Congrats to Profs. Yu Deng and Tomer Schlank on earning 2026 Clay Research Awards! www.claymath.org/news/2026-cl...

Congratulations to Clay Córdova for winning the 2026 New Horizons in Physics Prize for "generalizing the notion of symmetry in various ways, and for exploring the consequences of these generalized symmetries." physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...

There's still time to celebrate Earth Day with events extending through the end of the month! Check out the calendar and join us! news.uchicago.edu/story/celebr...

Assoc. Prof. Pedram Hassanzadeh is pushing the limits of extreme weather prediction at UChicago. His team is leveraging AI to forecast events that have never even been observed before. www.youtube.com/watch?v=maN5...

The 2026 Science as Art winners are here! 🏆 “Yin and Yang: Harmony in Chaos” by Takumi Matsuzawa captured swirling turbulence in vivid color; “Cartography of the Mouse” mapped gene expression with flair. Honorable mentions feature ancient ceramics and plasma waves! news.uchicago.edu/story/winner...

Congratulations to Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb, awarded the prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowship! 🪐 Her work blends cutting-edge exoplanet observations and theory to reveal the secrets of the galaxy’s most common, but mysterious, sub-Neptunes. 🚀 shorturl.at/9bFIh

AI weather forecasting can inform decision-making to improve public health and agriculture in these regions Read the full story - datascience.uchicago.edu/news/univers...

An interdisciplinary team at UChicago has won a distinguished Laude Institute Moonshots Seed Grant @ianfoster42.bsky.social, @pedramh.bsky.social, Michael Kremer, and @beccawillett.bsky.social will work to advance actionable AI weather forecasting in developing economies in Africa and Asia 🔗 ⬇️

Congrats to Alexandra Worden of the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Department of the Geophysical Sciences at UChicago! She joins a group of distinguished artists, scientists, and scholars in the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows. #2026GuggFellows physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...

How do materials change at the nanoscale? 🌟 UChicago President Paul Alivisatos and PME student and first author, Binyu Wu, created a new simulation revealing cation exchange in nanocrystals. Dive into the science at the link in bio! pme.uchicago.edu/news/insight...

Scientists at the University of Chicago are exploring the cosmic mystery of dark matter—an invisible force that binds galaxies and shapes the universe. With cutting-edge detectors and creative theories, they’re working to uncover what lies beyond the visible. More: news.uchicago.edu/story/dark-m...

What if the secret to pain relief was hiding in your phone battery? 🔋 UChicago scientists found a new way to use lithium-ion tech as a flexible patch, aiming for targeted treatment with fewer side effects. news.uchicago.edu/story/secret...

Join us 4/14 during International #DarkSkyWeek for a global livestream on the latest progress of the Giant Magellan Telescope. Go behind the scenes of the engineering, science, and international collaboration driving the observatory toward first light in the 2030s. summit.giantmagellan.org

Thank you for supporting the Physical Sciences Division this Giving Day! We are grateful for your generosity and support for history in the making!

Great news—there’s still time! Help the Physical Sciences Division reach our Giving Day goal by 2 PM with a gift to the Stuart A. Rice Physical Sciences Memorial Fund or the PSD Graduate Fund. Your generosity directly supports tomorrow’s leaders in science. shorturl.at/pfQgf

A gift to the PSD Graduate Fund enables our students to carry on UChicago’s legacy of pioneering researchers, who are making history in our classrooms, labs, and communities across the world. Join us in giving to support scientific advances that will transform the future. shorturl.at/pfQgf

From unveiling cosmic mysteries to revolutionizing technology, our students pursue breakthroughs alongside faculty mentors. Your gift to the PSD Graduate Fund helps keep this momentum—and legacy—going. shorturl.at/pfQgf

Giving Day is here! Your gift to the Stuart A. Rice Physical Sciences Memorial Fund invests in outstanding graduate students who share Rice's spirit of boldness, curiosity, and discovery. Join us: shorturl.at/pfQgf

Discover 130 years of UChicago physics through books, stories, and unsung voices in “Binding Energy”—a student-curated web exhibit uncovering the lives behind groundbreaking ideas. Explore the exhibit: shorturl.at/uZMqV

How can particles from deep space help us map Earth’s core or unlock the origins of lightning? Join the free Compton Lectures, featuring Keith McBride on Saturdays at 11 AM from March 28–May 16, to find out how UChicago scientists are chasing cosmic clues! efi.uchicago.edu/events/compt...

Giving Day begins at noon on March 31! Join fellow Maroons in 24 hours of giving back—supporting students, faculty, and world-changing research at UChicago.

Science took center stage in #ProjectHailMary 🎬 Members from UChicago PME, PSD and Argonne gathered for a special advance screening of the movie, followed by a panel exploring the real science behind the story. 🧪 See the film only in theaters starting March 20th. pme.uchicago.edu/news/science...

How close are we to the science of the movies? Join UChicago and Argonne scientists at #C2E2 for a special panel on March 27, 2:45–3:30 PM in Room S401-ABC, exploring AI, extreme microbes, and the real discoveries that inspire today’s sci-fi blockbusters—including Project Hail Mary.

We are excited to share that Prof. Ka Yee C. Lee has been appointed dean of the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Division. Lee has served as interim dean since February 2024. news.uchicago.edu/story/ka-yee...

