmental sciences—Julio M. Ottino is known for developing and operationalizing whole-brain engineering, which merges analytical left-brain skills with right-brain creative skill to develop whole-brain engineers.
His early research focused on chaos theory and applications. Today, he investigates a broad class of problems in complex systems where there is competition between order and disorder. He co-founded and was the initial director of the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems.
Dr. Ottino has produced three books and more than 270 peer-reviewed publications and been recognized with numerous honors, and he is a deserving recipient of the Frank J. Malina '34 Renaissance Medallion Award for his stellar work in the tradition of Frank Malina.
| Associate Director Fry presents Dr. Ottino with the Frank J. Malina '34 Renaissance Medallion, Dec. 9, 2025. | | After the lecture, Dr. Ottino dined with 2023-24 Hagler Fellow Dr. Kyle Myers (center), Texas A&M Professor and Department Head, Materials Science & Engineering, Dr. Ibrahim Karaman (right), and Hagler Institute Associate Director Fry (not pictured). | | Following are just a few examples of Hagler Fellows at work. | | |
Susan Alberts
2024-25 Hagler Fellow
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Dr. Susan C. Alberts has long studied baboons with an eye to what they can tell us about humans. Susan was part of a team that published its findings in the January 2025 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B in an article titled “Energetic costs of social dominance in wild male baboons.” Alpha males are more stressed than their counterparts but not related to fighting other males to maintain dominance. Instead, the stress comes from all that goes into the mating efforts. The study’s findings are that the stress of maintaining male dominance with females costs time and energy sufficient to correlate with shorter life spans. Susan’s work was discussed in the January 29, 2026 edition of Texas A&M Stories:
Decades-long baboon study sheds light on social stress and human health – Texas A&M Stories
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Jose Pagan
2025-26 Hagler Fellow
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Dr. Jose A. Pagan is a health economist and population health management expert. As a member of the most recent class of Hagler Fellows, Dr. Pagan will be among those inducted at our February 2026 gala and shortly thereafter will be the featured commenter in a March 19-20, 2026 conference hosted by the Texas A&M Health Institute for Healthcare Access, titled "All of Us and More." The conference will unite leaders in data science, public health, clinical research, and social policy to explore how linking diverse data - clinical, genomic, and social - can deepen our understanding of health.
Registration and updated event information can be accessed at the following TAMU event calendar links: Day 1 and Day 2
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Terry Papoutsakis
2023-24 Hagler Fellow
| | Folks at the Hagler Institute had a chance to visit with Dr. Papoutsakis during his August visit to Texas A&M. Dr. Papoutsakis is pictured above (left) with Director Junkins and Assistant Director Buenger. | | |
Robert Pianta
2025-26 Hagler Fellow
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Dr. Robert (Bob) Pianta is another member of our newest class of Hagler Fellows. He is a pioneer in understanding the importance of positive relationships for quality education, and his research focuses on the intersection of education and human development, particularly teacher-student relationships. Dr. Pianta was recently featured in a January 28, 2026 publication of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) with a distribution of over 800 universities across the country:
Texas A&M University Hagler Fellow Robert Pianta Explores Teacher-Student Relations – Ed Prep Matters | AACTE
Following is an excerpt from the story:
"Robert Pianta, Ph.D., a 2025-26 Hagler Fellow, has built his career around understanding how teachers and students interact in the classroom and why those interactions matter. Through the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, Pianta is bringing that work to the College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Educational Psychology.
His research examines how to measure classroom interactions, understand their effects, and help teachers connect more effectively with young people. The fellowship comes as Pianta reflects on his research and looks at new directions for the field. The environment at Texas A&M, he noted, has supported that kind of work well."
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Ted Rappaport
2024-25 Hagler Fellow
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Dr. Theodore (Ted) S. Rappaport may be referred to as the father of 5G millimeter wave, but he is busy at work "building what's next" ... 6G. Rappaport is the founding director of NYU WIRELESS, a multidisciplinary academic research center at New York University, and was co-chair of the November 5-7, 2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit, "Building what's next." The summit brought together over 60 world-leading visionaries to explore how AI and 6G can create value in the wireless era:
https://www.b6gs.com
| | New Hagler Institute Staff Member: Melanie Schaefer | | |
In October 2025, the Hagler Institute welcomed new staff member Melanie Schaefer, who serves as a senior administrative coordinator for the institute.
Melanie is a graduate of Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, where she built a strong foundation in leadership, organizational operations, and service. Raised in Aggieland, she grew up immersed in the values and traditions of Texas A&M, inspired by the example set by her parents. Her father, an Aggie, demonstrated the power of higher education and lifelong learning, while her mother’s career as a nurse exemplified compassion, resilience, and service to others. Together, their influence shaped Melanie’s path and commitment to service-driven leadership.
After graduation, Melanie worked for the Texas A&M University System for 19 years providing administrative support and project management. During this time, she became a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP®). Then, inspired by her mother’s example in healthcare, Melanie pursued a second career in nursing. She earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Blinn College and became a certified Emergency Medical Technician and a Registered Nurse. Melanie continued her education at The University of Texas at Tyler, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a 3.9 GPA.
After five years of dedicated nursing service, Melanie returned to Texas A&M. Melanie is devoted to the excellence mission of the Hagler Institute and understands its role in making Texas A&M University the most respected public university in the nation.
| | From football games to holiday gatherings, the Hagler Institute is privileged to spend time with our extraordinary Fellows, Distinguished Lecturers, fellowship students, donors, collaborators, and friends. Here are a few examples. | | The Board of Regents is a supporter of the Hagler Institute and hosted Hagler Fellows, supporters, and institute staff in the Board of Regents Suite at Kyle Field throughout the Fall 2025 football season. | | Friends of the institute at the Oct. 11, 2025 Aggie football game versus Florida, from left: Carlos Laguna, Kim Galindo, Ram Galindo, and Angela Galindo. | | Director Junkins and Associate Director Fry are frequent dinner hosts for our esteemed guests. | | From left: Hagler Fellows Ted Rappaport and Soroosh Sorooshian, along with Elouise Junkins, John Junkins, and Judy Fry, together for dinner at the Junkins' residence on Sep. 24, 2025. | | Hagler Fellow John Cullen (left) with Judy and Clifford Fry. | | The Hagler Institute was pleased to welcome collaborators, friends, and visiting scholars to a holiday party at the Hagler Institute office suite in December. | | Dr. Junkins welcomes guests at the institute's Dec. 3, 2025 holiday party. | | Many of the Chancellor's Fellowship recipients attended the holiday party, and twelve are pictured here along with Director Junkins (center). | | Robert "Bobby" Ahdieh, Dean of Texas A&M University School of Law and VP for Professional Schools & Programs (center) shakes hands with Hagler Institute Associate Director Dr. Clifford Fry at the Dec. 3, 2025 Hagler Institute holiday party. | |
If you have news to share, please send articles, suggestions, or other information to:
Dr. Clifford L. Fry, Associate Director
Hagler Institute for Advanced Study
at Texas A&M University
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