Enjoy presentations by this year’s recipients of the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prizes for Scholarly Achievement. The talks will provide an engaging look into these distinguished early career scholars’ work. The late Phillip Hettleman, a member of the Carolina class of 1921, and his wife Ruth established their prestigious named award in 1986 to recognize the achievements of outstanding junior faculty.
There are five winners of the 2026 Hettleman Prizes. This Het Talks event features two of them:
Daniel Dominguez, Pharmacology, School of Medicine
Dominguez’s work is reshaping the field of RNA biology by providing foundational tools and concepts for decoding RNA regulation and its role in health and disease. His discoveries are widely used by other researchers to interpret disease-causing mutations and understand molecular mechanisms underlying conditions like cancer. By uncovering how RNA regulation can go wrong, his research is opening new avenues for therapeutic development and advancing a deeper understanding of fundamental biological processes.
Andrew Mann, Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences
Mann’s research is helping define one of the most exciting frontiers in astrophysics: understanding how planetary systems, including those that could support life, form and evolve. His discoveries have significantly expanded the known population of young exoplanets and provided critical data for next-generation space missions searching for habitable worlds. By developing tools that have been widely adopted by others in the field, and by making high-impact discoveries used by astronomers worldwide, Mann and his team are shaping the direction of exoplanet science for years to come.
This is a virtual, CLE Credit event.