News
Tue, 08/18/2026
KU Physics Alumna Awarded Argesinger Dissertation Award
Dr. Sierra Seacat was awarded the 2025-2026 prize for the best dissertation in the area of mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering for her PhD thesis, completed in 2024 with Prof. Hartwin Peelaers.
Tue, 08/18/2026
KU Libraries opens ‘Ad Astra: A Kansas Story Written in the Stars’ exhibition
“Ad Astra: A Kansas Story Written in the Stars” is now open in Watson Library’s Haricombe Gallery, tracing Kansas’ deep roots in human spaceflight. The public is invited to a reception Sept. 10 featuring a keynote with KU alumnus and astronaut Steve Hawley, who will also sign copies of his new memoir.
Tue, 08/11/2026
New CERN measurement challenges long-standing theory of how gluons behave inside atomic nuclei
A University of Kansas physicist played a leading role in a CERN study showing that two rival explanations for how gluons behave inside atomic nuclei can now be experimentally distinguished.
Wed, 08/05/2026
With new Department of Energy award, KU-Fermilab team builds next-generation detectors for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider
A University of Kansas project to design and build two cutting-edge particle detectors for the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider has been approved for funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or DOE EPSCoR.
Wed, 03/04/2026
Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Awarded Research Fellowship
Undergraduate student Elias Works has been awarded a DOE-sponsored DUNE-TECH fellowship to work with Assistant Professor Maria Brunetti this spring and summer. Elias will be doing research on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) using machine learning approaches to study neutrino interactions in dense liquid argon detector environments.
Mon, 03/02/2026
Study reveals cosmic tug-of-war behind the Crab Pulsar’s zebra stripes
An theoretical astrophysicist from the University of Kansas recently published work largely solving the mystery of the Crab Pulsar's zebra pattern. Now, Mikhail Medvedev has honed his analysis by incorporating gravity's lensing effects.
Wed, 02/11/2026
Physics and Astronomy Student Wins National Research Fellowship
Lucciana Cáceres Holgado has been awarded the second annual Marian H. Rose Research Scholarship from the Society of Physics Students, an organization of the American Institute of Physics.
Tue, 01/27/2026
KU recognizes researchers improving cancer treatments, developing advanced electronics and exploring galaxies
Xiaoqing Wu, Nicola Minafra and Bren Backhaus received the Steven F. Warren, Research Staff and Research Postdoctoral achievement awards, respectively.
Fri, 12/19/2025
Experiment nixes ‘sterile’ neutrino explanation of previous unexpected measurements
Experimental particle physicists working at the MicroBooNE experiment at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory have found evidence against the existence of a “sterile” type of neutrino hypothesized to be responsible for previous experiments’ anomalous results, as detailed in a paper recently published in Nature.
Wed, 12/10/2025
New space/time newsletter
Read the latest newsletter: reunions, student profiles, alumni updates, a possible new observatory, and more
Wed, 07/30/2025
Techniques honed by Kansas nuclear physicists helped detect creation of gold in Large Hadron Collider collisions
Nuclear physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider recently made headlines by achieving the centuries-old dream of alchemists: They transformed lead into gold, at least for a fraction of a second.
Wed, 04/30/2025
Physics and Astronomy graduate student completes prestigious fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Amrit Gautam, a KU graduate student in the physics doctoral program, was among just 62 doctoral students nationwide selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Fellowship. Gautam spent the fellowship conducting his thesis research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Mon, 04/28/2025
Physics and Astronomy graduate student among new 2025-2029 Self Graduate Fellows
Twenty doctoral students have been selected to receive the University of Kansas’ prestigious Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year. This is the largest cohort in the program's history. The total value of the four-year doctoral fellowship exceeds $225,000.
Thu, 04/24/2025
Physics and Astronomy student among 3 from KU awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Three University of Kansas students were recently named to the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The distinction provides three years of financial support with an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost of education allowance of $16,000 to the institution.
Tue, 04/22/2025
Astronomy professor Allison Kirkpatrick's research uncovers universe’s wild growth spurt
A new University of Kansas survey of distant galaxies using the James Webb Space Telescope reveals never-before-seen star formation and black hole growth at “cosmic noon,” a mysterious epoch 2-3 billion years after the Big Bang when galaxies like the Milky Way underwent an intense growth spurt.
