News

Gary Horowitz awarded Dirac Medal for contributions to theoretical physics

2025-08-13

UC Santa Barbara physicist honored for landmark advancements in gravity and string theory

Gary Horowitz, a distinguished professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, has been awarded the 2025 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), a prestigious honor recognizing his groundbreaking work in gravitational physics and string theory.

New Method for Synthesizing Carbohydrates Paves Way for Biomedical Advances

2025-08-12

Chemistry professor Liming Zhang has solved a decades-long challenge in his field, discovering a way to reliably synthesize some of biology’s most complex molecules.

The new technique, developed in Zhang’s lab, enables precise control over the construction of short-chain carbohydrates, called oligosaccharides—a feat that has challenged scientists for decades.

Cosmic Airbursts More Common Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

2025-08-08

New research led by James Kennett, emeritus professor of Earth Science, suggests that high-energy cosmic impacts that explode above ground may be a more frequent and widespread destructive force than the crater-forming strikes traditionally studied. 

In a series of four recently published papers, Kennett and his collaborators present compelling evidence for these “touchdown airbursts” from various locations across the globe.

New Global Study Reveals How to Stop Plastic Waste Before It Reaches the Ocean

2025-07-24

A sweeping UC Santa Barbara-led study, led by project scientist Chase Brewster, has revealed the scale and complexity of plastic pollution flowing through rivers, and identified practical, community-driven strategies to stop it before it reaches the ocean.

Spanning eight countries across four continents, the three-year project was coordinated by Brewster at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory in partnership with local organizations. Together, the teams collected and analyzed over 3.8 million kilograms of river debris.

Chemistry Professor Justin Wilson Develops Efficient Filter for Rare Earth Recovery

2025-07-22

Professor Justin Wilson’s lab has created a new material that acts like a Brita filter for rare earth elements, offering a cleaner, scalable solution to one of the world’s most pressing recycling challenges.

Professor Shelly Gable appointed dean of the Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences

2025-07-16

Nationally recognized scholar and campus leader to continue advancing scientific excellence and strategic growth.

Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration

2025-07-10

Geographers at UC Santa Barbara have solved a long-standing mystery in river dynamics, revealing why and how some rivers split into multiple channels.

Lead author Austin Chadwick, a postdoctoral researcher, and senior author Vamsi Ganti, an associate professor of geography, offered critical insights into natural hazards, ecosystem restoration and river behavior.

“We found that rivers will develop multiple channels if they erode their banks faster than they deposit sediment on their opposing banks. This causes a channel to widen and divide over time,” said Chadwick.

Björn Birnir advances mathematical understanding of turbulence

2025-07-09

UC Santa Barbara mathematics professor Björn Birnir has developed a new model that sheds light on the complex behavior of Lagrangian turbulence, a chaotic, multi-scale flow found in nature.

The research, published in Physical Review Research and conducted in collaboration with Luiza Angheluta of the University of Oslo, identifies a previously uncharacterized scaling regime and connects it to known phases of turbulent flow.