PSD Academic Accolades and Honors

For over a century, the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago has been renowned for shaping and defining new fields of discovery in the physical and mathematical sciences. Our faculty, researchers, and alumni have won 52 Nobel Prizes, 12 National Medals of Science, and 10 Fields Medals, among other accolades. We have 37 National Academy members, and six NASA missions have been named after our faculty and alumni (ChandrasekharCompton, Fermi, HubbleParker, and Roman).

These honors are a testament to the division's commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge in disciplines such as astronomy & astrophysics, chemistry, computer science, geophysical sciences, mathematics, physics, and statistics. The division's collaborative and innovative spirit continues to foster an environment where scientific pioneers thrive, making it a global leader in the physical and mathematical sciences and a hub for cutting-edge research.

Nobel Laureates | Wolf Prize | Fields Medal | National Medal of Science | Presidential Medal of Freedom | American Academy of Arts & Sciences | National Academy of Sciences | Guggenheim Fellowships | MacArthur Fellowships

Explore the PSD faculty's latest accolades and honors below.

2023-2024 Accolades and Honors

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Chemistry

Computer Science

Mathematics

Biophysical Sciences

KICP

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Chemistry

  • Steven Sibener received the Ira Remsen Award given by the Maryland section of ACS, 10/9/23
  • Ka Yee Lee was named a 2023 Biophysical Society Fellow, 10/10/2023. This honor is given to only seven scientists "who have demonstrated sustained excellence in science and have contributed to the expansion of the field of biophysics."  Ka Yee was honored for her impactful work on the structure and stability of lipid membranes and their interactions with proteins.
  • Bryan Dickinson was awarded $350,000 in seed funding from the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust’s Catalyst Award program for a project called “Development of targeted translational activating oligos to treat SYNGAP1 deficiency-related neurological disorders,” 10/26/23. Dickinson was one of two UChicago nominees (the maximum number allowed), and both won.

Computer Science

  • Department Chair Hank Hoffmann and Neubauer Professor Nick Feamster (along with students and an alum) were inducted into the Samsung Hall of Fame for identifying vulnerability in SmartTVs, 10/30/23

Physics

  • Bonnie Fleming was one of 80 projects in high energy physics that received a total of $137 million in funding from the Department of Energy, 10/19/23
  • David DeMille received the American Physical Society’s 2024 Norman F. Ramsey Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, and in Precision Tests of Fundamental Laws and Symmetries, 10/24/23

Statistics

Data Science Institute

Astronomy & Astrophysics

  • Marcela Carena (Physics), Wendy Freedman, and Angela Olinto were named Notable Women in STEM by Crain's Chicago Business, 9/6/23

Chemistry

  • ACS awards, 9/7/23
    • Viresh Rawal received the ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry
    • Guangbin Dong received the Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution in Organic Synthesis by a Young Investigator 
    • Mark Levin received the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award
  • Chuan He selected as first laureate for Science Breakthrough award by Falling Walls, in Life Sciences, 9/13/2023
  • Dmitri Talapin and John Anderson awarded $1.8M by NSF for M-STAR (MXene Synthesis, Tunability and Reactivity) Center of Chemical Innovation program as a Phase 1 Research Center, 9/27/23

Computer Science

  • USENIX Security Symposium awards, 9/5/23
    • Ben Zhao and Heather Zheng’s Glaze Project was chosen for both the Internet Defense Prize and a Distinguished Paper Award for its ability to protect artist’s work from being replicated
    • A paper by Blase Ur’s SUPERgroup received the Distinguished Paper Award for research on the vulnerability of the university’s passwords to attacks leveraging password reuse
  • Rick Stevens testified in Congress about a major report he co-authored called AI for Science, Energy, and Security, 9/7/23

Geophysical Sciences

Physics

  • See Notable Women in STEM Award in Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • Margaret Gardel and Arvind Murugan awarded $15.5M by NSF to establish Center of Living Systems, 9/12/23
  • See National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology award in Statistics

Statistics

  • Rebecca Willett (Stats/CS/DSI), Margaret Gardel (Physics), Stephanie Palmer (Physics), and Mary Silber (Stats) receive $50 million to establish the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology jointly with NU, 9/14/23
    • Rebecca Willett named Deputy Director of new NSF National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology, 9/14/23

Data Science Institute