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James G. Nondorf Vice President for Enrollment and Student Advancement and Dean of College Admissions and Financial Aid | The University of Chicago

University of Chicago researchers receive prestigious Department of Energy awards

Two University of Chicago scientists have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy's Early Career Research Program. Assistant Professor Allison Squires from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Assistant Professor Austin Joyce from Astronomy and Astrophysics are among 91 recipients selected for this honor, announced on September 10.

The award provides five-year grants to support innovative research projects. Squires will focus on developing artificial light harvesting technologies inspired by nature, such as solar cells. Her research team plans to study cyanobacteria, known for their efficient energy conversion in various environments, with the aim of improving solar cell efficiency.

“I'm absolutely thrilled and honored to be selected for the DOE Early Career Award,” said Squires, a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering. “DOE program officers are great about connecting the scientists in their program to nucleate new collaborations, so I'm looking forward to meeting up with other folks in my program who are tackling similar questions from different angles.”

Joyce will explore cosmological quantum field theory to enhance understanding of how the universe evolved and its current structure. His project aims to investigate quantum field theory in cosmological spacetimes, which may reveal insights into the early universe's history through large-scale structures observed today.

“It is a real honor. The DOE’s support of early career researchers, and particularly theoretical work, through this program is important. I am delighted to undertake this research in what is an exciting time for cosmology,” Joyce expressed.

The DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program was established in 2010 to provide funding opportunities for promising scientists at universities and national laboratories across the country.

Squires remarked on her research: “Wouldn't it be great if we had solar cells that worked as well as photosynthesis? Nature has evolved extraordinarily efficient, elegant, and adaptable mechanisms for harvesting energy from sunlight.”

Joyce further explained his project: “The project will study quantum field theory in cosmological spacetimes, like our own, in order to help make progress on critical questions in cosmology. In particular, the history of the early universe is encoded in subtle correlations in the large-scale structures that we measure in the present universe,” he said. “This project will further develop the tools that we need to decode these signals and learn about the universe in its earliest moments.”

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