News: Research

From split‑ring resonators to rare‑isotope beams, ATLAS has been expanding the frontiers of nuclear physics for four decades — and it’s just getting started.

Chicago researchers, teachers, and curriculum leaders partnered to test if robots need fictional personalities to boost students’ social-emotional learning. Their results show that honest, factual robots can effectively supplement classroom instruction—challenging conventions and illuminating a new, ethical path for educational technology. The study was honored with the Best Paper Award at the prestigious 2026 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction.
 

UChicago researchers launch civic chatbot to educate and challenge voters.
 

Argonne scientists discover how extreme conditions shape carbon into advanced materials for medicine, energy and defense.

Still in its original galaxy, a rare holdout from the second generation of stars sheds new light on the origins of the elements—and how massive supernovae reshaped the cosmos.

In this spring’s Compton Lectures, Keith McBride, a UChicago postdoctoral researcher, will illuminate how astroparticles can answer questions about the farthest reaches of our universe as well as be harnessed as practical tools to understand our earth. The free public talks run every Saturday from March 28 through May 16 at 11 AM.
 

University of Chicago’s PUEO mission floated above Antarctica for 23 days, collecting data on ultra-high energy neutrinos from 120,000 feet, with results expected in one year.

Scientists have dived deeper into the "eye of the storm" swirling around supermassive black holes than ever before. This unprecedented investigation of the turbulent and violent conditions around these cosmic titans, including the first black hole ever imaged by humanity, was possible thanks to the joint Japanese Aerospace Agency (JAXA)/ NASA X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM).
 

New infrared light sources mark 100-fold efficiency boost, could improve broad range of sensors, technology.

Greg Engel and Julian Solway are leading the new UChicago Berggren Center to bring quantum tools into the clinic. In a Q&A, they explain what that means for patients.

Analyzing NOAA's billion-dollar weather disaster database, a UChicago-led study projects sharply rising costs driven by climate change and expanding development.

The workshop convened researchers to discuss progress on AI models, tools and data commons for applying AI to biology, medicine, and healthcare.

A University of Chicago–led team launched NASA’s Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO) experiment via balloon above Antarctica, aiming to detect elusive, ultra-high-energy neutrinos. 

New approach may help shed light on turbulence, other stubborn natural mysteries.

UChicago scientists clock a driving factor in the evolution of error correction.