UT Faculty Receive Texas Grants Igniting Research Innovation

Two recently appointed Principal Faculty members at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences have received significant research grants from the State of Texas. Their expertise strengthens The University of Texas at Austin’s and the state’s leadership in medical innovation. Charles Taylor and Dima Kozakov’s respective work leverages artificial intelligence with computational sciences and are part of a joint cluster hire between the Oden Institute, Dell Medical School, and the College of Natural Sciences as part of UT’s broader AI initiative.

Charles Taylor Recipient of the 2025 Governor’s University Research Initiative 

UT Austin was awarded a 2025 Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI) grant to support the recruitment of Charles A. Taylor, a world leader in applying computational science to cardiovascular health. Taylor joined UT in January 2025. He holds the W. A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Chair in Computational Medicine at the Oden Institute and is a Professor of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School. Taylor also serves as the Director of the newly established Center for Computational Medicine.

The center is a collaboration between the Oden Institute and Dell Medical School, anchor of the new University of Texas Medical Center — an emerging, integrated academic medical center that will converge cutting-edge research and education to set a new standard in world-class patient care.   

Under Taylor’s leadership, the Center for Computational Medicine will develop innovative medical applications and modeling to simulate disease progression, predict outcomes and individualize care. This pioneering computational approach is foundational to the world-class, integrated health system now underway at UT.  

As the founder of Heartflow, Taylor developed the first AI-enabled technology to be included in cardiology clinical practice guidelines.  Heartflow uses computational modeling to simulate and assess blood flow through the coronary arteries, safely and accurately identifying potential cardiac risks from patient images without requiring invasive procedures. In 2023, New England Journal of Medicine AI recognized it as the most widely adopted artificial intelligence technology in U.S. health care.  

Taylor is the third UT Austin recipient of the GURI grant program since its inception, which was enacted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015. The matching grant program assists eligible higher education institutions in the state in recruiting distinguished researchers to Texas universities, serving to spur innovation and economic activity.

“Texas leads the nation for Tier One research universities and is home to some of the brightest minds whose advancements in research and innovative new technologies are changing the world,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “I congratulate Dr. Charles Taylor, a distinguished researcher and member of the National Academy of Engineering, on his award from the Governor’s University Research Initiative to lead the new Center for Computational Medicine at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Taylor is an internationally recognized leader in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twin technology. Through his world-class knowledge, he will further develop advanced medical applications leveraging artificial intelligence. Texas will continue to invest in higher education research by attracting top-tier researchers from around the world through the GURI program, improving the lives of Texans for generations.”

In addition to being a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2024, Taylor was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2007. He received his Ph.D in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. 

Dima Kozakov is Recipient of Texas Cancer Prevention Award to Transform Drug Design

In late August 2025, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) announced the approval of 15 new grants totaling more than $27 million, reinforcing Texas’ position as a national leader in cancer research and innovation. 

UT was among the announced recruitment grants, receiving an award for new faculty member Dima Kozakov. Kozakov is a globally recognized computational biologist whose work is at the forefront of developing a new generation of computational tools that are transforming drug design. He holds the W. A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Chair in Computational Life Sciences and Biology at the Oden Institute and is a professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences in the College of Natural Sciences.

His research team’s computational models integrate physics, artificial intelligence and computational biology to help explain the mechanisms of disease at the molecular level. These mechanisms allow for better prediction of the effects of therapeutic compounds on healthy and diseased cells. Software developed by his research lab is being employed by major pharmaceutical companies worldwide, especially in the field of cancer therapeutics. 

The grant was awarded through CPRIT’s Recruitment of Established Investigators (REI) program and will help jumpstart a new research center at the Oden Institute focused on AI and Physics in Drug Discovery. With this funding, Kozakov aims to transform the way cancer therapeutics are discovered and designed. He hopes to accelerate the development of effective, personalized treatments for some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers, directly benefiting patients in Texas and beyond.

“These grants not only fund pioneering research but also invest in critical life science infrastructure that will lead to tomorrow’s cancer treatments and cures—right here in Texas,” said CPRIT CEO Kristen Doyle. CPRIT investments support faculty recruitment, research infrastructure, and high-impact scientific projects at institutions across the state. 

Kozakov earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University (BU) and was a research faculty member at BU prior to joining Stony Brook University in New York. In 2024, Kozakov was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, and his web server, CLUSPRO, is consistently ranked as the top tool for computational modeling of biomolecular interactions according to the international CAPRI and CASP competitions and has more than 40,000 academic users worldwide.

The GURI grant program is operated within the Office of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Division.

CPRIT, a $6 billion initiative, was established in 2007 to invest in the state’s fight against cancer. It is the largest state cancer research investment in the history of the United States and the second largest cancer research and prevention program in the world.