UT Vaccine Innovator Set to Join the Ranks of National Inventors Hall of Fame

AUSTIN, Texas — Jason McLellan, a professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin, has been chosen for induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame due to his pioneering work in structure-based vaccine design that facilitated the creation of vaccines to combat COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

“Jason McLellan’s investigations and innovations have played a crucial role in preserving lives worldwide and reinstating our normalcy following the bleakest periods of the pandemic,” stated UT President Jay Hartzell. “Jason personifies the American creativity behind our nation’s most remarkable advancements aimed at enhancing society and daily living. He is a deserving addition to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and exemplifies our university’s dedication to making a significant difference in the world.”

McLellan, at 43 years of age, is set to be celebrated alongside 16 other inductees —including Barney Graham, with whom he partnered on both vaccines— in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 8. He ranks among the youngest new inductees in the history of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

McLellan specializes in comprehending the structure and functionality of viral proteins and utilizing that knowledge for the rational design of vaccines and other treatment methods. He and his colleagues joined forces with Graham and additional researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center (VRC) to design a stabilized variant of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which biotech firms such as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech utilized as the foundation for COVID-19 vaccines that have preserved tens of millions of lives globally.

Another accomplishment occurred in 2023 when the Food and Drug Administration sanctioned the RSV vaccine Arexvy, which leveraged McLellan and Graham’s findings in stabilizing the RSV fusion protein and allowing the immune system to form robust antibodies against it.

“When entering the field of structure-based vaccine design, you might think, ‘If I can contribute to the development of one vaccine, that would be a remarkable career milestone.’ Yet, we have successfully accomplished this twice, for RSV and coronaviruses, and currently, we have other candidates in clinical trials for various viruses,” McLellan remarked. “Historically, there haven’t been many viral vaccines developed, so to have aided in creating two, and potentially more — I take great pride in that.”

Among the affiliates of UT, McLellan will align with other inductees of the hall of fame: UT Professor Emeritus and Ethernet originatorRobert Metcalfe; the deceased professor Edith Clarke, who was honored posthumously for her creation of the graphical calculator; and UT alumnus cancer investigator and Nobel laureate James Allison and founders of National Instruments James Truchard and Jeff Kodosky.

McLellan has previously been awarded the National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology; the Research!America Building the Foundation Award; the International Vaccine Institute’s Bioscience Park MahnHoon Award; the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology; the Texas Inventor of the Year Award from the State Bar of Texas; the UT President’s Research Impact Award; and the AAAS Golden Goose Award.

After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Wayne State University, he accomplished a Ph.D. in biophysics in 2009 from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He conducted postdoctoral research at the VRC under the guidance of Peter Kwong and in collaboration with Barney Graham. In the autumn of 2013, he became part of the faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, and in January 2018 he transitioned his laboratory to UT and became a member of the faculty in the Department of Molecular Biosciences.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a U.S.-based nonprofit entity dedicated to
honoring inventors and inventions, encouraging creativity and fostering the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. It was established in 1973 in collaboration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Regarding the 2025 inductees, Derrick Brent, acting director of the USPTO, stated, “These remarkable visionaries have not only transformed the world through their innovations, but they also are forging paths for future generations of STEM innovators.”