News: Students

2026

From dark patterns research to landmark litigation: UChicago CS PhD graduate Brennan Schaffner receives ACM SIGCHI Special Recognition Award

May 26, 2026

Photo of Brennan Schaffner.

PhD Graduate Brennan Schaffner receives ACM SIGCHI special recognition award for his research on dark patterns, subsequent interventions, and influence users. 


Deep in the ice, Antarctic detectors pick up incoming cosmic rays from outer space

May 18, 2026

Scientists at work installing cables and electronic components for the Askaryan Radio Array, a detector for incoming cosmic particles located at the South Pole.

Detection by Askaryan Radio Array holds promise for future research into sources, nature of cosmic rays and neutrinos. 


2026 AI + science hackathon tackles real-world scientific challenges using AI

May 18, 2026

Shira Lupkin presents the Leveraging Multi-Agent Frameworks to Extract Clinical Information from Medical Transcripts project to Hackathon participants.

Schmidt AI in Science Fellows mentored twelve interdisciplinary student teams that applied machine learning to advance scientific discovery.


University of Chicago launches joint MD/MS in Applied Data Science Program

May 18, 2026

Photo of a doctor folding their arms.

The University of Chicago has announced a new joint-degree program that combines a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the Pritzker School of Medicine with a Master of Science in Applied Data Science from the Data Science Institute and Physical Sciences Division.


Prize Winners for Educational Excellence 2026

May 15, 2026

students in classroom

This year, eight PSD instructors and students have been honored for excellence in teaching the next generation of physical and mathematical scientists.


Four UChicago undergraduates awarded 2026 Goldwater Scholarship

May 11, 2026

clockwise from top left: Arthur Costa, Shelley Fernando, Mason McCormack, and Vincent Wang

Third-years Arthur Costa, Shelley Fernando, Mason McCormack, and Vincent Wang, all of whom study PSD or joint-PSD subjects, earn the prestigious award for their research.


A stable solution

May 11, 2026

a video still of viscous fingers forming

How UChicago physicists delayed the formation of viscous fingers between fluids.


Scientists detect radio bursts beneath Antarctic ice that could reveal ghost particles

May 11, 2026

Photo of glaciers.

Physics grad student Nathaniel Alden found that high-energy particle impacts can produce radio flashes from within Antarctic ice.


Teaching quantum physics through playful flair

May 8, 2026

Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe

UChicago physics PhD student Robert Weinbaum uses games to explain complex concepts.


University of Chicago: Partnership with AI Research Commons, Microsoft, and Nvidia to accelerate Midwest AI startups

May 5, 2026

Photo of the University of Chicago.

The University of Chicago announced a new partnership with AI Research Commons, Microsoft, and NVIDIA to support and accelerate early-stage artificial intelligence startups emerging from Midwest research institutions.


The time constraints of AI access could change how we think

May 4, 2026

A photo of Jiayin Zhi standing at a lectern presenting her research on the time constraints of AI in front of a projector screen.

Second year PhD student Jiayin Zhi finds that time constraints, as well as when AI access is available, shapes human critical thinking.


A group of students discovers a tiny star with almost no metals that shouldn’t be in the Milky Way

May 2, 2026

A photo of a starry sky.

A tiny star with almost no metals has just been found in the Milky Way, but it’s from somewhere else entirely.


A quieter world for quantum

April 30, 2026

Scientific illustration of a qubit

Researchers, including a Physics postdoc and a Physics grad student, found that a novel qubit platform, invented at Argonne, exhibits noise levels thousands of times lower than those of most traditional qubits. The finding positions the platform as a strong contender in the quantum technology field.


Going the distance

April 29, 2026

Atreyie Ghosh (left) and Sarah King

UChicago chemists “film” long-range light-matter hybrid particles.


For better sleep, one MS-ADS student turned to artificial intelligence

April 19, 2026

An artistic rendition of AI.

Like many people, Miguel Roca had long struggled to fall asleep. Podcasts helped, sometimes, soft voices narrating history or science, but they were inconsistent. So he began to wonder: what if the story could be tailored, not just to a general audience, but to him? That question led to Stories for Sleepless Nights, an AI-driven system that generates personalized bedtime stories designed to calm the mind.