Richard Dixon, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was elected into the United Kingdom's Royal Society, the oldest scientific organization in the world dedicated to the understanding and advancement of science.

Dixon, originally from the U.K., also serves as associate director of UNT's BioDiscovery Institute, one of four prestigious Institutes of Research Excellence designed to promote interdisciplinary research. Dixon is known as a world leader in the area of plant science. He has used his knowledge of the chemical makeup of plants to create better alfalfa hay for livestock and more effective biofuel plants.