News: Research

2024

Can we engineer our way out of the climate crisis? U. of C. hopes to find out.

September 26, 2024

Portrait of Prof. David Keith

UChicago continues to position itself as a leader in the emerging field of geoengineering. Prof. David Keith leads the university's climate engineering program, seeking to understand how geoengineering can be used to cool down the planet. This initiative continues to recruit a wide range of researchers committed to the cause of fighting global warming.


The Goldilocks zone of cobalt reactivity: navigating the balance of stability and reactivity in cobalt oxides

September 24, 2024

Icon of microscope

Looking for more sustainable energy solutions, scientists are examining the promising role that cobalt oxides can play in innovative technologies; however, utilizing their potential poses a challenge for researchers. New research from John Anderson's laboratory tackles this complexity by successfully stabilizing a molecule with two cobalt centers.


A scientific polymath paves her own path to intellectual freedom

September 24, 2024

Portrait of Prof. Palmer

Prof. Stephanie Palmer, whose work blends biology, physics, math, and computer science, is one of six new Schmidt Science Polymaths, a program to support creative, multidisciplinary researchers.


Was life on Earth inevitable or incredible?

September 19, 2024

Animated icon of the galaxy

In this opinion piece, Chemistry Prof. Jack W. Szostak discusses the mysteries behind the origins of life on Earth and how these questions can inform scientists' search for life elsewhere.


NSF and Simons Foundation launch $20 million National AI Research Institute in Astronomy

September 18, 2024

SkAI

SkAI Institute will develop AI tools and accelerate astronomy’s data-driven revolution.


2024 Innovator of the Year: Shawn Shan builds tools to help artists fight back against exploitative AI

September 17, 2024

Photo of Shawn Shan

Shawn Shan, a PhD student in computer science, was named one of MIT Technology Review’s 2024 Innovators Under 35. Shan helped create Glaze and Nightshade, tools that allow artists to protect their work from AI scraping.


Beckman Foundation revisits Sarah King’s spectroscopic research

September 17, 2024

Portrait of Prof. Sarah King

In a new video, the Beckman Foundation highlights the research of UChicago Asst. Professor Sarah King in dynamic spectroscopy. King was a recipient of the 2020 Beckman Foundation Young Investigator Program award.


Ben Zhao: One of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI

September 13, 2024

Photo-Illustration by TIME

The second edition of TIME100 AI showcases some of the most influential new leaders in AI research and technology. Featured in this year's list is UChicago's Computer Science professor Ben Zhao, the inventor of Nightshade, a program that helps protect artists' work from AI scraping.


Something is wrong with our understanding of the Universe and the closer we look the weirder it gets

September 13, 2024

Photo of the Planck satellite

Scientists' understanding of the universe is ever-evolving, and recent research has tackled some of the biggest questions in cosmology. Professor Wendy Freedman's work is among these landmark developments, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope to challenge the existence of the Hubble tension.
 


The biggest controversy in cosmology just got bigger

September 13, 2024

James Webb Telescope icon

A long-awaited study of the cosmic expansion rate suggests that when it comes to the Hubble tension, cosmologists are still missing something. The results of UChicago Prof. Wendy Freedman's new measurements of the cosmic expansion rate might reveal that the Hubble tension is not real.
 


New method of creating quantum dots solves integration challenge

September 11, 2024

Image of the research's solution

In a new paper, a UChicago PME-led team of researchers from UChicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and University of Illinois Chicago used defect-embedded colloidal nanocrystals to create a perfect mixture of tiny solids in solution, which presents a better way to integrate quantum technologies. 


Building a Clean Climate Future: Coalition led by UChicago engineering professors Shirley Meng and Laura Gagliardi will bridge industry, academia and national labs

September 11, 2024

Icon of green energy

On August 16, stakeholders from academia, national labs, and industry—ranging from major corporations to startups—gathered for the soft launch of the Energy Transition Network, a new collaboration aimed at shifting the world away from fossil fuels in a safe, rapid, and cost-effective manner. Led by Professors Shirley Meng and Laura Gagliardi, the project will leverage Chicago’s existing resources to transform the region into a central hub of education, innovation, and startups focused on environmental issues.


Improving precision medicine: Dickinson Lab’s innovations with covalent macrocyclic peptides

September 11, 2024

Icon of chemistry research

Tong Lan, a graduate student with the Bryan Dickinson lab, is first author of a new paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society that presents breakthrough research on covalent macrocyclic peptides. This work is essential for the development of more effective and targeted cancer treatments. 


New classical algorithm enhances understanding of quantum computing’s future

September 11, 2024

Animated icon of a scientist conducting quantum research

In an exciting development for quantum computing, researchers from the Department of Computer Science, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and Argonne National Laboratory have introduced a groundbreaking classical algorithm that simulates Gaussian boson sampling (GBS) experiments. 


University of Chicago to develop software for effort to create a national quantum virtual laboratory

September 11, 2024

Icon of quantum research

The University of Chicago is celebrating a major achievement with the recent announcement of a $1 million investment from the NSF for the first year of the ambitious Quantum Advantage Computing and Technology Initiative (QACTI) project.