UVA astronomer Jonathan Tan and an international team used ALMA and JWST data spanning nearly eight years to observe two massive young stars forming a binary system. Contrary to disk-fragmentation theory, misaligned disks and elongated orbits reveal a rare core merger, offering new constraints for models of massive star formation and stellar evolution.
UVA Health researchers report focused ultrasound is nearing a breakthrough for treating brain tumors, Alzheimers and Parkinsons by delivering gene therapies across the blood-brain barrier. New non-viral nanoparticle approaches, led by Richard Price and colleagues, could enable precise, repeatable treatments targeting tumor cells while engaging the immune system, with findings published across three scientific papers.
UVA professor Bryan Berger continues the fall U Ask, UVA Answers series, speaking at the downtown Jefferson-Madison Regional Library on October 11 and the Crozet Library on October 21. Berger will discuss PFAS forever chemicals and biotechnology innovations improving food safety and quality, plus how science can reduce environmental health risks.
NASA has advanced PRIMA, a far-infrared space telescope, into its next development phase, with UVA astronomers playing key roles. Professor Jason Glenn led the mission’s concept study, while Ilse Cleeves serves as co-investigator. Targeted for 2033 launch, PRIMA will explore planet formation, black hole growth and cosmic dust, marking UVA’s expansion into space-based astronomy.
UVA professor David Danks has been named a 2026 AI2050 Senior Fellow by Schmidt Sciences, one of six researchers worldwide chosen for this honor. The three-year, $1 million fellowship will fund his interdisciplinary research into how AI systems, designed to reflect human values, may actually reshape those values over time.
A UVA expert explains the tech giant’s satellite test plan and whether putting AI systems in space could ease environmental pressures on Earth.
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UVA computer scientist Chen Chen has earned a five-year, $600,000 NSF CAREER Award to build next-generation AI tools for epidemic intelligence. Combining case reports, wastewater data and mobility patterns, her research aims to improve disease forecasting, guide public health interventions, strengthen surveillance strategies, and eventually help communities understand local infection risks.
UVA cybersecurity expert Daniel Graham examines the privacy risks of Flock license plate readers, explaining how connected camera networks enable warrantless mass surveillance. He compares safeguards used for cell-site data under Carpenter v. United States, discusses real misuse cases, and outlines what technical fixes and policy changes could make these systems trustworthy.
Four University of Virginia School of Engineering faculty have received prestigious NSF CAREER Awards for research tackling major societal challenges through AI. Jason Bates, Chen Chen, Yu Meng, and Tianhao Wang are exploring nitrate conversion, disease forecasting, learning from imperfect data, and privacy-protecting synthetic datasets, respectively, each backed by roughly five-year, $600,000-plus grants.
UVA Health cardiologist Dr. Patricia Rodriguez-Lozano explains how revised definitions could guide more personalized care.
UVA philosopher Justin Bernstein questions whether Mill’s harm principle truly justifies vaccine mandates, especially when herd immunity limits an individual’s impact on others. In a new paper, he argues justice-based reasoning—weighing competing entitlements rather than direct harm—may offer a stronger philosophical foundation for mandates covering diseases like measles and COVID-19.
UVA economist W. Ben McCartney explains what 25 years of mortgage data reveal about borrowing, home prices and the risks facing today’s buyers.