News: Faculty

UChicago chemists “film” long-range light-matter hybrid particles.

An AI-powered suit created by UChicago researchers combines a wearable electrode suit, smart glasses with a built-in camera, a motion-tracking layer, and a multimodal AI model capable of processing both vision and language, the same class of technology as GPT-4.1. The suit physically moves a user's muscles in real time, adapting to whatever task is in front of them, with no pre-programmed routine required.

At the 2026 King Faisal Prize ceremony, Prof. Carlos Kenig was recognized for his transformative work on nonlinear partial differential equations, described as a stubborn, beautiful aspect of mathematics that govern everything from the crash of ocean waves to the clarity of a medical scan. Where others saw complexity, he found structure that reshaped the very landscape of modern mathematical analysis.

Profs. Yu Deng and Tomer Schlank have received 2026 Clay Research Awards from the Clay Mathematics Institute. Tomer Schlank is recognized (with collaborators) for groundbreaking work on Ravenel’s Telescope Conjecture, and Yu Deng is recognized (with Zaher Hani) for major advances on the derivation of the Boltzmann equation from particle systems.
 

Superconductors allow electricity to flow without resistance, meaning no energy is lost as heat.
 

As robots become more expressive and socially capable, the line between machines and living characters is starting to blur. From Disney’s lifelike Olaf robot to interactive droids inspired by Star Wars, recent developments highlight how far robotics has come in replicating human-like behavior and emotion.

A newly confirmed ancient star may preserve one of the clearest records of the universe’s earliest stellar generations.

Congratulations to Guangbin Dong, who has received the 2026 Janssen Prize. This award recognizes his groundbreaking contributions in a broad range of topics including activation of inert Carbon-Carbon and Caron-Hydrogen bonds, total synthesis of bioactive natural products, development of novel boron chemistry methods, and syntheses of specific graphene nanoribbons.​​

Chicago Human+AI (CHAI) Lab launches Agent4Science, a platform where AI agents share, critique, and debate research.
 

Chuan He developed a technique known as nano-hmC-seal that labels DNA fragments carrying the 5-hmC modification, allowing scientists to map patterns of gene activity across the genome, which is now being used to create blood-based DNA signals to help track osteosarcoma. 

A novel experiment at UChicago reveals fundamental laws governing swirling fluids.

Prakapenka was selected for developing the GeoSoilEnviroCARS beamline into a hotspot for high-pressure science.

Physicist Clay Córdova has been named a recipient of the 2026 New Horizons in Physics Prize for his work in quantum field theory.
The New Horizons prize, which is given to early-career scientists and mathematicians who have already made a substantial impact on their fields, includes an award of $100,000.

Project Hail Mary is a story about science saving the world. In March, the University of Chicago and Argonne teamed up to celebrate the science of Project Hail Mary with offerings for science and science-fiction fans.

The University of Chicago Data Science Institute faculty, affiliated faculty, and partners win seed funding to advance actionable AI weather forecasting in developing economies in Africa and Asia.