2026
Why analytic superiority matters most in the AI race
July 20, 2026
Integrating artificial intelligence of varying capacities may outshine investing in the most powerful models. Op-ed co-authored by Robert Grossman, the Frederick H. Rawson Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Computer Science and the Jim and Karen Frank Director of the Center for Translational Data Science at the University of Chicago.
AI-enhanced rare-event sampling helps predict extreme weather
July 20, 2026
The frequency of extreme weather events can be predicted more accurately than presently possible by combining artificial intelligence (AI) with physical climate modelling, using a protocol called rare-event sampling. Researchers used the approach to model extreme heat events such as the one currently roasting Europe, but they believe it could also be applicable to many other extreme events in climate science.
Milky Way’s galactic immigrant: How ten students found a nearly pristine extragalactic star
July 20, 2026
A few million years after the Big Bang, a nearly pure star formed within the ancient gas clouds of the Large Magellanic Cloud. This satellite galaxy currently orbits the Milky Way. The star formed primarily from primordial hydrogen and helium gas before early supernova explosions could enrich the local universe with heavier metallic elements. Billions of years later, ten undergraduate students at the University of Chicago identified the rare celestial object within an astronomical data archive.
Stuart Rowan named Interim Dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
July 20, 2026
Stuart Rowan, the Director of UChicago PME’s Institute for Materials and Sustainability (IMS), the Barry L. MacLean Professor for Molecular Engineering Innovation and Enterprise, and Professor of Chemistry, has been named Interim Dean of UChicago PME.
South Pole Telescope analysis releases new catalog of more than 7,000 galaxy clusters
July 20, 2026
New cosmic census, led by Argonne and UChicago, shows how universe grew and changed.
When chatbots come to class: how high school students are navigating the new AI frontier
July 20, 2026
New research reveals how high school students are adapting to the classroom arrival of AI tools like ChatGPT, facing fragmented policies and unclear boundaries.
UChicago receives W. M. Keck Research Program grant to study nonreciprocal interactions
July 14, 2026
W. M. Keck Foundation awarded UChicago $1.3M for the project, “Non-Reciprocal Matter,” led by Heinrich Jaeger, the Sewell Avery Distinguished Service Professor in Physics, the James Franck Institute, and the College.
Jupiter may contain far more oxygen than the Sun, New study reveals
July 14, 2026
New simulations reveal that Jupiter contains significantly more oxygen than the Sun, offering fresh clues about how the giant planet, and the early solar system, formed.
Artificial ‘leaf’ powers wireless biomedical device
July 6, 2026
A UChicago research team created a nanoplasmonic material that harvests light energy for biomedical sensing and stimulation.
6 pivotal moments in 250 years of US chemistry
July 6, 2026
Prof. Laura Gagliardi on pivotal moments in US chemistry.
Energy Technologies Initiative to receive new leadership
July 6, 2026
Stuart Rowan will serve as the new leader, while the Founding Faculty Director Shirley Meng will continue leading the Energy Transition Network.
A new technology to save cooling power could give data centers a boost
July 6, 2026
A new study finds that storing cold water used to cool data centers underground could increase IT power capacity by 9.8 percent across three U.S. markets, with gains as high as 11 percent in Arizona's hot, dry climate.
Powerful seismic waves from Japan’s 2011 earthquake struck Earth’s core and bounced back up, moving island eastward
July 6, 2026
Event is first documented to involve four major tectonic plates, finds UChicago scientist Sunyoung Park.
Almost the whole of Japan moved eastward after 2011 earthquake
July 6, 2026
An extremely unusual tectonic movement took place 15 minutes after the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, causing almost the whole of Japan to move 5 millimetres to the east.
AI weather modeling being developed by U Chicago could help create more accurate forecasts
July 6, 2026
Research led by Assoc. Prof. Pedram Hassanzadeh. Watch the CBS news segment.