UT Welcomes 2026-27 Harrington Faculty Fellows

September 11, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas — This Fall semester, The University of Texas at Austin is welcoming 5 new Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellows who will be joining the prestigious legacy of this program’s rich 25 years history. These fellows, hosted by the UT Energy Institute, will be helping to advance the forefront of energy technology and innovation at UT. As fellows, these selected five rising stars in the field will collectively receive more than $1 million in funding to pursue innovative research and scholarship during their year-long residency at UT Austin.

Since 2001, Harrington Fellows have conducted imaginative, ambitious research with global impact. The program supports early- and mid-career scholars whose work has the promise to make lasting contributions to their fields. During their year at UT Austin, they can pursue new research directions, draw on the University’s facilities and resources, and collaborate with UT’s expansive community of students and researchers. 

This year’s fellows were selected based on their research interest, cross-disciplinary potential, and alignment with this year’s selected theme of energy technology. Together, their work addresses some of the most pressing questions shaping the future of energy systems, including grid resilience, sustainable transportation, manufacturing impacts, next-generation energy technologies and energy policy.

“The Energy Institute supports a thriving energy innovation ecosystem at the UT campus and across our region,” Professor Brian Korgel, director of the Energy Institute and Rashid Engineering Regents Chair in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, said. “With energy as the theme for the 2026-27 cohort of Harrington Faculty Fellows, the affiliation with the Energy Institute will provide unique opportunities to grow as researchers and scholars.”

As part of the 25-year anniversary celebration of the Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellows program, these fellows will share their pivotal research and scholarship during a symposium planned for this Spring.