News: Faculty

2020

Six UChicago scholars elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 27, 2020

University of Chicago central campus

Six UChicago scholars elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences


PSD in the news - April 2020

April 27, 2020

PSD in white against a maroon background

This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to discover how to best decontaminate N95 masks, develop probes made of DNA to track molecular secrets, and find a math bridge that extends beyond Fermat's Last Theorem.


Prof. David Awschalom discusses the future of quantum communication

April 24, 2020

David Awschalom

Prof. David Awschalom discusses the future of quantum communication in Wired Magazine.


NASA online honors Prof. Wendy Freedman’s Hubble achievements

April 24, 2020

Wendy Freedman

Prof. Wendy Freedman named among four successful women behind the Hubble Space Telescope's achievements


Gravitational waves reveal unprecedented collision of heavy and light black holes

April 21, 2020

Black hole merging simulation

Gravitational waves reveal unprecedented collision of heavy and light black holes. UChicago researcher Maya Fishbach discusses the latest gravitational waves detected by LIGO.

 


Where did all the antimatter go? Physicist Edward Blucher on a new groundbreaking study

April 16, 2020

Inside Japan's Super-Kamiokande neutrino detector

Physics Prof. Edward Blucher discusses a new study that finds groundbreaking information on neutrinos


Spies like us: UChicago scientists develop probes made of DNA to track molecular secrets

April 16, 2020

illustration of DNA

Spies like us: Biological chemist Prof. Yamuna Krishnan and other UChicago scientists develop probes made of DNA to track molecular secrets


From self-sanitizing face masks to emergency ventilators, here’s what Illinois universities are doing to combat the coronavirus

April 13, 2020

DePaul professors make COVID-19 PPEs and decontaminators

From Self-Sanitizing Face Masks To Emergency Ventilators, Here’s What Illinois Universities Are Doing To Combat The Coronavirus


The Register UK asks when will quantum computers be capable of crypto-cracking, with Prof. Diana Franklin

April 13, 2020

man holding quantum symbol made of light

The Register UK asks when will quantum computers be capable of crypto-cracking, cites new RAND report and CS Prof. Diana Franklin


Margaret Burbidge, astrophysicist and champion of women in science, 1919–2020

April 12, 2020

Margaret Burbidge

Astrophysicist and former University of Chicago scientist, Margaret Burbidge, died in San Francisco in April. Burbidge was a giant in the field of astronomy and physics and an expert practitioner of astronomical spectroscopy—the study of the spectra of stars, galaxies, and quasi-stellar objects. She used her international spotlight to champion the representation and inclusion of women in the sciences.
 


UChicago community finds new ways to learn together

April 10, 2020

Eliana Melmed

UChicago community finds new ways to learn together
Faculty, students, University community connect as Spring Quarter and remote learning begins


Will Coronavirus Freeze the Search for Dark Matter?

April 9, 2020

Scientists Kobayashi and Taratanni close up a detector in Italy

Article notes Assoc. Prof. Luca Grandi’s role in the Xenon experiment, an investigation into the nature of dark matter, which has been halted by the pandemic


‘Amazing’ Math Bridge Extended Beyond Fermat’s Last Theorem

April 7, 2020

Illustration of two islands linked by a bridge

In Quanta, Prof. Matthew Emerton describes two new papers that reveal fundamental number-theoretic phenomena that overcome the barrier of bridging two continents—a challenge generations of researchers have pursued as “Langland's program,” which seeks to create a grand unified theory of mathematics. These findings may help prove Fermat’s Last Theorem for some number systems beyond the positive whole numbers.


Richard Miller, pioneering computational astrophysicist, 1926-2020

April 6, 2020

Richard Miller, 1926-2020

Founding Chair on the Committee of Information Sciences and pioneer in numerical simulations of the formation of structure in the universe and dynamics of galaxies died on Mar. 7


Statistician Rina Foygel Barber wins Peter Gavin Hall Early Career Prize

March 30, 2020

Rina Foygel Barber

Prof. Foygel Barber wins Hall Award “for outstanding
contributions to the development of methodology and theory for structured
high-dimensional data problems such as sparse regression, sparse
nonparametric models, and low-rank models, as well as scalable
optimization techniques for nonconvex problems.”