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UT Dallas Prof. Sheel Dodani wins Hackerman Award
Dodani became the first faculty member from UT Dallas to receive the honor.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Wed, 25, Feb 2026
- 02:21 EST
- 18
UT Dallas Prof. Sheel Dodani / University of Texas at Dallas
Sheel Dodani, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research for her pioneering contributions to the development of engineered proteins as anion (negatively charged ion) sensors in biology.
With this, Dodani became the first faculty member from UT Dallas to receive the honor, which recognizes the accomplishments of chemical scientists in Texas who are early in their careers and dedicated to increasing the fundamental understanding of chemistry.
ALSO READ: UT Dallas names Prabhas V. Moghe as president
The award presented by the Welch Foundation includes $100,000 and a bronze sculpture.
Dodani’s research has opened new avenues for visualizing and understanding anion behavior in living systems, with potential applications in human health and environmental science.
Her research group has engineered the first suite of fluorescent protein-based biosensors that can track anions, such as chloride, in real time, helping scientists better observe their roles in cellular function.
Dodani, a Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor at UT Dallas, expressed her gratitude to the university and her team, and said,
“UT Dallas has given me the opportunity and the resources to pursue questions where the answers are not yet known. I am fortunate to be able to coach and learn alongside a team whose curiosity and commitment drive this work forward.”
Dodani, who earned her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology, returned to UT Dallas in 2016.
In addition to the Hackerman Award, her work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
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