Wed, 04/16/2025
52 KU-affiliated scientists recognized for Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
Fifty-two physicists affiliated with the University of Kansas — both currently and formerly — are on the teams that recently were awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their papers analyzing data from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The prize recognizes outstanding research papers published between 2015-2024.
Tue, 04/08/2025
Physics and Astronomy graduate program among 48 KU graduate programs in top 50 among public schools
KU has 48 graduate programs in the top 50 among public universities — including 10 programs in the top 10 — in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings.
Mon, 03/24/2025
Physics and Astronomy Department REU Program Renewed for 3 Years
The Physics and Astronomy Department REU, a summer program supporting undergraduate research for 10 students from around the country each summer, was awarded a $460,000, 3-year renewal from the National Science Foundation.
Mon, 02/03/2025
Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Chosen for Prestigious Summer Research Program
Abishai Mathai, an undergraduate in the Physics and Astronomy department, was accepted to the Global Quantum Leap International Research Training Experience Program at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan for summer 2025.
Thu, 01/23/2025
KU senior receives Courtwright Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence
A University of Kansas student who is researching the theory that active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can significantly influence galaxy morphology is the recipient of the summer/fall 2024 Courtwright Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence through KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.
Mon, 11/18/2024
New idea may crack enigma of the Crab Nebula’s ‘zebra’ pattern
A theoretical astrophysicist from the University of Kansas may have solved a nearly two-decade-old mystery over the origins of an unusual "zebra" pattern seen in high-frequency radio pulses from the Crab Nebula.
Wed, 10/23/2024
Quantum fluctuations at subnucleon level discovered by KU physicist at Large Hadron Collider
University of Kansas experimental nuclear physicist Daniel Tapia Takaki and his team for the first time report suggestions of gluonic quantum fluctuations at the subnucleon level in heavy nuclei. The findings boost understanding of quantum fields that control interaction of particles at the tiniest scales.
Wed, 10/16/2024
KU astronomer on space probe team that advances to next round of $1B NASA mission selection
Elisabeth Mills is a co-investigator on a proposal for a far-infrared mission that over the next year will receive $5 million to flesh out the plans and prototypes for a new class of astrophysics observatories.
Wed, 10/09/2024
KU Physics and Astronomy Professor receives more than $600,000 from NASA for his research
Associate Professor Ian Crossfield (Physics & Astronomy) was awarded more than $600,000 from NASA to support his group's work characterizing planetary systems around other stars.
Mon, 10/07/2024
KU Planetarium Celebrates its 1000th Visitor
The KU Planetarium celebrated its 1000th visitor on September 18th, 2024. Since its start in 2022 the planetarium has educated and entertained visitors from the public, local schools, rural Kansas, and members of the KU community.
Mon, 10/07/2024
KU Physics and Astronomy Professor receives $1 million award from Department of Energy
Assistant Professor Dmitry Ovchinnikov was awarded a large grant from the Department of Energy to support his research in state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques.
Wed, 07/10/2024
Researchers show promising material for solar energy gets its curious boost from entropy
In a study appearing in Advanced Materials, researchers in the lab of Wai-Lun Chan, associate professor of physics & astronomy at KU, have discovered a microscopic mechanism partly explaining the outstanding performance of new carbon-based organic solar cells.
Mon, 04/29/2024
Physics and Astronomy Professor Organizes Symposium at Materials Research Society Spring Meeting
Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, organized symposium QT02 “Low dimensional quantum materials” at the Materials Research Society Spring Meeting April 22 – 26, 2024. ...
Mon, 03/11/2024
KU Department of Physics & Astronomy professor receives prestigious NSF award for black hole research
A prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation will help Department of Physics & Astronomy researcher Elisabeth Mills continue her groundbreaking research on supermassive black holes.
Fri, 03/08/2024
Department of Physics & Astronomy professor receives NSF CAREER Award for work on zinc-ion batteries
University of Kansas researcher from the Department of Physics & Astronomy has been chosen for a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for his innovative work with zinc-ion batteries, a sustainable alternative to the more widely used lithium-ion batteries that currently are in everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles.