2025 Distinguished Alumna: Molly S. Bray on science, mentorship, and change

World-renowned obesity researcher and GSBS graduate Molly S. Bray, PhD ’98, was honored as the Graduate School’s 2025 Distinguished Alumna during commencement ceremonies on May 13. A nationally recognized leader in energy balance, exercise response, and metabolic health, Bray currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, where she holds the Susan T. Jastrow Chair for Excellence in Nutritional Sciences.

A career of impact and adaptability

In her commencement remarks, Bray credited her mentor, Craig Hanis, PhD, with encouraging her to stay on course — from her early training in exercise physiology through going into research, earning her PhD in Human and Molecular Genetics, and on to postdoctoral research, and a career that has, “enabled me to broaden my focus beyond my own lab and become a mentor to faculty as well as students and postdocs, and to help the next generation succeed and surpass my own accomplishments.”

“I can honestly say GSBS changed my life.”

She spoke candidly about the importance of embracing career pivots and how unexpected changes can lead to deeper purpose and discovery. Reflecting on her own path to leading UT Austin’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, she shared how taking on new roles brought fresh insights to her work and helped her grow as both a scientist and leader.

Her message to graduates was empowering: “being open to change doesn’t just reshape careers — it can expand your vision and lead to more meaningful impact than imagined.”

Mentorship that lasts

While visiting campus recently, Bray met with the 2024 and 2025 recipients of the Molly S. Bray, PhD, Scholarship — Krithikaa Rajkumar Bhanu and Samantha Hitt — and shared lunch with current students. A first-generation college graduate, Bray emphasized how critical mentorship and community support have been in her journey.

Scientific leadership and global recognition

Before joining UT Austin, Bray led genomic core laboratories at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research explores the interplay between genetics, lifestyle, and disease, with a special focus on obesity and circadian biology. She leads the TIGER Study (Training Interventions and Genetics of Exercise Response), one of the largest genetic studies of exercise adherence ever conducted.

She has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and has been invited to present her work at scientific meetings across the globe. Her research has been widely featured in national and international media.

Inspiring and empowering the next generation

Bray’s contributions go far beyond science. She is a steadfast advocate for students, faculty, and the broader Graduate School community. Through her philanthropy — including the creation of the scholarship that bears her name — she continues to help shape the next generation of scientific leaders.

At commencement, Bray concluded her message to graduates by acknowledging the uncertainty many face today while reframing it as opportunity:

“You may think it’s a scary time in science, but never has the ability to move back and forth —from academia to business to industry — been as fluid as it is now. The old rigidity of a single path to success is gone, and this is a wonderful thing. You have the prepared minds to change the world.”