News: Students

PhD Candidate Alex Wuqi Zhang studies whether allowing users to customize robot behavior might reduce how intelligent, autonomous, and agentic AI-powered robots seem to them.

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

DSI Industry Affiliate’s recruitment event draws 130 students for an evening of networking and fun.

Anna Gaffney, a fifth-year PhD student in the Biophysical Sciences, studies biological thin sheet mechanics and instabilities. Born and raised in Marysville, Michigan, Anna earned her BS in Biophysics at the University of Michigan. We interviewed Anna about her experiences at UChicago.

Hunter Guo, a first-year master’s student in Applied Data Science, studies communication. “The data scientist’s most important skill is not about building a fancy model,” he says, “but about establishing an executable tool that people can use and explaining the concept in a simple language that everyone can understand.” Born in Lanzhou, China, Hunter studied economics at The Ohio State University and then interned at Wells Fargo’s Risk Control team. We interviewed Hunter about his experiences at UChicago.

Team led by UChicago CS PhD student Steven Song evaluated the effectiveness of novel small-scale AI models in identifying non-melanoma skin cancers.

New study explores how workers are using large language models and what it means for science organizations.
 

PhD candidate Jas Brooks leads a study that developed an innovative nasal interface to alter the perceived ease of breathing.

A new study by University of Chicago chemists shows how to quickly and easily make variations on a type of molecules called pyrazoles, which are often used in drug development.

Utilizing research-driven micro-lessons, researchers from the Department of Computer Science are empowering elementary school children with essential digital privacy, literacy, and security skills through engaging, context-based education.

Congratulations to PSD graduate student, Nikki Keramati, who was awarded a 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship! The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.

Geophysical Sciences graduate student Jui-Chun Freya Chen won first place for her image, “Anemometer in the High Arctic.” 

An eavesdropper hiding inside a black hole could still obtain information about quantum objects on its outside, a finding that reveals how effectively black holes destroy the quantum states near their event horizons. Research by Physics grad student Daine Danielson. [paywall]

Physicists from the University of Amsterdam and the University of Chicago have demonstrated a series of ‘odd’ objects that are remarkably good at moving across any terrain they encounter—including uphill and over obstacles placed in their way.

In a new UChicago study, researchers discovered a method to transform an ingredient used in herbal tea to make hydrogel, a substance that can be used for biomedical purposes.