News: Faculty

2020

Astronomy Professors John Carlstrom, Wendy Freedman, and Michael Turner named AAS Legacy Fellows

February 26, 2020

John Carlstrom, Wendy Freedman, and Michael Turner

American Astronomical Society has announced their new Fellows program, kicking it off with an initial group of 200 Legacy Fellows. Astronomy Professors John Carlstrom, Wendy Freedman, and Michael Turner were among those named Legacy Fellows.


UChicago scientists predict new state of matter

February 25, 2020

Shiva Safaei, David Mazziotti, and LeeAnn Sager

A discovery by Chemistry Prof. David Mazziotti, Dr. Shiva Safaei, and graduate student LeeAnn Sager addresses the problem of generating and moving energy efficiently


Assoc. Prof. David Schuster and Fermilab scientist Daniel Bowring use quantum computing to explore dark matter

February 20, 2020

quantum computing experiment at Fermilab

Assoc. Prof. David Schuster and grad students Akash Dixit and Ankur Agrawal are searching for dark matter with quantum computers, one blip of light at a time


Scientists at Argonne and UChicago entangled photons across a 52-mile quantum loop network

February 19, 2020

Argonne and University of Chicago scientists

Scientists at Argonne and UChicago entangled photons across a 52-mile quantum loop network, helping to lay the foundations for a national quantum internet


Scientific American covers the debate around Astronomy Prof. Wendy Freedman’s research on the rates of the universe

February 19, 2020

purple orbs

Research on the rate of the universe may point to a New Physics


New York Times features UChicago Computer Science wearable jammer project

February 17, 2020

jammable bracelet by Pedro Lopes

Computer Science professors Pedro Lopes, Ben Zhao, and Heather Zheng developed wearable defenses against listening devices such as Alexa


Astronomy Professor Robert Rosner discusses recent breakthrough solar imagery on Chicago Tonight

February 13, 2020

Bob Rosner on video

Prof. Rosner explains Inouye Telescope advancements and why new imagery is exciting


Astronomy Asst. Prof. Leslie Rogers has been selected for a 2020 Cottrell Scholar Award in support of her study of exoplanets

February 11, 2020

Leslie Rogers headshot

The Research Corporation for Science Advancement has selected astronomer Leslie Rogers for a Cottrell Award
 


For geophysical scientists Philipp Heck and Jennika Greer, a single grain of Apollo moon dust opens new world of lunar science

February 7, 2020

Lunar dust

Assoc. prof. in geophysical sciences Philip Heck and postdoc Jennika Greer are using a new technique called atom probe tomography to learn about the moon’s history, atom by atom.


Crafoord Prize winner Eugene Parker’s contributions to solar astronomy are explained in A Solar Science Timeline

February 6, 2020

Eugene Parker watches the launch of NASA's Parker Space Probe

Crafoord Prize winner Eugene Parker’s contributions to solar astronomy are explained in A Solar Science Timeline


Eric Jonas, Assistant Professor in Computer Science, delegates spectroscopy to the machines

February 5, 2020

Eric Jonas

Asst. Prof. Eric Jonas described a new technique for reading nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, opening up new possibilities for chemical analysis and the design of new molecules using a “self-driving spectrometer.”


New telescope reveals most detailed images of sun’s surface

February 4, 2020

Inouye telescope

The first images from NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii show a remarkable, close-up view of the sun’s surface. Robert Rosner, the William E. Wrather Distinguished Service Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, said seeing the amazing surfaces of its structures has been a forty-year endeavor.


What does climate change sound like? An Antarctic iceberg speaks in concert at Millennium Park

February 4, 2020

Glacier and snow caps

Using seismic vibrations collected from glaciers in the Antarctic, Prof. Doug MacAyeal partnered with Chicago-based artist collective Luftwerk to convert the sonic data into frequencies humans could hear. The goal was to translate an ailing iceberg and deepen public understanding through an emotional artistic experience of sea level rise.


Scientists discover hidden symmetries, opening new avenues for material design

January 31, 2020

Legos

UChicago scientists see opportunities for ‘metamaterials’ designed using dualities.


Prof. Eugene Parker wins prestigious Crafoord Prize in Astronomy

January 30, 2020

Eugene Parker

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Jan. 30 that University of Chicago Prof. Emeritus Eugene Parker has been awarded the 2020 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.
Awarded every three years, the prestigious Crafoord Prize consists of a gold medal and a sum of six million Swedish krona (about $600,000)—one of the largest prizes in science. 
The Academy, which is also responsible for selecting Nobel Prize winners, cited Parker for his “pioneering and fundamental studies of the solar wind and magnetic fields from stellar to galactic scales.”