Changing Our World
The President’s Research Impact Awards were established in 2023 to recognize faculty and researchers whose scholarly or creative endeavors have changed their field of research or the way we look at and understand the world around us.
Among this year’s recipients was Dr. David Allen from the Cockrell School of Engineering, who was honored for guiding a team that performed extensive measurements of methane emissions from oil and gas production sites. Dr. Allen’s work advances scientific understanding in the natural gas industry, influencing industry practices and policies while making significant strides in natural gas production and the global transition to sustainable energy systems.
Dr. Allen also holds the Norbert Dittrich-Welch Chair in Chemical Engineering, which was created by the Welch Foundation to recognize the retirement of UT alumnus Norbert Dittrich and his 40 years of leadership with the Welch Foundation.
The Welch Foundation, one of the largest private funding sources for fundamental chemical research at universities, colleges and other educational institutions in Texas, provides ongoing support of curiosity-based science that leads to path-breaking research in chemistry. In 2025-26, UT received 19 new grants from the Welch Foundation, valued at a total of $5.7 million.