The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded fellowships to three professors from The University of Texas at Austin as part of its 100th class. The recipients are Swarat Chaudhuri, a computer science professor; Feliciano Giustino, a physics professor and principal faculty member at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences; and Eli Durst, a studio art associate professor of practice. These individuals were selected from nearly 3,500 applicants alongside 198 other fellows.
David Vanden Bout, UT’s interim Provost, commented on the achievement, stating, “Each of these faculty members shares a drive to have significant impact through their work,” and noted their contributions to fields like AI, quantum technology, and art.
Chaudhuri’s work involves developing AI agents, such as Copra, which assists in mathematical theorem proofs. His fellowship project will design an AI agent that proposes new mathematical problems and evaluates their “interestingness,” potentially leading to AI systems that co-author papers with human mathematicians.
Giustino’s fellowship will further his research on a new class of quasiparticles called topological polarons, which his team discovered during solar energy materials studies. These quasiparticles offer insights into electron-phonon interactions and quantum technology development. Giustino commented that topological polarons provide “an unexpected bridge between electron-phonon interactions in condensed matter and topological concepts in mathematics.”
Durst plans to use his fellowship to explore the future of evangelical Christianity in America by photographing large church congregations in Texas, aiming to go beyond common stereotypes. He seeks to understand what draws people to these communities and how they foster a shared identity.
Since 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has distributed over $400 million to more than 19,000 individuals, including multiple Nobel laureates and other highly honored recipients. Edward Hirsch, president of the foundation, highlighted the fellows’ potential contributions, stating, “We believe that these creative thinkers can take on the challenges we all face today and guide our society towards a better and more hopeful future.”
