CMU Mellon College of Science

AI and Humans Verify Fields Medal Proof for the First Time How did AI help solve a 24-dimensional puzzle in just two weeks? Dive into the world of sphere packing and find out.

Mathematician Maryna Viazovska’s sphere‑packing proofs have now been formally verified with help from AI. CMU Ph.D. student Sidharth Hariharan contributed key groundwork that enabled this breakthrough in AI‑assisted mathematics. #MathSky
spectrum.ieee.org/ai-proof-ver...

Ready to pitch like a pro? The $1.275 million Forge AI Prize at CMU's Robotics Innovation Center during NFL Draft week in Pittsburgh is a Shark Tank-style showdown for #AI innovators shaping the physical world. Judged by @mcuban.bsky.social and industry leaders.

➡️ Apply now! cmu.is/showcase

Neurosurgeons Are Really Good at Removing Brain Tumors, and They’re About To Get Even Better Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh researchers are improving awake brain mapping results by investigating variabilities in patient behavior.

Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh researchers are uncovering subtle behavioral signals that could make awake brain mapping more precise, helping surgeons protect speech, movement and quality of life during brain surgery. 🧪
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Avleen Chawla Encodes Biochemistry Breakthroughs Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Avleen Chawla earned a Kwolek Fellowship for her work investigating circular RNA.

CMU Ph.D. student Avleen Chawla is uncovering how circular RNA could inform new diagnostics and treatments for Parkinson’s disease, while also helping scientists bring medical innovations to market. 🧪 #ChemSky #WomeninSTEM
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Why every scientist needs a librarian Librarians can be key research partners who help to scour the literature, manage data and make science open.

Innovative neuroscience needs innovative information partners. CMU Biological Sciences professor Eric Yttri reached out to librarians for support on open science initiatives. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Anish Pyne

Anish Pyne

Congrats to Three Minute Thesis #3MT prelim round 5 co-winner, Anish Pyne of Biological Sciences at @cmuscience.bsky.social! 📣

His presentation is titled, "Practice Makes Pathogens: How Bacteria Train for Infections."

⏰ Join us for the #3MTCMU Championship! 🗓️ 3/25, 6-8pm

💻 cmu.is/2026-3MT-Champ

Saurabh Vyas Thinks Through Neuroscience Research Saurabh Vyas brings his interdisciplinary neuroscience expertise to Carnegie Mellon University.

Saurabh Vyas is uncovering how the brain learns and applies knowledge to new problems by combining AI models with large‑scale neural recordings. 🧪
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Eur Named 2026 Sloan Research Fellow Carnegie Mellon University Assistant Professor Eur earned a Sloan Research Fellowship.

Christopher Eur and four other CMU faculty members were named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows. Eur was recognized for his leadership in combinatorial algebraic geometry and his promising contributions to the future of mathematics. #MathSky
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Carnegie Mellon Researchers Rethink Chronic Pain Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Neuroscience Institute are exploring how pain is measured, understood and treated to support safer, more effective care.

CMU researchers are advancing a new understanding of chronic pain, from mapping its neural signatures to developing targeted gene therapies. Their work spans neuroscience, AI and biomedical engineering to support safer, more effective treatments. 🧪
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Christopher Blum

Christopher Blum

Congrats to Three Minute Thesis #3MT preliminary round 3 co-winner, Christopher Blum of the Dept. of Chemistry at @cmuscience.bsky.social! 📣

Blum's presentation is titled, DNA Disguised Messengers for Cancer Treatment.

⏰ Join us for the #3MTCMU Championship! 🗓️ 3/25, 6-8pm

💻 cmu.is/2026-3MT-Champ

CMU physicists have confirmed a key piece of a decades‑old theory about Yang‑Lee critical points, using modern quantum methods to refine our understanding of phase transitions. Their work advances ideas that influence fields from quantum computing to polymer physics. 🧪⚛️
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

It’s a kilonova! It’s a supernova! It’s a superkilonova? Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Caltech, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and other institutions are working to understand what caused an unusual cosmic event on Aug. 18, 2025.

CMU researchers helped investigate AT2025ulz, a cosmic explosion that looked like both a kilonova and a supernova. Their multiwavelength observations suggest it could be the first example of a theorized superkilonova, sparking new questions about stellar collisions. 🧪 ⚛️ #Astronomy

Hesitation is costly in sports but essential to life – neuroscientists identified its brain circuitry There are specific parts of the brain that trigger hesitation in times of uncertainty.

A moment of hesitation can separate gold from silver in the Olympics. CMU neuroscientists in the @yttrilab.bsky.social discovered the neural mechanisms behind hesitation, and Professor Eric Yttri shared his work in @us.theconversation.com. 🧪 #Biology
theconversation.com/hesitation-i...

