Texas A&M University named one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company for the second straight year – Texas A&M
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:31
Texas A&M University named one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company for the second straight year – Texas A&M Stories
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Texas A&M University named one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company for the second straight year
Texas A&M joins Adidas, Door Dash, OpenAI and Starbucks on the list of companies turning big ideas into reality.
Share this Story
5 min. read
Video
For the second consecutive year, Texas A&M University has been named one of
Fast Company magazine’s Most Innovative Companies
, joining business icons including Google, Nvidia and Walmart. Texas A&M is recognized for its research enterprise and engineering school — showcasing the scale of what 25,000 future engineers and 4,300 faculty can do when they have a united purpose. Together, Texas A&M works to build a brighter, safer world — solving the world’s toughest challenges. The award, noting research into
a self-healing polymer
that could be used across a multitude of daily and national security platforms, illustrates Texas A&M’s mission to be a force for good.
Of the companies listed, Fast Company says, “In an era of uncertainty, these leaders prove that the only way forward is to stay in motion.”
Texas A&M is one of only two universities selected for the honor for 2026, joining the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, and will be featured in the March/April 2026 issue of Fast Company magazine, on
fastcompany.com
and at Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Summit and Gala in New York City in May.
Texas A&M graduates are also prominently represented on the Most Innovative Companies list, with the five Aggie founders of Dude Perfect behind the group’s No. 9 ranking in Media and News and fellow Aggie Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, leading Roku to No. 5 in the Video category.
Fast Company
is a world-leading business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world-changing ideas, creativity and design. The magazine, launched 30 years ago by two former Harvard Business Review editors, chronicles how changing companies create and compete, highlights new business practices and showcases the teams and individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business. The Most Innovative Companies list has, since 2008, been the definitive source for recognizing organizations that are transforming industries and shaping society.
Dr. Mohammad Naraghi and his team at Texas A&M have uncovered properties of a carbon-fiber plastic composite that heals itself like skin and reshapes under heat. This advanced material, known as Aromatic Thermosetting Copolyester (ATSP), could lead to transformative applications in the defense, aerospace, and automotive industries. ATSP’s recyclability also makes it an ideal candidate for industries seeking to reduce environmental waste without compromising durability or strength. Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Research that changes what is possible
Texas A&M is redefining what plastics can be — and what innovation should do — by creating a self-healing, recyclable material that combines extreme performance with environmental responsibility, proving that strength, sustainability and intelligence can coexist at an industrial scale.
Aerospace engineering and materials science researchers at Texas A&M have uncovered new properties of an
ultra-durable, recyclable, smart plastic
— paving the way for transformative applications in the defense, aerospace and automotive industries.
The breakthrough — funded by the U.S. Department of War and published in
Macromolecules
and the
Journal of Composite Materials
— was led by Dr. Mohammad Naraghi, director of the Nanostructured Materials Lab and professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M, in close collaboration with Dr. Andreas Polycarpou at The University of Tulsa.
Their work explores the mechanical integrity, shape-recovery and self-healing properties of an advanced carbon-fiber plastic composite called Aromatic Thermosetting Copolyester (ATSP), which holds the potential to transform commercial and consumer industries, from aerospace to the automotive sector. ATSP is also a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. Its recyclability makes the material an ideal candidate for industries aiming to reduce environmental waste without compromising durability or strength.
“What’s really exciting is that this material isn’t just ultra-durable — it’s also adaptive. From on-demand healing in damaged aircraft to enhancing passenger safety in vehicles, these properties make it incredibly valuable for future materials and design innovations,” Naraghi said.
As a world-class, research-intensive public institution, Texas A&M’s spirited scholars, innovators, students and graduates are a force for good and find energy, strength and unity from a shared duty: to lead, to serve and to solve society’s greatest challenges together. More than 4,300 faculty members and researchers, spanning colleges, schools and disciplines, are discovering solutions for the good of Texas, the nation and the world, from the ocean floor, the factories and the fields, to outer space.
Texas A&M is
No. 12 in the North America sector
for its contributions in “potentially transforming wide swaths of commercial industries.” Fast Company notes these awardees are “adopting the region’s best impulses and working to correct some of its greatest shortcomings. In the march towards progress and efficiency, automation solutions are leading the way.” Other companies listed in this area include Databricks, Arteris and Warp.
