News: Faculty

2025

Three research assistant professors join CSEi in its first year

November 7, 2025

view of Earth from space lit up at night

As the Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) at the University of Chicago enters its second year, it continues to grow its research capacity and expertise across key areas of climate systems engineering.


AI-powered network management: GATEAU Project advances synthetic traffic generation

November 7, 2025

Nick Feamster

Nick Feamster and Francesco Bronzino lead international collaboration to develop generative AI techniques that create high-fidelity network data, addressing critical challenges in machine learning, privacy, and network security.


New study revises our picture of the most common planets in the galaxy

November 7, 2025

illustration of a “mini-Neptune”

Research led by UChicago’s Eliza Kempton finds some ‘mini-Neptunes’ likely have solid surfaces rather than molten interiors.


Why the for-profit race into solar geoengineering is bad for science and public trust

November 7, 2025

sun in a cloudy sky

Two scientists, including David Keith, argue that the growing commercial efforts to counter climate change by reflecting away sunlight will thwart responsible research in the field.


J. Peter May named one of the recipients of the 2026 AMS Elias M. Stein Mentoring Award

November 7, 2025

Congrats to J. Peter May, who received the 2026 AMS Elias M. Stein Mentoring Award for exceptional mentoring. 


Heinrich Jaeger receives the American Physical Society’s 2026 Leo P. Kadanoff Prize

November 5, 2025

Heinrich Jaeger

Congratulations to Heinrich Jaeger, who has received the American Physical Society's 2026 Leo P. Kadanoff Prize.


Frank Calegari receives 2026 AMS Frank Nelson Cole Prize for Number Theory

November 5, 2025

Frank Calegari

Congratulations to Frank Calegari, who is recognized for his work presenting a striking and original proof resolving a conjecture that had stood since 1968, showing that the coefficients of any noncongruence modular form possess unbounded denominators.


These water-rich exoplanets shouldn’t exist—now astronomers finally know how they’re so wet

November 4, 2025

illustration of a water-rich exoplanet

Scientists report the discovery of surprisingly water-rich exoplanets, despite forming in places once believed to be far too hot for water to exist. Now, a new study published in the journal Nature suggests these mysterious water worlds may be manufacturing their own oceans through chemical reactions deep within their interiors.


Constraints on quantum-advantage experiments due to noise

November 4, 2025

schematic showing a computation performed on a set of qubits

Current quantum computers are noisy, which places limitations on the type of quantum machine needed to outpace classical computers. An op-ed by Bill Fefferman.


Moon Duchin on the ‘mathematical quagmire’ of gerrymandering

November 4, 2025

Moon Duchin

Why the challenge of truly representative democracy is so complex.


UChicago Explainer Series: Exoplanets, explained

October 31, 2025

Exoplanet graphic

An exoplanet is what we call planets that exist outside of our own solar system. The first one was discovered in 1992, but as we get more powerful and precise telescopes and instruments, scientists have been discovering more and more of these faraway planets—about 6,000 of them so far. But scientists think there are trillions more out there in the universe.


Why can’t powerful LLMs learn multiplication?

October 31, 2025

Chenhao Tan

New research from Chenhao Tan reveals why even state-of-the-art AI stumbles on 4-digit multiplication—and what it takes to fix it.


Inside the Sebo Lab: Programming robots to better interact with humans

October 31, 2025

woman interacting with small robot on table

Go inside the laboratory of Sarah Sebo, whose Human-Robot Interaction lab at the University of Chicago is programming robots with social skills, in order to build trust and rapport with humans. The goal is to develop robots that can improve performance, including better learning outcomes for children.


Quantum paraelectric materials enable MHz three-wave mixing for compact quantum devices

October 31, 2025

Chris Wang

Quantum technologies demand increasingly compact and controllable circuit elements, and a team led by Eric I. Rosenthal, Christopher S. Wang from the University of Chicago, and Jamison Sloan now proposes a novel approach using quantum paraelectric materials.


Astronomer explains ‘second moon’ — the truth about asteroid 2025 PN7

October 31, 2025

Derek Buzasi

Is Earth getting a second moon? "ChicagoLIVE" talks with Derek Buzasi, Senior Instructional Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, who breaks down the viral “second moon” chatter. He explains what asteroid 2025 PN7 really is — a quasi-moon, or temporary companion to Earth — and why scientists believe it could orbit with us for the next 50 to 60 years before drifting away.