The University of Texas at Austin will open the 210,000-square-foot Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building in 2026 to advance interdisciplinary energy research and education. The facility will house the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, and will include large labs, flipped classrooms, and lecture halls. Named for UT alumnus and energy entrepreneur Autry C. Stephens, the building recognizes his philanthropic support following the sale of Endeavor Energy Resources to Diamondback Energy. University leaders and Stephens' family praised the gift for expanding opportunities for future students.
UT Austin Unveils Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building — 210,000‑Sq‑Ft Energy Hub Opening in 2026
The University of Texas at Austin will open the 210,000-square-foot Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building in 2026 to advance interdisciplinary energy research and education. The facility will house the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, and will include large labs, flipped classrooms, and lecture halls. Named for UT alumnus and energy entrepreneur Autry C. Stephens, the building recognizes his philanthropic support following the sale of Endeavor Energy Resources to Diamondback Energy. University leaders and Stephens' family praised the gift for expanding opportunities for future students.
23:22, 03.11.2025Technology
UT Austin to Open New Engineering Discovery Building in 2026
The University of Texas at Austin will open the Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building in 2026, a 210,000-square-foot facility intended to strengthen interdisciplinary energy research and education on campus.
Purpose and design: According to a university news release, the building "represents the interdisciplinary nature of energy research" at UT. It will house the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, and will include large research laboratories, flipped classrooms, and modern lecture halls. The new structure will also connect to the existing Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering building, creating adjacency for related programs and facilities.
Namesake and legacy: The building is named for Autry C. Stephens, a UT alumnus and prominent Texas energy entrepreneur who died in 2024. Stephens earned a bachelor’s degree from UT in 1961 and a master’s degree in 1962. He founded Endeavor Energy Resources and, shortly before his death, sold that company to Midland-based Diamondback Energy — which UT described as "the third largest oil and gas producer in the region."
"One of the greatest gifts our University can receive is the gift of opportunity," said UT Austin President Jim Davis. "It is fitting that our Engineering Discovery Building will bear Autry C. Stephens' name as both a pioneer and a creator of opportunity for countless UT students to study in a world-class facility and follow his daring path to change the world in their own way."
Stephens’ daughter, Lyndal Stephens Greth — director and executive chairman of the Stephens Greth Foundation — said there is no better way to honor her father than to invest in a facility for "future generations of students who will move the energy industry forward."
The university credited the Stephens family’s philanthropy with making the project possible. Construction and finishing will continue ahead of the building’s planned opening in 2026, positioning the facility as a new hub for energy-focused engineering education and research at UT Austin.