The University of Texas at Austin’s James Chelikowsky, a professor of physics and chemical engineering, and principal faculty at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Hill Prize in Physical Sciences for his innovative approach to designing and discovering permanent magnets. The award is given by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology, TAMEST, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies to propel high-risk, high-reward ideas and innovations that demonstrate significant potential for real-world impact and can lead to new, paradigm-shifting paths in research.
Chelikowsky received the prize for his innovative approach to designing and discovering permanent magnets. The development of energy materials for green technologies, such as electric vehicles and renewable energy systems, heavily depends on rare earth elements (REEs) for permanent magnets. However, the inclusion of REEs often faces secure supply chain issues. Additionally, the scarcity of REEs, such as neodymium (Nd) and dysprosium (Dy), poses a significant challenge for scaling up technologies like wind turbines.
To address this, Chelikowsky and his UT Austin team will collaborate with researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington. They will leverage artificial intelligence, quantum simulations and experimental techniques to design and discover non-rare-earth abundant permanent magnets. The team will use the prize to explore promising alternatives that exhibit comparable magnetic properties to traditional REE-based magnets. Their approach could significantly impact energy security and accelerate the transition to sustainable energy solutions.
“Winning the Hill Prize is very significant to both me and my colleague at UT Arlington, Professor J. Ping Liu. It allows us to undertake high-risk research that might not otherwise be possible. This recognition provides us with the freedom to explore new pathways and advance the boundaries of our work. This prize also recognizes the potential profound impact our work could have in predicting new materials, especially high-performance magnetic materials,” said Chelikowsky, who is also the Director of the Center for Computational Materials at the Oden Institute.