Why did life evolve error correction? UChicago researchers find that speed, not just fidelity, helps drive biological proofreading—changing our perspective on evolution. See the Science article: tinyurl.com/ybxcj24w

Meet The Cube: UChicago’s new center for computational social science, uniting social, computer, and data science experts to explore how AI shapes society—and how society shapes AI. Discover more: tinyurl.com/5n8x7xk5

📣 Calling all UChicago researchers, students, and staff — the Science as Art contest returns! Celebrate scientific creativity: submit your research images by March 13 to win cash prizes and be showcased around campus and online. Submit: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Join us for a virtual information session on 3/5 at 11 AM CST for the MS in Chemistry at UChicago. You'll learn more about our admissions process, curriculum, and life at UChicago. apply-psd.uchicago.edu/register/?id...

Work in emerging fields at the intersections of data and technology with an MS from the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. Register to attend a special virtual information session for students in Asia on Feb. 26, at 6:30 PM India ST / 9:00 PM China ST. bit.ly/3NUD1YO

Congratulations to PSD's Aloni Cohen (Computer Science and DSI), Anna Wuttig (Chemistry), and Zoe Yan (Physics) for earning Sloan Research Fellowships, which recognize early-career scholars’ potential to make substantial contributions to their fields. news.uchicago.edu/story/eight-...

Open doors with a MS degree from UChicago in Applied Data Science, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, and Financial Mathematics. Join us for an International Virtual Information Session on Feb. 26 at 6:30 PM India ST / 9:00 PM China ST. bit.ly/3NUD1YO

UChicago Prof. Marshini Chetty collaborated with law professors to demonstrate that dark patterns manipulate users despite explicit instructions to protect privacy, research that was honored with a Future of Privacy Forum’s 2026 Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award. Full story: shorturl.at/90X1u

Congratulations to Prof. Bozhi Tian—recipient of the 2026 Marian and Stuart Rice Research Award for pioneering new ways to control biology with chemistry, semiconductors, and electrochemistry. Discover his groundbreaking work: physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...

We are delighted to announce that Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb (A&A) and Donald Stull (Math) have been named the 25–26 Suzuki Postdoctoral Fellows! Their achievements advance our understanding of exoplanets and the foundations of mathematics. physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...

Physics alum Dr. Kai Li, PhD’23, has been honored with the 2026 EuXFEL Young Scientist Award for breakthrough work in ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy. In an interview, Kai reflects on mentorship at UChicago and the collaborative drive behind discovery. physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...

UChicago’s Prof. B. B. Cael analyzed data from almost 2,000 climate disasters across decades—learning that infrastructure and preparedness saves lives, but risks are growing in vulnerable areas. climate.uchicago.edu/news/what-de...

What role could geoengineering play in our climate response? @UChicago’s Prof. David Keith explains the science, risks, and ethics in UChicago Magazine. mag.uchicago.edu/science-medi...

UChicago Magazine interviews Edward W. “Rocky” Kolb—cosmologist, mentor, and former dean. His advice? Follow your passion. Read more: mag.uchicago.edu/science-medi... Illustration by Aaron Sacco

A new era for planetary science: UChicago’s most comprehensive Jupiter model ever offers key insights into the giant planet’s structure and history—changing what we know about planet formation. Full story: news.uchicago.edu/story/comput...

Congratulations to UChicago's Ranya Sharma on receiving the prestigious 2025 CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award! Her research into network security and infrastructure is shaping how we think about privacy and equity online. Read more: cs.uchicago.edu/news/ranya-s...

A team of UChicago biophysicists studied how ultra-thin films relieve stress through relaxation, finding it was triggered by a process called "shear banding.” This new model helps us better understand the mechanics of life’s thinnest layers. Link in the profile.

UChicago chemists have teamed up to reveal the surprising impact of circuit boards on health tech’s carbon footprint. With 2 billion devices expected yearly by 2050, small design changes can make big differences. Details here: news.uchicago.edu/story/health...

Please join us in welcoming Daniel T. Jaffe as President of the Giant Magellan Telescope. UChicago is a proud founding partner of the Giant Magellan Telescope and excited about the telescope's next chapter under Jaffe's leadership. giantmagellan.org/2026/01/13/g...

Want to build data science skills for environmental careers? Join us on Jan. 15 at 4 PM for an information session. https://apply-psd.uchicago.edu/register/?id=6772d20f-e9ed-4773-8424-bbd7d47fc01a

Five PSD faculty members receive named, distinguished service professorships in 2026. 🎉 Read more: https://physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article/Five-PSD-faculty-members-receive-named-distinguished-service-professorships-2026/

Meet Ava Polzin, PhD student in Astronomy & Astrophysics at UChicago. She’s exploring how star formation is regulated in the universe’s smallest galaxies. Read the interview: https://physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article/meet-ava-polzin-astronomy-astrophysics/

Why did Apoorva Gupta choose UChicago for his MS in Applied Data Science? For the challenging curriculum and the chance to grow. Full interview: https://physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article/meet-apoorva-gupta-ms-in-applied-data-science/

UChicago astronomers found a “lemon-shaped” exoplanet with a carbon and helium atmosphere using NASA’s Webb Telescope—blurring lines between planets and stars. Read how this discovery challenges what we know: https://shorturl.at/ljga2

We are proud to congratulate Prof. Michael Rust, who was selected as an @pewtrusts Innovation Fund investigator! Prof. Rust is one of 14 researchers chosen to take on collaborative biomedical research projects advancing health and medicine. https://shorturl.at/YpIdX

🎉UChicago students Logan Hanssler and Elijah Jenkins have been named 2026 Marshall Scholars. PSCD’s Logan Hanssler (Astrophysics; Molecular Engineering) will study Optics and Photonics at Imperial College London and pursue a Physics research degree at Durham University. 🎉