February 16, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute’s advisory trustees, board of directors and guests gathered at SwRI’s headquarters today in San Antonio for the Institute’s 78th Annual Meeting. The event featured technical presentations, a business meeting and two facility tours.
SwRI staff briefed attendees on research and development to help advance robotics for maritime tasks and space applications as well as a new Machinery Innovation Center for High-Energy Fluids. SwRI engineers are also addressing growing infrastructure challenges and energy demands for data centers. To address safety in the skies, an SwRI analyst discussed DARWIN®, a probabilistic damage tolerance software tool used to certify the safety of aircraft components. From SwRI’s Boulder office, space scientists discussed phenomena from the center of our solar system to the outer reaches. The SwRI-led NASA Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission is studying how the Sun’s outer atmosphere transitions into the solar wind while imaging massive solar events traveling through the inner solar system. Another scientist is using the James Webb Space Telescope to trace the chemistry of small bodies in the outer solar system. Following the presentations, guests were invited to tour the space robotics laboratory and the interactive human performance analysis station.
“Southwest Research Institute continues to solve some of humankind’s most difficult technical challenges. The breadth and depth of our staff, combined with the incredible research infrastructure on our campus, drives our long-term success as we move into our 79th year of operations,” President and CEO Adam Hamilton said.
During the business meeting, Hamilton announced that Kim Lubel, former CEO of CST Brands Inc., is serving in her first term as Chair of the SwRI Board and Phil Green, the Chairman and CEO of Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc., is serving in his first term as Vice Chair.
“It has been an honor to be affiliated with SwRI since 2014, and I am thrilled to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors for this esteemed organization,” Lubel said. “Having served as an Advisory Trustee and Board Director, I have watched the Institute brilliantly carry out its mission of benefitting industry and the public through innovative science and technology. This is an exciting time to be part of such a phenomenal organization.”
Hamilton introduced four newly elected Advisory Trustees, who will each serve a three-year term. Eric Brey, Ph.D., is dean of the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at The University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as the David and Jennifer Spencer Distinguished Chair and Edward E. Whitacre Jr. Endowed Chair Francisco Cigarroa, M.D., is a senior executive vice president for Health Affairs and Health System at UT Health San Antonio. Archie Holmes Jr., Ph.D., is the executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for The University of Texas System, and Lorie Logan is president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
SwRI also reported a record research volume of nearly $966 million in fiscal year 2025, and the Board of Directors re-elected Institute executive officers and vice presidents.
View a video highlighting SwRI accomplishments in 2025: https://youtu.be/OPZ2AphVIIc?si=P5N5j3IN7vRZx8py
For more information, contact Tracey M.S. Whelan, +1 210 522 2256, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.