News

2019

Prof. Ben Zhao discusses “deepfake” technology with CNBC

July 12, 2019

Woman holding iPad with fake news video on display

Prof Zhao explains “deepfake” technology, a product of AI and machine learning that produces fake yet realistic videos, and discusses consumers' susceptibility to this sort of manipulation.  


UChicago faculty among Crain’s Chicago annual list of Chicago tech leaders

July 12, 2019

Crain's Tech 50 Logo

In its list of Tech50, Crain's Chicago features Prof. David Awshchalom for research in the field of quantum computing, Prof. Mike Franklin for his work in cloud computing and data handling, and Prof. Rick Stevens for his supercomputer expertise. 


Summer reading recommendations from teaching award winners

July 11, 2019

Student reading book outside on park bench

Assoc. Prof. of Math Maryanthe Malliaris joins other Quantrell and Graduate Teaching award winners to share summer reading recommendations. Malliaris suggests reading Barry Mazur's Imagining Numbers for its well-written and thought-provoking content.  


Chicago Quantum Exchange announces 5 new corporate partnerships

July 11, 2019

Postdoctoral Student in laboratory

David Awschalom, Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering and Professor in the Department of Physics, states that the new Chicago Quantum Exchange partnerships with Boeing, Applied Materials Inc., ColdQuanta Inc., HRL Laboratories LLC, and Quantum Opus LLC "will help both academia and industry leverage each other's knowledge at the leading edge of quantum computing. " 


Scientists combine light and matter to make particles with new behaviors

July 9, 2019

Circles of circulating light rays against black background

By shaking electrons with lasers, researchers led by Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Simon were able to create electrons with 'doppelganger' features. Simon's published work could one day help create more powerful computers or virtually "unhackable" quantum communications.


UChicago research on microbes and microbiomes across the Great Lakes

July 9, 2019

Graduate student wearing red headlight examines tube containing a water sample.

The Chicago Tribune features Asst. Prof. Maureen Coleman's research, which seeks to better understand  what microbes are present in the Great Lakes and what role they play in the environment.


PSD Faculty Earn Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

July 8, 2019

Headshots of Asst. Prof. Abigail Vieregg and Assoc. Prof. Henry Hoffman

Assoc. Prof. of Computer Science Henry Hoffman and Assoc. Prof. of Physics Abigail Vieregg are among the winners of the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. 


László Babai and Nick Feamster receive named, distinguished service professorships

July 2, 2019

Physical Sciences data map logo

László Babai has been named the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Computer Science, Mathematics, and the College. His work is centered on theoretical computer science and discrete mathematics. Nick Feamster, who joins UChicago this summer, has been named the Neubauer Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the College. His work focuses on experimental networked systems and security. 


Clemens C.J. Roothaan, eminent quantum chemist and concentration camp survivor, 1918-2019

July 2, 2019

Prof. Clemens C. J. Roothaan in the University of Chicago Computation Center.

Clemens C.J. Roothaan, Louis Block Professor Emeritus of Physics and Chemistry, died June 17 at age 100. Roothan's research focused on the electronic structure of atoms and molecules with some of his structure models still being used today. Prof. Emeritus R. Stephen Berry lauds Roothaan as "the person who most deserved, but never received the Nobel Prize."  


Postdoc discusses the search for Earth-like exoplanets with Cosmos Magazine

July 2, 2019

Image of multiple planets and galaxies with human silhouette sitting in bottom left corner.

Cosmos Magazine features postdoctoral researcher, Stephanie Olson, who elaborates on what it takes for an exoplanet to be habitable and the possibility of finding a planet more habitable than Earth itself.  


PSD in the News - June 2019

June 28, 2019

sloth in tree eating leaves

This month, PSD researchers have been featured for their work building CRISPR for RNA, shaking up the sloth family tree, using X-rays to reveal the secrets of intergalactic plasma, and more. In case you missed it, review our news headlines from June 2019.


Scientists use X-rays from faraway galaxy cluster to reveal secrets of plasma

June 25, 2019

Intergalactic plasma shown in pink and purple, while an optical image of individual galaxies is in white.

University of Chicago astrophysicist, Irina Zhuravleva, led a study that provides a brand-new glimpse of the small-scale physics of intergalactic plasma. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists took a detailed look at the plasma in a distant galaxy cluster and discovered the flow of plasma is much less viscous than expected and, therefore, turbulence occurs on relatively small scales—an important finding for our numerical models of the largest objects in the universe. 

 


PSD Spotlight: Sandra Quarles

June 24, 2019

Sandra Quarles headshot

Our final spotlight of the academic year is Sandra Quarles, Project Assistant in the Department of Computer Science. Sandra hails from Chicago and has worked at the University for 29 years. She has been nominated for exemplifying the PSD core value of holding ourselves accountable and honoring commitments. 


Using human genome, scientists build CRISPR for RNA to open pathways for medicine

June 24, 2019

Cartoon image of gloved hands removing strands of RNA with tweezers

A group of scientists from the University of Chicago has announced a breakthrough method to alter RNA—and instead of using a protein from bacteria, like CRISPR, the new system is built out of parts from the human genome. Announced June 20 in Cell, the discovery could open new pathways for treating diseases or injuries by temporarily altering how the genetic template is carried out in the cell. 


Scientists use atoms to simulate quantum physics in curved spacetimes

June 24, 2019

starburst in center with squiggly lines and thermometers

A team of physicists at the University of Chicago has built a quantum system to simulate the physics of Unruh radiation. The breakthrough advances our understanding of these complex physics—and could ultimately help us explain how the largest and smallest phenomena in the universe fit together.