News: Awards

Pioneering cosmologist honored for landmark measurements of the Hubble Constant

Professor Abgail Vieregg has been named a 2025 American Physical Society (APS) Fellow for "transformative contributions in the detection of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmogenic neutrinos, and providing transformative mentorship to the next generation of leaders in the field."

“Quantum sound” will aid the searches for both nuclear weapons and dark matter

Since 1994, the Cottrell Scholar program has honored and helped to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their potential for academic leadership.

Professors Paolo Privitera (Astronomy & Astrophysics and KICP) and Andrew Cleland (PME) have received a 2025-2027 DARPA award to develop novel qubit-based detectors of low-energy neutrinos.  The UChicago-led consortium supported by the QuSeN (Quantum Sensing of Neutrinos) program includes Northwestern University, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of California San Diego and Fermilab.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) announced today the selection of 37 exceptional students as recipients of the prestigious 2025 Quad Fellowship. These Fellows will pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at leading institutions around the world.

The IAU received 118 applications for a PhD prize for thesis defended between, defended between 16 December 2023 and 15 December 2024. The Divisions have awarded nine PhD Prizes, and each awardee will be invited to present their work during the Division Days at the IAU XXXIII General Assembly, which will be held in August 2027 in Rome, Italy. The Divisions have also awarded eight honourable mentions.

The Teaching Prize is based on nominations from students who shared compelling evidence of honorees’ outstanding contributions to their education. 

Named for a renowned University of Chicago professor who shaped minds with his sense of duty and dedication to students, the Norman Maclean Faculty Award recognizes those who do the same.

As part of the 2025 Alumni Awards program, Prof. Emeritus Donald G. York, PhD’71, will receive the Norman Maclean Faculty Award honoring his extraordinary contributions to teaching and student life at the University of Chicago.

Eleven members of the UChicago community have been honored with the College’s annual teaching awards. These instructors, graduate and undergraduate students were nominated by the undergraduates they teach and recognize their efforts to get students to look beyond the textbook or classroom and discover new ways of learning. 

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science has selected 79 PhD students from 56 universities and 29 states for the prestigious Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program.

SCGSR prepares doctoral candidates for careers of critical importance to the Office of Science’s mission of transforming our understanding of nature and advancing the energy, economic, and national security of the United States. Participants receive world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities, expertise, and resources at DOE's national laboratories.  

A segment filmed by UChicago Creative, featuring Prof. Mike Gladders' and his students' travel to Chile to do research on the Magellan Telescope, has won a gold Telly award. The Telly Awards are awards that recognize excellence in video and television across all screens since 1979. The gold award is the highest honor in the category.

Grad student Joann Jones has been selected as one of the Jump Trading fellows for their 2025 inaugural class. With this fellowship, Jump will fully fund one year of her PhD studies for the 2025-26 academic year.

Professor Wendy Freedman named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2025

The highly competitive NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) recently named 24 new fellows to its 2025 class.  Over 650 applicants vied for the 2025 fellowships. Each fellowship provides the awardee up to three years of support at a U.S. institution.