News

2026

Webb Telescope discovers new molecule, uncovers hidden photochemistry

September 22, 2026

Artist concept of TOI-6894 b

Finding reveals how starlight drives surprising chemistry, offers new way to study alien atmospheres.
 


University of Chicago researchers share new map of universe thanks to South Pole Telescope

September 21, 2026

Photo of the South Pole telescope.

An effort led by University of Chicago researchers has provided the sharpest and clearest ever map of mass in the universe.


In 2024, University of Chicago researchers turned discarded bio-oil char into graphite; 8 hours of cooling made crystals 5 times thicker and over 15 times wider

September 21, 2026

Discarded bio-oil char (representative image).

US researchers have developed a method to convert plant waste into high-quality graphite. This breakthrough offers a potential domestic source for a critical battery component. The new process involves slow cooling of biochar, creating larger graphite crystals. This sustainable alternative could reduce reliance on imported graphite for electronics. Further development is needed to scale up production and lower costs for commercial use.


David Awschalom wins global breakthrough of the Year Award for interdisciplinary work in molecular and protein qubits

September 21, 2026

Benjamin Soloway, a University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) quantum PhD candidate in David Awschalom’s lab, and Jacob Feder, a former student of Awschalom and Peter Maurer, were co-first authors of a paper about pro

Award by Berlin-based Falling Walls Foundation honors high-risk, multi-field leap across quantum, biology, and chemistry.


Harnessing AI to find new materials

September 21, 2026

PME/Stats PhD student Rodrigo Pires Ferreira uses AI and machine learning to determine the best materials for chemical sensors.

PhD student Rodrigo Pires Ferreira, co-advised by statistics Asst. Prof. Claire Donnat, uses his talents for problem solving to discover new materials for future technologies.


Four UChicago CS students named to Siebel Scholars class of 2027

September 18, 2026

G. Jake Chanenson, María Fernanda Muñoz (top); Anup Sathya, Alex Wuqi Zhang (bottom)

G. Jake Chanenson, María Fernanda Muñoz, Anup Sathya, and Alex Wuqi Zhang were selected to the prestigious program’s Class of 2027.


Free UChicago public lectures celebrate 50 years of discovery with talks on the origins of the universe, dark matter, gravitational waves, and particle physics

September 15, 2026

Aurora over south pole telescope

Half a century ago, scientists at the University of Chicago's Enrico Fermi Institute helped invent a new way to study the universe: by treating the Big Bang itself as a laboratory to explore nature at energy scales unreachable on earth. This fall, nine of the researchers who carry that legacy forward will share what those fifty years have uncovered — from the invisible matter holding galaxies together to the gravitational ripples of colliding black holes.

The series of free public talks by UChicago scientists, “The Compton Lectures: 50 Years of Discovery,” run every Saturday from Oct. 3 through Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. in the Kersten Physics Teaching Center.
 


UChicago, U of I land $75 million in federal funding for quantum research

September 14, 2026

A series of mechanical devices.

Teams led by University of Chicago and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have received new five-year grants from the National Science Foundation for quantum technology research worth $37.5 million apiece.


Dark matter experiment catches quietest neutrinos ever measured

September 14, 2026

This photograph shows the dry interior of a large water tank, which when filled shields the massive xenon-flooded detector of the XENONnT dark matter experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy.

In its hunt for dark matter, the XENONnT experiment has detected the rare, feeble glow of neutrinos smacking into electrons.


Helium lifts new quantum computing concept

September 14, 2026

University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Physics Department Assoc. Prof. Jacob Covey led a team turning helium’s low mass into a new blueprint for the next generation of fermionic quantum computers.

Breakthrough from a team led by Jacob Covey, associate professor in the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Department of Physics, turns helium-3’s low mass into a quantum resource.


South Pole Telescope releases clearest map ever of matter in the distant universe

September 14, 2026

Data taken by the South Pole Telescope, above, has revealed new information about the history of the universe.

Study led by UChicago researchers uses bending by gravity of the oldest light in the universe to map the intervening structure.


Argonne takes AI on the road

September 14, 2026

Argonne researchers Matthew Tuftedal and Rory Butler speak at the Star Wars-inspired event, “These Are the Droids We’re Looking For: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and the Race to Build C-3PO for Science,” held at the Gaylord Building in Lockport

Argonne scientists are hitting the road, bringing AI out of the lab and into libraries, museums and community centers. No jargon. Just great science.


New method swaps single atom in a molecule to speed drug discovery

September 14, 2026

A group of chemists with the University of Chicago has shown a new way to make a single-atom edit to a molecule, without changing any of its other components.

UChicago chemists invent faster, cheaper technique to turn isoxazoles into pyrroles, a building block for medicines.


Illinois-led regional quantum hub NSF HQAN renewed to pursue industry-ready computing and workforce development

September 14, 2026

Image depicting a quantum globe.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has renewed the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign-led NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (NSF HQAN) for a second phase with $37.5 million in funding over five years. One of the original three NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, NSF HQAN is the nexus of quantum information science and technology research in the Midwest.


Laura Gagliardi awarded the 2027 Henry H. Storch Award in energy chemistry

September 14, 2026

Prof. Laura Gagliardi earned the 2027 Henry H. Storch Award in Energy Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The American Chemical Society honor recognizes Gagliardi's pioneering work and its application to catalyst design, carbon capture, and the global energy transition.