Division of Physical Sciences

UCLA Division of Physical Sciences Listening Exercise

Attendees at the chancellor’s Listening Exercise session for Physical Sciences on March 17, 2025 raised several key issues affecting the division.

Breakthrough Research Sheds Light on the Formation and Role of Congestus Clouds

The new insights into these little-understood clouds can help scientists form more accurate climate models.

Elements of Education

How the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department has grown into a teaching powerhouse at UCLA

Tina Treude Honored as Corresponding Member of Göttingen Academy of Sciences

Treude is a leading researcher studying how microorganisms in the ocean impact our planet and environment.

UCLA Researchers Use JWST to Forecast Partially Cloudy Skies on Ultra-Hot Exoplanet

A team led by graduate student Louis-Philippe Coulombe used the James Webb Space Telescope to explore the exotic atmosphere of LTT 9779 b, a rare “ultra-hot Neptune.”

Andrea M. Ghez, Renowned Astrophysicist, Receives Rumford Prize

The prize, from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest scientific awards in American History.

UCLA tops public universities in number of 2025 Sloan Research Fellows

Four of the six UCLA faculty members who won the prestigious award for early-career scholars are from the Division of Physical Sciences

A New Vision for Climate Science and Society

Alex Hall, new director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, explains how the response to LA’s recent fires are part of a larger push to change our world.

Chemistry and Materials for Space Science and Technology

UCLA Hosts Cutting-Edge Workshop on the role of chemistry in the future of space science and exploration.

In Memoriam: Keith Terasaki

A dear friend and pillar of the UCLA community, Keith Terasaki died Dec. 22, 2024, leaving a remarkable legacy of countless lives touched, Bruin and otherwise. Following in the footsteps of his father, the legendary Paul Terasaki, Keith Terasaki dedicated himself to scientific and philanthropic leadership.