New Engineering Discovery Building To Prepare Future Leaders for Texas Industries
The opening of the Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building completes an $820 million investment in UT engineering facilities that strengthen education, research and industry collaboration.
The new Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building at The University of Texas at Austin will expand opportunities for hands-on learning, research and collaboration with industry. Home to the Cockrell School of Engineering’s nationally recognized Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, the facility will help prepare the next generation of engineers serving Texas’ oil, gas, chemical, materials and biotechnology sectors.
The 207,000-square-foot facility named in honor of alumnus Autry C. Stephens was made possible through generous support from The Stephens Greth Foundation, a private family foundation inspired by Stephens’ life and values.
“This building represents a remarkable investment in the future of our students and our state,” said Jim Davis, president of The University of Texas at Austin. “Our world-class engineering students and faculty deserve world-class facilities that match their talent and ambition, and give them the tools to learn and solve important problems. The Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building will strengthen our ability to prepare the next generation of engineering leaders. We are grateful to The Stephens Greth Foundation for their support and for making this possible.”
Stephens was the first in his family to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from UT in 1961 and a master’s degree in 1962. He went on to found Endeavor Energy Resources and help shape the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin.
“My dad always saw his education at The University of Texas as a turning point in his life. He carried the hard work and humility of his upbringing throughout his career and believed deeply in creating opportunity for others,” said Lyndal Stephens Greth, Autry’s daughter and director and executive chairman of The Stephens Greth Foundation. “This investment carries those values forward by giving future generations of UT students the same opportunity to build their own futures.”
Engineering students will work side by side with faculty members and graduate researchers in more than 70,000 square feet of collaborative laboratory space designed to bring research groups together and encourage interdisciplinary work. The building also features 15,000 square feet of teaching laboratories and 25,000 square feet of classroom space, conference rooms, gathering areas and modern offices overlooking the Austin skyline.
Designed to support hands-on learning, the facility includes flipped classrooms, where students spend their class time on group discussion, problem-solving and practical application.
“This building is the culmination of more than a decade of philanthropy and investment in our facilities. It will expand our ability to provide students with a hands-on education by engaging them in faculty-led research that produces new technologies, strengthens industry and drives the Texas economy,” said Roger Bonnecaze, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering.
Learning at the Autry C. Stephens building extends beyond labs and classrooms. Environmentally inspired study areas, collaborative gathering spaces and the redesigned Mulva Courtyard provide students with places to study and build connections with peers and faculty.
The site will also include the first work of public art in Texas from Maya Lin, one of the most influential artists of the past half-century. Opening in April 2027, the work will feature a semi-elevated, complex, curved concrete structure with a central opening. At night, it will glow with embedded LEDs that correspond to the constellations in the Texas sky on Sept. 15, 1883 — the date of UT Austin’s founding.
The artwork was graciously supported by Cockrell School of Engineering alumnus Peyton Yates (B.S. and M.S. petroleum engineering 1965 and 1966). Yates has supported public art for decades and said he is proud to help bring this piece to the people of Texas.
The Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building, which will welcome students in the spring, connects to the Cockrell School’s Engineering Education and Research Center, which opened in 2017, and Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building, which opened in 2022, to foster collaboration between engineers from many disciplines.
About The Stephens Greth Foundation
Inspired by Autry C. Stephens’ belief in hard work, creating opportunity and investing in the potential of others, The Stephens Greth Foundation carries those values forward through its partnerships. Rooted in North Texas and the Permian Basin, the Foundation supports organizations working to expand opportunity and strengthen communities across Texas.