To investigate the properties of ATSP, the researchers used a novel stress-test called cyclical creep testing. The team then conducted deep-cycle bending fatigue tests, periodically heating the material to around 160 degrees Celsius to trigger self-healing. Their results showed that the ATSP samples not only endured hundreds of stress and heating cycles without failure, but that they actually grew more durable during the healing process. Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Engineering impact at scale
Texas A&M’s engineering scope and impact is virtually unmatched, with:
15 academic departments.
24,524 students (fall ’25), the largest Top 10 public undergraduate engineering program in the nation (U.S. News and World Report)
More than 1,600 research projects.
Research funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, affiliated national laboratories and more.
U.S. News and World Report recognized the university’s biological and agricultural engineering program as
No. 1 in the nation
in 2025.
Texas A&M is ranked by the Wall Street Journal as the
best university in Texas and No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference
. The university was recently recognized for having the
highest return on investment for bachelor’s degrees
among public universities in Texas, according to The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Views of Texas A&M video content on YouTube
grew from 311,000 in 2023 to over 30 million in 2024
(+9,360%), propelling Texas A&M to be named
the most recognized university in the state of Texas
and No. 6 among all U.S. public universities in the latest Global University Visibility rankings compiled by higher education research and consulting firm American Caldwell.
March 24, 2026
By
Tim Doty
,
Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Tags
A force for good
awards and recognition
College of Engineering
Fast Company
innovation
research
Share this Story
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Texas A&M University Named One Of The World’s Most Innovative Companies By Fast Company
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Texas A&M Distinguished Professor Stephen Safe recognized as 2026 SEC Faculty Achievement Award winner
Safe, a leading figure in molecular toxicology whose influence spans institutions and disciplines, traveled from the mines of Canada to the halls of Oxford and Harvard before arriving at Texas A&M.
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Skip to content
Business & Government
Science & Tech
Texas A&M University named one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company for the second straight year
Texas A&M joins Adidas, Door Dash, OpenAI and Starbucks on the list of companies turning big ideas into reality.
Share this Story
5 min. read
Video
For the second consecutive year, Texas A&M University has been named one of
Fast Company magazine’s Most Innovative Companies
, joining business icons including Google, Nvidia and Walmart. Texas A&M is recognized for its research enterprise and engineering school — showcasing the scale of what 25,000 future engineers and 4,300 faculty can do when they have a united purpose. Together, Texas A&M works to build a brighter, safer world — solving the world’s toughest challenges. The award, noting research into
a self-healing polymer
that could be used across a multitude of daily and national security platforms, illustrates Texas A&M’s mission to be a force for good.
Of the companies listed, Fast Company says, “In an era of uncertainty, these leaders prove that the only way forward is to stay in motion.”
Texas A&M is one of only two universities selected for the honor for 2026, joining the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, and will be featured in the March/April 2026 issue of Fast Company magazine, on
fastcompany.com
and at Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Summit and Gala in New York City in May.
Texas A&M graduates are also prominently represented on the Most Innovative Companies list, with the five Aggie founders of Dude Perfect behind the group’s No. 9 ranking in Media and News and fellow Aggie Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, leading Roku to No. 5 in the Video category.
Fast Company
is a world-leading business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world-changing ideas, creativity and design. The magazine, launched 30 years ago by two former Harvard Business Review editors, chronicles how changing companies create and compete, highlights new business practices and showcases the teams and individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business. The Most Innovative Companies list has, since 2008, been the definitive source for recognizing organizations that are transforming industries and shaping society.
Dr. Mohammad Naraghi and his team at Texas A&M have uncovered properties of a carbon-fiber plastic composite that heals itself like skin and reshapes under heat. This advanced material, known as Aromatic Thermosetting Copolyester (ATSP), could lead to transformative applications in the defense, aerospace, and automotive industries. ATSP’s recyclability also makes it an ideal candidate for industries seeking to reduce environmental waste without compromising durability or strength. Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Research that changes what is possible
Texas A&M is redefining what plastics can be — and what innovation should do — by creating a self-healing, recyclable material that combines extreme performance with environmental responsibility, proving that strength, sustainability and intelligence can coexist at an industrial scale.
Aerospace engineering and materials science researchers at Texas A&M have uncovered new properties of an
ultra-durable, recyclable, smart plastic
— paving the way for transformative applications in the defense, aerospace and automotive industries.
