News: Faculty

2025

People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones

August 9, 2025

Robots with neurotic personalities, a la C-3PO of Star Wars fame, can come off as relatable to people, a new study finds.

A neurotic robot in a University of Chicago study was seen as more human and relatable, sparking emotional connections—despite extroverted robots being preferred.


Finding the “Goldilocks” solution to a classic math problem: a breakthrough in numerical integration

August 9, 2025

Assistant Professor Haotian Jiang and Patrick C. Fischer Professor of Theoretical Computer Science Nikhil Bansal.

UChicago CS Assistant Professor Haotian Jiang and collaborator Nikhil Bansal develop a new algorithm that addresses the problems and surpasses the performance of both existing methods of numerical integration, including Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo.


Metal-sulfur active sites hold promise for safer hydrogen transport and storage

August 9, 2025

Synthesis of M2(SH)2BBTA.

Integrating sulfur into crystalline nanostructures utilizes previously untapped active sites.


Researchers zero in on a new material for quantum information storage

August 9, 2025

Magnesium atoms (orange) and oxygen atoms (red) surround the nitrogen-vacancy center in magnesium oxide, shown by a transparent representation of a nitrogen atom under the missing magnesium atom. The yellow and blue spots show how electrons localize aroun

An irregularity in magnesium oxide, a commonly used material in microelectronics, may be suited for qubits.


Ten years of MSCAPP: where public policy meets coding

August 9, 2025

Combined photo of Anne Rogers, Associate Professor of Computer Science,  Mitsue Iwata, MSCAPP’16, Nora Hajjar, MSCAPP’20, and Mario Moreno Zepeda, MSCAPP’19.

UChicago’s MSCAPP blends public policy and computer science, empowering graduates to impact diverse fields with data-driven solutions for a better future.


Moderation at the crossroads: how generative AI platforms manage creativity and content safety

August 9, 2025

Lead phd student, Lan Gao.

A new study from Computer Science researchers explores how content moderation policies in generative AI tools both protect and sometimes hinder users—offering insights on the path to safer, more creative, and user-friendly platforms.


Engineering the summer: From exploring life’s origins to saving lives

August 9, 2025

School of Molecular Engineering Dean Emeritus Matthew Tirrell and UChicago Chemistry Prof. Jack Szostak, is spending his summer researching how to save lives as an intern for the life sciences company Bruker in Bremen, Germany.

Jack Szostak's laboratory is featured in an annual series following students' summer internships and career experiences. 


NSF invests over $74 million in 6 mathematical sciences research institutes

August 4, 2025

IMSI logo

From improving medical care to detecting planets in other solar systems, the institutes, including the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation, will explore mathematical sciences with a broad range of applications. 


‘Aurora,’ New super computer at Argonne National Lab to help solve science’s biggest problems

July 28, 2025

A depiction of a computer in place of a super computer.

UChicago President Paul Alivisatos and Argonne Laboratory Director Paul Kearns discuss the impact of the new supercomputer that will run 24/7, capable of performing a quintillion calculations per second.


2014 Nobel Prize idea used to reach Super-resolution imaging, turning noise into data

July 28, 2025

When analyzed with a grating, the amplified Raman signals provide extremely high-resolution spectra that surpass traditional instrumental limits by employing super-resolution correlation methods.

Linda Young reveals a new method that turns noise into valuable data to enhance understanding of chemical reactions and material properties with unprecedented detail at the atomic level. 


The breakthrough proof bringing mathematics closer to a grand unified theory

July 28, 2025

The Langlands programme has inspired and befuddled mathematicians for more than 50 years. A major advance has now opened up new worlds for them to explore.

Vladimir Drinfeld and Alexander Beilinson contribute to a major advance in the mathematical field, taking another step to creating a grand and unified theory. 


A new Martian climate model suggest a mostly cold, harsh environment

July 28, 2025

A picture of carbonate rocks taken by the Spirit rover.

Edwin Kite discusses a model built using data from the Curiosity rover, which suggests wet periods were rare on Mars. 


A dead Mars may have been inevitable – and the sun is to blame

July 28, 2025

Mt Sharp on Mars as seen by Curiosity.

Edwin Kite discusses how a new clue may provide not only a part of the answer to Mars's condition, but indicates that Mars may have been doomed to its current fate from the beginning.


Skeletal editing: How close are we to true cut-and-paste chemistry?

July 28, 2025

Human-like drawings interacting with balls that are colored.

Reactions that alter organic scaffolds by a single atom are already proving useful, but time will tell if they’ll fundamentally change how molecules are made.


Chemical biologist links basic discoveries to treatments for disease

July 28, 2025

UChicago Prof. Hening Lin, standing, in the lab with graduate student Jiaqi Zhao. Lin is a chemical biologist whose work bridges multiple disciplines with the common goal of linking basic research to real clinical applications.

Prof. Hening Lin brings expertise in enzymes to UChicago, bridging scientists, engineers and doctors to translate research to clinical applications.