News: 2026

From a student who won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad with a perfect score in 1984, Professor Dam Thanh Son has become one of the most influential Vietnamese-born theoretical physicists on the international stage.

Remembered for expansive expertise, collaborative spirit, and dynamic leadership.

Distinguished physicist Nadya Mason has been named UChicago’s vice president for research.

The Physical Sciences Division has selected four graduate students to receive a William Rainey Harper Dissertation Fellowship for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Congratulations to the Physics faculty members who have received NSF CAREER Awards. According to the NSF, the prestigious CAREER award supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Young-Kee Kim, the Albert A. Michelson Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Physics and the Enrico Fermi Institute, has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.

Congratulations to the PSD community members who have been recognized with 2026 Frontiers of Science Awards. Michael Levin, Professor in Physics and the JFI, and Physics alum Carolyn Zhang, PhD'23, are recognized for the field of condensed matter physics. Yoav Afik, a postdoctoral scholar in the EFI who works on the ATLAS experiment, is recognized for research in particle physics phenomenology.

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

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

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

Physicist Clay Córdova has been named a recipient of the 2026 New Horizons in Physics Prize for his work in quantum field theory.
The New Horizons prize, which is given to early-career scientists and mathematicians who have already made a substantial impact on their fields, includes an award of $100,000.

The largest neutrino experiment in the United States was named the Project of the Year by the Underground Construction Association for completing a significant and challenging underground construction project with little or no issues.

Project Hail Mary is a story about science saving the world. In March, the University of Chicago and Argonne teamed up to celebrate the science of Project Hail Mary with offerings for science and science-fiction fans.

A novel experiment at UChicago reveals fundamental laws governing swirling fluids.