Soon, Austin will be chock-full of thought leaders, musicians, filmmakers and attendees from around the world for the 2026 South by Southwest (SXSW) conferences and festivals. This year, faculty, staff and students will showcase their expertise through panel discussions, roundtables, short films and more. If you’re participating in the festivities, be sure to check out these expert Longhorns at SXSW and SXSW EDU:
Humanoid Robots Are Clocking In: Who’s Putting Them To Work?
March 14 – 11:30 a.m.
Join Associate Chair of Computer Science and the Director of Texas Robotics Peter Stone for a panel discussion that brings together renowned founders and researchers who’ve built and deployed some of the first real humanoid robots at scale. This session will be a behind-the-scenes conversation about what’s working, what’s not, and what it really takes to get robots out of the lab and into the world.
Is Reinforcement Learning the Real Future of AI?
March 14 – 4 p.m.
Peter Stone, who is also the chief scientist of Sony AI, will lead this session about reinforcement learning (RL), which is quietly powering the next chapter of artificial intelligence. Stone will explore why RL is essential for building truly autonomous, intelligent systems, and how today’s breakthroughs are laying the groundwork for the next wave of transformative AI.
Revolutionizing Astronomy With Next Generation Big Data
March 15 – 4 p.m.
In this panel, Stella Offner, professor of astronomy and director of the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins, and Niall Gaffney, director of data-intensive computing at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, join two other leading National Science Foundation researchers to discuss how AI is transforming astronomy to unlock new insights into the origins of our universe. They will discuss how data can be used to develop novel AI methods that accelerate discovery, expanding the frontiers of AI possibility inside and outside astronomy.
Decoding Nature: How AI Is Learning To Program Biology
March 16 – 2:30 p.m.
Join professor of molecular biosciences Ilya Finkelstein for this panel discussion on AI’s future in biology, which includes writing DNA. Alongside the CEO of Basecamp Research and the principal product manager at Microsoft, Finkelstein will explain the rigor required to turn AI-designed biology into safe, effective medicine.
Design Trends That Matter
March 17 – 11:30 a.m.
What is the role of design in shaping our future? In this session, Doreen Lorenzo, assistant dean of the School of Design and Creative Technologies, joins fellow design leaders to preview the international design institute’s top insights for 2026. This panel will explore intersectional topics such as autonomous vehicles, humanoid robots, emerging education, multisensory marketing, and much more.
SXSW EDU
Roundtable – Rebuilding Media Literacy: From Books to Tech
March 9 – 4 p.m.
Zeltzyn Rubi Sanchez Lozoya, assistant professor of instruction in cinema and Asian studies in the College of Liberal Arts, is part of this roundtable discussion that will offer different perspectives and thoughtful discussion on rebuilding media literacy.
Future at Stake: How Students Debate Today Affects Tomorrow
March 11 – 9 a.m.
Current College of Liberal Arts students Gabrielle Izu & Michael Fernandez join educational leaders in this discussion to explore how debate and simulations ignite critical thinking, build confidence, and foster real-world skills to navigate our interconnected world. Hear directly from students about the value of structured debate and deliberation in helping cut through the noise, combat news fatigue, and transform insight into action.
“When I Talk I Stutter” at the SXSW EDU Short Film Program
March 10 – 1:30 p.m.
Presented by Courtney Byrd, the founder and executive director of the Blank Center, this globally resonant animated series flips the script on stuttering, shifting the narrative from a deficit to be fixed to a natural voice to be celebrated.
At the SXSW EDU Expo on March 9, attendees can also stop by two UT-affiliated booths. The OnRamps booth will provide more information about UT-provided curriculum for high school teachers across Texas, and the Computational Affective and Social Cognition Lab booth will showcase its research in collaboration with the Toyota Research Institute.
