Three faculty from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering were among seven former faculty fellows to be named permanent members by the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. This honor recognizes each of the renowned scholars who accepted faculty positions at Texas A&M.
“The title permanent member is an honorific title to recognize these excellent scholars for their ongoing contributions to the university and the Hagler Institute in their role as tenured faculty,” said Dr. John Junkins, founding director of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. “They are already making an indelible impact on advancing scholarship at Texas A&M.”
Based on nominations solicited from the Texas A&M faculty, the Hagler Institute selects its faculty fellows from among top scholars who have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional accomplishments and significant recognition. These scholars then collaborate with Texas A&M faculty and students on research projects designed to solve some of the world’s toughest problems and challenges.
The following from the College of Engineering were named permanent members in the Hagler Institute:
• Dr. Alan Needleman, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and a 2012-13 Hagler Faculty Fellow. Needleman joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2014 following appointments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University and the University of North Texas. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• Dr. Robert Skelton, Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Eminent Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, and a 2014-15 Hagler Faculty Fellow. He joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2015 following appointments at Purdue University and the University of California, San Diego. Skelton is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a life member of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
• Dr. James E. Hubbard Jr., TEES Eminent Professor, J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a 2017-18 Hagler Faculty Fellow. Hubbard joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2018 following previous positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Optron Systems Inc., and the Photonics Center at Boston University. Hubbard co-founded PhotoSense Inc. and iProvica Inc.
The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study was established in December 2010 by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents to build on the growing academic reputation of Texas A&M and to provide a framework to attract top scholars from throughout the nation and abroad for appointments of up to a year. The selection of faculty fellows initiates with faculty nominations of National Academies and Nobel Prize-caliber scholars who align with existing strengths and ambitions of the university.