The breakthrough — funded by the U.S. Department of War and published in
Macromolecules
and the
Journal of Composite Materials
— was led by Dr. Mohammad Naraghi, director of the Nanostructured Materials Lab and professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M, in close collaboration with Dr. Andreas Polycarpou at The University of Tulsa.
Their work explores the mechanical integrity, shape-recovery and self-healing properties of an advanced carbon-fiber plastic composite called Aromatic Thermosetting Copolyester (ATSP), which holds the potential to transform commercial and consumer industries, from aerospace to the automotive sector. ATSP is also a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. Its recyclability makes the material an ideal candidate for industries aiming to reduce environmental waste without compromising durability or strength.
“What’s really exciting is that this material isn’t just ultra-durable — it’s also adaptive. From on-demand healing in damaged aircraft to enhancing passenger safety in vehicles, these properties make it incredibly valuable for future materials and design innovations,” Naraghi said.
As a world-class, research-intensive public institution, Texas A&M’s spirited scholars, innovators, students and graduates are a force for good and find energy, strength and unity from a shared duty: to lead, to serve and to solve society’s greatest challenges together. More than 4,300 faculty members and researchers, spanning colleges, schools and disciplines, are discovering solutions for the good of Texas, the nation and the world, from the ocean floor, the factories and the fields, to outer space.
Texas A&M is
No. 12 in the North America sector
for its contributions in “potentially transforming wide swaths of commercial industries.” Fast Company notes these awardees are “adopting the region’s best impulses and working to correct some of its greatest shortcomings. In the march towards progress and efficiency, automation solutions are leading the way.” Other companies listed in this area include Databricks, Arteris and Warp.
To investigate the properties of ATSP, the researchers used a novel stress-test called cyclical creep testing. The team then conducted deep-cycle bending fatigue tests, periodically heating the material to around 160 degrees Celsius to trigger self-healing. Their results showed that the ATSP samples not only endured hundreds of stress and heating cycles without failure, but that they actually grew more durable during the healing process. Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Engineering impact at scale
Texas A&M’s engineering scope and impact is virtually unmatched, with:
15 academic departments.
24,524 students (fall ’25), the largest Top 10 public undergraduate engineering program in the nation (U.S. News and World Report)
More than 1,600 research projects.
Research funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, affiliated national laboratories and more.
U.S. News and World Report recognized the university’s biological and agricultural engineering program as
No. 1 in the nation
in 2025.
Texas A&M is ranked by the Wall Street Journal as the
best university in Texas and No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference
. The university was recently recognized for having the
highest return on investment for bachelor’s degrees
among public universities in Texas, according to The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Views of Texas A&M video content on YouTube
grew from 311,000 in 2023 to over 30 million in 2024
(+9,360%), propelling Texas A&M to be named
the most recognized university in the state of Texas
and No. 6 among all U.S. public universities in the latest Global University Visibility rankings compiled by higher education research and consulting firm American Caldwell.
March 24, 2026
By
Tim Doty
,
Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Tags
A force for good
awards and recognition
College of Engineering
Fast Company
innovation
research
Share this Story
Related Stories
View All Stories
Researchers discuss intersection of technology and health care at Fast Company Innovation Festival
Experts illustrated how AI, 3D-printed medications for children and other innovations improve dosage accuracy and help ensure safer and more effective treatment tailored to individual needs.
Texas A&M University Named One Of The World’s Most Innovative Companies By Fast Company
Texas A&M is the only university on the list and joins Nvidia, YouTube and EA Sports.
Texas A&M Distinguished Professor Stephen Safe recognized as 2026 SEC Faculty Achievement Award winner
Safe, a leading figure in molecular toxicology whose influence spans institutions and disciplines, traveled from the mines of Canada to the halls of Oxford and Harvard before arriving at Texas A&M.
What if humans could regrow tissue? Texas A&M study moves science closer
Researchers have successfully regenerated skeletal and connective tissue — even if not perfectly formed — demonstrating the next, critical step in limb regeneration.
Competing memories in the brain drive relapse and recovery from alcohol addiction
Texas A&M study uncovers distinct brain cell networks that promote or suppress relapse, offering promising strategies for more effective alcohol use disorder treatments.
Human space research gets a boost from retired NASA centrifuge
A NASA centrifuge finds a new home at Texas A&M’s Anthony Wood ’87 Artificial Gravity Lab, enhancing research on health impacts of human space travel.