News: Faculty

John Carlstrom, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor, has been appointed as chair of the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.

His research unraveled mysteries about the solar system and the demise of the dinosaurs. In retirement, he turned his attention to the Holocaust.

The California People and Pesticides Explorer equips citizens with visibility into pesticide use and its effects.

Study by UChicago, Smithsonian, UK Natural History Museum challenges assumptions about survival after global catastrophe.

The Field Museum is the new temporary home to a tiny piece of pristine asteroid. The fragment of the asteroid Bennu, on loan from NASA, won't be on display for visitors, but will give scientists the chance to study an asteroid sample uncontaminated by Earth's atmosphere.

Rebecca Willett comments on the crackdown of student visas. The US says it will “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas and has paused interviews for all student visa applicants. Experts warn the moves could weaken American leadership in STEM.
 

Asst. Prof. Harley Katz discusses the finding of the oldest galaxy in the universe and how that affects our understanding of astronomy. 

By proving mathematically how individual molecules create the complex motion of fluids, three mathematicians, including Yu Deng, have illuminated why time can’t flow in reverse.
 

Analysis by Rafael Luque and Michael Zhang casts doubt on the detection of biosignatures. 

Students and faculty reflect upon the programs in data science and computer science, as well as how they provide real-world skills and hands-on experience in a supportive environment. 

David Jablonski discusses how ecosystems recover from extinction events and how we can best prepare for the next one. 

Scientists led by Wendy Freedman have made a new calculation of the speed at which the universe is expanding, using the data taken by the powerful new James Webb Space Telescope on multiple galaxies. 

Mina Lee shares insights into her research on AI and writing, and discusses the future of LLMs.

A series of studies, including one by Rafael Luque, have cast doubt on the sensational claim that "the strongest evidence yet" was found that life exists anywhere else besides Earth.

New research done by Edwin Kite suggests that the idea of transforming the Red Planet might not be so far-fetched after all.