The Society’s highest scientific honor is named after the first President of the SCGDB and was created to recognize long-term distinguished leadership and meritorious contributions to the craniofacial sciences by a senior level SCGDB member. Timothy C. Cox, PhD, Professor of Oral & Craniofacial Sciences and Pediatrics at the Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City is the recipient of the 2025 SCGDB David Bixler Distinguished Scientist Award in recognition of his transformative contributions to craniofacial science. Dr. Cox has led a robust and internationally recognized craniofacial research program for nearly 30 years. His work spans molecular genetics, developmental biology, and translational science, with a particular focus on orofacial clefts, craniofacial microsomia, and related disorders. His research has led the field identifying cleft-causing and craniofacial dysmorphology-associated genes, identifying/ characterizing regulatory elements underpinning human disease, and clarifying maternal-environmental interactions that modulate birth defect risk.  

Tim did his training at the University of Adelaide, where he obtained his doctorate in 1994 on gene regulation, mutation detection, and targeted therapies for disease. His postdoctoral research shifted his focus to craniofacial conditions, and as an RD Wright fellow and new lab head, he detailed the genetic basis of the orofacial cleft disorder, Opitz syndrome.  He continued this orofacial cleft focus at the University of Washington, co-leading an international cleft consortium tackling the genetics of familial non-syndromic orofacial clefts. He now serves as Endowed Chair in Dental & Musculoskeletal Research, Dept. of Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, at the Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. His work has been published in more than 160 scientific articles and supported by multiple NIDCR and NICHD R01 grants. His research contributions have been recognized through several major honors, including the Laurel Endowed Chair in Pediatric Craniofacial Research at the University of Washington, the Stowers Family Endowed Chair at UMKC, the Star Researcher Award from UMKC (2023), and the N.T. Veatch Award for Distinguished Research & Creativity (2024). His research continues to uncover new facets of craniofacial biology through focusing on human disorders and their variation using high-resolution imaging and novel mouse studies.

Since 1997, he has trained more than 70 scientists in Australia and the US. Testimonials of many of these trainees speak to his steady and supportive guidance and leadership through action. Tim has demonstrated sustained service to the biomedical research community through leadership in governance, peer review, and public science engagement. His contributions span institutional, national, and global levels, reflecting a deep dedication to advancing craniofacial biology and the broader life sciences. He has been a stalwart leader within, and for, the Society and its training mission, serving as Treasurer of SCGDB in 2016-2018, and he has served on executive organizing and meeting committees spanning over a decade.  

Tim will be awarded this honor and deliver a plenary lecture on his research at the 48th Annual SCGDB Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.