News: Research

2022

The next stage of cosmic microwave background research

October 19, 2022

Collage of Atacama Cosmology Telescope in the foreground with snowy scene of South Pole in the background

With CMB-S4, scientists including UChicago cosmologists John Carlstrom and Jeff McMahon hope to connect a sandy desert with a polar desert—and revolutionize our understanding of the early universe.


Asst. Prof. Weixin Tang, Dept. of Chemistry, named a 2022 Packard Fellow

October 18, 2022

Weixin Tang

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor Weixin Tang, Dept. of Chemistry, was named a 2022 Packard Fellow. The award will support her research to develop a mammalian biology-compatible, adaptation-ready directed evolution strategy to isolate biomolecules for therapeutic discovery.


Her work helped her boss win the Nobel Prize. Now the spotlight is on her

October 17, 2022

Donna Elbert

UChicago research assistant, Donna DeEtte Elbert, was a “computer” for Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and shared authorship with the Nobel laureate on 18 papers. Her pivotal finding about planetary magnetic fields existed for years as a footnote in his work—until recently.


These tiny ultra-porous crystals could transform cancer treatments and more

October 17, 2022

An illustration of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) showing metal and organic material (carbon) in a grid in a porous nano material

How can super-porous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) advance healthcare? Prof. Wenbin Lin, Dept. of Chemistry, has spent two decades inventing MOFs that can enhance the effect of the radiation in tumor cells without amplifying damage to normal cells.


Using quantum data to create an unhackable Internet: ‘We’re getting close,’ University of Chicago expert leading project says

October 14, 2022

A superconducting nanowire single-photon detector on a lab bench

A profile of the Chicago quantum network project. “What we’re looking at is: Can you transmit info in a secure way that is immune to hacking and protects your personal and privacy?” says Prof. David Awschalom, Dept. of Physics. “We’re getting close.”


Black holes, explained

October 13, 2022

supermassive blackhole

Black holes fascinate both the public and scientists—they push the limits of our understanding about matter, space and time. Read more about them in this UChicago News Explainer Series,


Common deidentification methods don’t fully protect data privacy, study finds

October 13, 2022

people walking cast long shadows

In an award-winning paper, Asst. Prof. Aloni Cohen, Dept. of Computer Science and Data Science, described a new kind of attack called “downcoding” and warns that the most popular data transformations intended to anonymize should not be considered sufficient to protect individuals’ privacy.


Chicago scientists are testing an unhackable quantum internet in their basement closet

October 11, 2022

Hardware for quantum computing in a lab

The Washington Post visited Prof. David Awschalom's lab to explore the cutting edge quantum research happening in Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Dept. of Physics at UChicago.


Huge reflector arrives at University of Chicago for South Pole telescope project

October 11, 2022

a massive, shiny telescope reflector that arrived to UChicago campus on Friday surrounded by researchers

A telescope reflector for CMB-S4 made from two 20-ton blocks of aluminum came to UChicago campus Friday afternoon for installation in the new High Bay Research Building. It arrived via ship from Germany, and then was escorted by police from Indiana, across the South Side, to S. Maryland Ave.


David Awschalom awarded $1 million for development of South Korea-U.S. quantum center

October 5, 2022

David Awschalom

The National Research Foundation of South Korea (NRF) has awarded Prof. David Awschalom on the Dept. of Physics $1 million to co-lead the creation of a South Korea-U.S. joint research center dedicated to quantum error correction.


Yamuna Krishnan wins NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for High-Risk, High-Reward Research

October 3, 2022

Yamuna Krishnan

Prof. Yamuna Krishnan has been awarded the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for High-Risk, High-Reward Research. Her group will embark on an ambitious new direction to map organelles electrochemically.


PSD in the News - September 2022

October 3, 2022

PSD against a white and turquoise background

This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to explain half-rock, half-water exoplanets around small stars, build a wheel that can crawl along varying terrain, and comment on climate science related to Hurricane Ian.


A wheel made of ‘odd matter’ spontaneously rolls uphill

September 26, 2022

Prof. Vincenzo Vitelli and physicist Corentin Coulais of the University of Amsterdam have engineered an odd wheel that uses component parts to automatically adjust its wiggling motion to compensate for uneven terrain.


The origin of life on Earth, explained

September 19, 2022

Earth at night from space

This explainer from UChicago News explores what geochemical conditions nurtured the first life forms. What water, chemistry and temperature cycles fostered the chemical reactions that allowed life to emerge on our planet?


UChicago earns #6 spot in U.S. News Best Colleges

September 12, 2022

U.S. News and World Report logo on maroon background

The University of Chicago earned the #6 spot in U.S. News Best Colleges national university rankings for 2022-2023.