Awards and Honors

August 29, 2025

Awards and Honors

Michael Young Named GSA Distinguished Lecturer

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Young, associate dean for research at the Jackson School of Geosciences, on being named the 2025 Michel T. Halbouty Distinguished Lecturer by the Geological Society of America! He’ll speak at GSA’s annual meeting in San Antonio on the true costs of powering Texas, a topic central to his ongoing work at the nexus of energy, environment, and economics.

Michael’s leadership continues to drive collaborative research across the school and beyond.

Read more about his work and the Halbouty honor.

UT Named a UNESCO Chair in AI, Water & Cities

Big news! UT has been named a UNESCO Chair in AI, Water, and Cities, making the university (and the Jackson School) a go-to global resource for helping cities tackle challenges like water scarcity, extreme weather, and natural hazards.

Led by Professor Dev Niyogi and Research Professor Bridget Scanlon, the team is using cutting-edge tools like AI, digital twins, and open data to help cities make smarter, more resilient decisions.

Learn more about this exciting honor and what it means for UT and the world.