News: Faculty

2024

UChicago announces 2024 winners of Quantrell and PhD Teaching Awards

May 16, 2024

Fred Chong (top), Sid Nagel

Fred Chong, the Seymour Goodman Professor in the Department of Computer Science, has been awarded a Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award. Sidney Nagel, the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor of Physics and the College, has won a Faculty Award for Excellence in PhD Teaching and Mentoring.

Congratulations, Profs. Chong and Nagel!
 


Drug targeting RNA modifications shows promise for treating neuroblastoma

May 15, 2024

Neuroblastoma cells

Researchers from the University of Chicago, including chemist Chuan He, show that a drug molecule targeting RNA modifications in neuroblastoma cells suppresses tumor growth in mice.


Scientists find evidence that meltwater is fracturing ice shelves in Antarctica

May 15, 2024

A pool of melting water forms atop the ice shelf

Increased temperatures from climate change cause ponds that weaken ice, expedition finds.


Inside the He Lab: Using the science of RNA to feed the world

May 15, 2024

From left: Guanqun Wang, Chuan He, and Haoxuan Li

Travel inside Prof. Chuan He’s lab and meet the scientists working on new ways to boost plant growth and drought resistance with a technique based on RNA.


How quantum physics could ‘revolutionise everything’

May 13, 2024

David Awschalom

In the US, the University of Chicago has built one of the country's longest quantum networks. It is almost 200km (124 miles) long and growing. BBC article cites physicist David Awschalom's work.


What happens when NASA loses eyes on Earth? We’re about to find out.

May 13, 2024

clouds

Three long-running satellites will soon be switched off, forcing scientists to figure out how to adjust their views of our changing planet. GS Assoc. Prof. Elisabeth Moyer is cited in the NYT article.


Collapsing sheets of spacetime could explain dark matter and why the universe ‘hums’

May 13, 2024

Bubbles

Domain walls, long a divisive topic in physics, may be ideal explanations for some bizarre cosmic quirks. Physicist Cheng Chin's research is referenced in this Scientific American article.


Kill the sun! How wild thought experiments drive scientific discovery

May 13, 2024

A view of a supernova explosion with its bright light and shockwave visible

"My colleagues call me a supervillain for trying to destroy the cosmos, but this kind of imaginative thinking isn't so far from what scientists do," says space reporter Leah Crane. A New Scientist article quotes Wendy Freedman about how "we need wacky ideas."


Dark energy may be weakening, major astrophysics study finds

May 13, 2024

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory

A generation of physicists has referred to the dark energy that permeates the universe as “the cosmological constant.” Now the largest map of the cosmos to date hints that this mysterious energy has been changing over billions of years. Quanta article quotes UChicago astrophysicist Joshua Frieman.


Cloud control: Humanity’s never-ending quest to control the weather

May 13, 2024

hail cannons

For over a century, we’ve turned to technology in an attempt to control the weather. Are today’s geoengineering proposals any better? A Popular Science article references research by GS Prof. David Keith.


Renowned biochemist Hening Lin to join the University of Chicago Department of Chemistry

May 13, 2024

Hening Lin

The Department of Chemistry has hired renowned chemical biologist Hening Lin as a Professor in the Department of Chemistry. He will serve a primary, tenured appointment with the Biological Sciences Division in the Department of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Chemistry as a Professor of Chemistry.


UChicago scientists use machine learning to turn cell snapshots dynamic

May 13, 2024

cancer cells

Researchers from the University of Chicago have developed a new method to use machine learning to turn static snapshots of cells into better pictures of how cells and genes change dynamically over time.


How artificial intelligence can transform U.S. energy infrastructure

May 13, 2024

Rick Stevens

Groundbreaking report by leading energy researchers, including UChicago computer scientist Rick Stevens, provides ambitious framework for accelerating clean energy deployment while minimizing risks and costs in the face of climate change.


Szostak lab learns the dance of RNA replication process

May 13, 2024

Origins of life

The Szostak lab's latest research highlights RNA replication dynamics, revealing competition between primers and competitors that challenges assumptions about genetic fidelity. This exploration not only aids our understanding of life's origins but also holds promise for applications in gene regulation and genetic stability.


Five UChicago faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences in 2024

May 2, 2024

From left: Nicolas Dauphas, David DeMille, Bonnie Fleming

UChicago scholars, including geochemist Nicolas Dauphas and physicists David DeMille and Bonnie Fleming, have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, joining other scientists and researchers chosen in “recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”