Division of Physical Sciences

3D, atom-by-atom maps of disordered materials

Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA published a step-by-step framework for determining the three-dimensional positions and elemental identities of atoms in amorphous materials.

UCLA Physicist Awarded DOE Early Career Grant for New Technique to Study Quantum Materials

UCLA Physics and Astronomy Assistant Professor Christopher Gutiérrez wins a DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program award for his proposal to image how charge density waves move through quantum materials.

UCLA-Led Discovery Reveals Processes Behind Planetary Auroras

New breakthrough in understanding how electric fields form in space — with implications for planetary science and space weather forecasting

Alice Shapley Wins 2026 Dannie Heineman Prize

Alice Shapley was honored for landmark observational campaigns and creative techniques that redefined the forefront of the field of galaxy formation and evolution.

UCLA Researcher Decodes the Hidden Architecture Inside Cells

New faculty member Kalli Kappel uncovers molecular rules that govern how cells organize themselves

How Quantum Mechanics May Have Shaped Life’s First Molecules

New Chemistry and Biochemistry professor Thomas Fay examines how electron spin could influence molecular handedness on early Earth

JWST Reveals a Hazy World That Shows Not All Planet Twins Are Identical

A team led by UCLA scientists discovers an exoplanet that upends our understanding of “planetary siblings”

Amy Mainzer: Planet Protector

More than half of the “city killer” asteroids that might threaten Earth remain undiscovered. With an infrared eye, NASA’s NEO Surveyor aims to find them

UCLA Physicist Alvine Kamaha Helps Lead World’s Most Sensitive Dark Matter Search with New LZ Results

The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment analyzed the largest dataset ever collected by a dark matter detector

Pradip Gatkine receives inaugural Kavli Exploration Award

Pradip Gatkine, a UCLA assistant professor of physics and astronomy, and Kevin Bundy, a UC Santa Cruz associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics, received an inaugural $3.7 million, four-year Kavli Exploration Award.