News: Faculty

Profs. Wendy Freedman and Matthew Stephens have been elected to the Royal Society, a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. This year, 59 scientists from around the world were elected Fellows or Foreign Members of the Society for their outstanding contributions to science.

The National Science Foundation has awarded $52.66 million to upgrade the Simons Observatory, a set of telescopes high in the Chilean desert that looks for traces of light from the earliest epochs of the universe.  Improvements include upgraded receiver, solar panels to power the observatory and data processing pipeline

New Scientist features a mechanical backpack developed by Prof. Pedro Lopes and his colleagues. JumpMod can enhance the sensation of virtual reality by sliding a weight up and down.

U.S. News & World Report released the 2023 rankings for the top science schools for graduate education in the United States. The Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago was well-represented in top rankings for graduate programs and specialties.

A University of Chicago study found links at the atomic level between photosynthesis and exciton condensates—a strange state of physics that allows energy to flow frictionlessly through a material. The finding is scientifically intriguing and may suggest new ways to think about designing electronics, the authors said.

Modern science suggests that we and all our achievements and memories are destined to vanish like a dream. Is that sad or good?

Leading scholars, tech developers, and entrepreneurs discussed how A.I. and machine learning are being used for scientific discovery at the inaugural University of Chicago and Caltech Conference on AI+Science, sponsored by the Tom and Margo Pritzker Foundation. The event, hosted in late March, brought together dozens of leading researchers in core AI and domain sciences to lead conversations and drive partnerships that will shape future research priorities, industry investment and entrepreneurial opportunities. 

Radiocarbon dating, also known as carbon-14 dating, is a method to determine the age of organic materials as old as 60,000 years. First developed in the 1940s at the University of Chicago by Willard Libby, the breakthrough technique ushered in the “radiocarbon revolution” and impacted fields from archaeology to climate science—forever changing our picture of human history.

This month PSD researchers have been recognized for their pioneering discoveries, the quality and innovation of their research programs, and their unique contributions to new fields of inquiry. 

MyChoice extern and computer science graduate student, Kevin Bryson, writes about Prof. Tiffany Shaw on her journey from teen pilot to climate scientist.

Prof. Michael J. Franklin elected as member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. 

WBBM Newsradio's Rob Hart on Tuesday hosted a live forum with experts about the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence tech, including the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.

So-called “higher symmetries” are illuminating everything from particle decays to the behavior of complex quantum systems.

Associate Professor, John Anderson, discusses the Indiana plastic fire. 

The Community Engagement Working Group in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics organized the South Side Science Art Contest, open to children K-12 who attend schools on the South Side of Chicago.