News: Faculty

2026

AI weather modeling being developed by U Chicago could help create more accurate forecasts

July 6, 2026

A symbol depicting rain, thunder, clouds, and sunshine as would be found in weather apps.

Research led by Assoc. Prof. Pedram Hassanzadeh. Watch the CBS news segment.


Could we actually terraform Mars? Scientists are trying to find out

July 6, 2026

Artist's illustration depicting the terraforming of Mars — turning into a more Earth-like world.

"Relatively modest research investments would keep open the option of extending life beyond Earth as Mars’ scientific exploration continues." Interview with Assoc. Prof. Edwin Kite.


America at 250: A History of Energy Transitions in the United States, with Liz Moyer

July 6, 2026

Image of plane that has 250 in red white and blue written on the nose.

In this episode of the Resources Radio podcast, host Kristin Hayes invites Liz Moyer to break down the history of US energy use in commemoration of the country’s 250th year of independence. 


Enable Real-Time AI for High-Speed Data Acquisition with DAQIRI

July 6, 2026

A diagram showing the simple idea of computer circuit.

The R&D effort focuses on exploring the utilization of a streaming link between the custom Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based hardware boards planned to be used during HL-LHC, and a high-performance GPU-enabled processing farm. With this architecture, the R&D effort led by CERN Openlab, University of Chicago, and UCL scientists will allow the real-time analysis of the full data stream by deploying powerful models like Convolutional Auto-Encoders (CAEs), temporal Convolutional Neural Networks (TCCN), and transformer-based models, which are planned to be tested with the prototype hardware.


Three PSD faculty members receive named, distinguished service professorships in July 2026

July 1, 2026

PSD against a white and turquoise background

Thirteen members of the University of Chicago faculty, including three from the Physical Sciences Division, have received distinguished service professorships or named professorships, effective July 1.


‘Designer’ superconducting diamond: Researchers uncover path to multimodality quantum chips

June 29, 2026

Jyotirmay Dwivedi, graduate student at Penn State University and first author on the paper, works in Nitin Samarth’s laboratory at Pennsylvania State University.

Discovering the physical principles of superconductivity in diamond opens the door for scientists to use it in new quantum technologies
 


Hacking the atmosphere: Geoengineering gets a reality check

June 29, 2026

A plane in the sky.

Researchers are starting to explore the tools and systems we need to develop to cool down the planet.


How AI companies can pay fair rates for the content they need

June 29, 2026

A graphic of money spreading outward.

The fight over the data that trains artificial intelligence has become one of the defining economic conflicts of the decade.


PSD leadership appointments for 2026

June 25, 2026

PSD in white against a maroon background

PSD department chair, director, and deputy dean appointments and reappointments, effective July 1, 2026.


How websites trick you using ‘dark patterns’

June 23, 2026

Puppet attached to puppet strings

In this episode of Big Brains, Marshini Chetty discusses tactics used in apps and online to deceive users—from subscription traps to collecting data.


Flexible displays, flexible lives: how BloomBeacon reimagines interaction

June 23, 2026

Visual of the BloomBeacon.

A new device from AxLab, led by PhD student Willa Yang in the Department of Computer Science, lets digital displays bloom from everyday objects and surfaces—creating touch interfaces only when they're needed, and helping technology fade seamlessly into daily life.


New UChicago platform rapidly generates custom protein binders to target disease

June 23, 2026

Joshua Pixley of the Dickinson Lab

How an innovative UChicago laboratory built a fast-moving platform to target "undruggable" cancer proteins and train the next generation of scientific leaders. 


Sex, drugs and … AI?: students think everyone else is doing it more than they are

June 23, 2026

Photo of pills spilled on a desk.

Researchers say a lack of reliable information on artificial intelligence use on campus could lead to misguided policies.


Math and novels with Carlos Kenig

June 23, 2026

Photo of Carlos Kenig.

Carlos Kenig discusses the Fields Medal, Jorge Luis Borges, and the Chicago School of Analysis.
 


Professor Dam Thanh Son: from International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist to world-leading physicist

June 23, 2026

Professor Dam Thanh Son.

From a student who won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad with a perfect score in 1984, Professor Dam Thanh Son has become one of the most influential Vietnamese-born theoretical physicists on the international stage.