Sunreeta Bhattacharya

Sunreeta Bhattacharya

Congrats to #3MT prelim round 2 co-winner, Sunreeta Bhattacharya of the Neuroscience Institute at @cmuscience.bsky.social! 📣

🧠 "Deciphering the brain’s uncertainty-processing algorithms for learning and decision-making."

⏰ Join us for the #3MTCMU Championship! 🗓️ 3/25, 6-8pm

cmu.is/2026-3MT-Champ

Kuang To Investigate How Microbes May Rewrite Genetic Messages Carnegie Mellon University’s Zheng Kuang is exploring whether bacteria in the gut microbiota help decide which versions of a gene get activated.

Zheng Kuang is uncovering how gut microbes may influence which gene isoforms our cells use. Supported by a new grant from @hypothesisfund.bsky.social, his work could reveal new links between diet, the microbiome and disease, opening doors to novel RNA‑based therapies. 🧪 #Biology #MolecularBiology

3/ Can the microbes in our gut change how our genes🧬 are read & used? Awardee Zheng Kuang's bold research question may lead to the discovery of novel host–microbe interactions critical for health & disease.
🎉 Congrats Dr. Kuang! @cmu.edu
🙏 #HFScout Rob Knight

MCS Graduate Student Conference Funding Award Winners Announced for Spring 2026 Four graduate students in the Mellon College of Science earned travel awards for upcoming conferences.

We're excited to highlight the latest recipients of the MCS Graduate Student Travel Awards! These awards help our graduate students share their research on national and international stages. Learn more: www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Breakthrough in RNA Research Could Lead to Treatment for Neuromuscular Disorders Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have discovered a new way to target RNA that could lead to new treatment options for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common adult-onset form of mu...

CMU chemists have developed a precise approach to target RNA, opening the door to potential new treatments for myotonicdystrophy type 1 — the most common adult‑onset muscular dystrophy — and other RNA‑repeat expansion disorders. 🧪 #ChemSky
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Andie the Scottish Terrier

Andie the Scottish Terrier

Pittsburgh Andie also saw her shadow this morning.

Here's to six more weeks of winter! 🥶

#groundhogday

Researchers Identify New Target To Fight Antibiotic Resistance Carnegie Mellon University researchers, including Assistant Professor Drew Bridgs and graduate student Emmy Nguyen, have uncovered a vulnerability in bacteria that could pave the way for an entirely n...

CMU researchers have uncovered a bacterial vulnerability that could lead to a new class of treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections. Instead of killing bacteria, their approach targets pathways that control behavior. 🧪 #Biology #MolecularBiology
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Carnegie Mellon Launches Learnvia To Catalyze Student Success Nationwide The nonprofit learning collaborative leverages a landmark $55 million investment from the Gates Foundation and CMU’s longstanding leadership in Learning Science and AI.

Gateway courses derail 30% of learners nationwide. Learnvia, developed with support from Carnegie Mellon University and the Gates Foundation, is working to solve this national challenge. Learn more at cmu.is/learnvia

The Long Game: Years of CMU Discoveries Drive New Parkinson's Treatment For more than a decade, Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientist Aryn Gittis has been unraveling the mystery of how the brain controls movement. Her research is now pointing toward new treatments for...

CMU neuroscientist Aryn Gittis spent years uncovering how the brain controls movement. Her work on deep brain stimulation is now entering clinical trials, offering Parkinson’s patients hope for longer-lasting relief. 🧪 #WomenInSTEM #Biology
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Study Reveals How Often Black Hole–Neutron Star Collisions Spark Kilonovae A new study from Carnegie Mellon University estimates the odds of spotting a kilonova from black hole–neutron star collisions, aiding future efforts to observe these rare cosmic emissions.

CMU researchers are mapping the odds of spotting kilonovae from black hole–neutron star mergers. Their work will help astronomers catch these rare cosmic signals and unlock the origins of heavy elements. 🧪 ⚛️ #Astronomy
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Deadline to apply is THIS FRIDAY (Jan 30)

More info here: ccas.nd.edu/outreach/sur...

#chemistry #computerscience #chemsky #summerresearch #REU #undergraduateresearch

Palmese Honored With 2025 INFN Bruno Touschek Award The Italian Scientists & Scholars in North America Foundation (ISSNAF) recently awarded Carnegie Mellon University Assistant Professor of Physics Antonella Palmese the 2025 INFN Bruno Touschek Award.

Antonella Palmese has received the 2025 INFN Bruno Touschek Award for her pioneering work integrating galaxy surveys with gravitational wave astronomy. Her research is reshaping how we study the universe’s most fundamental forces. 🧪 ⚛️ #Astronomy #WomenInSTEM
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Join our MS-DAS info session on Jan. 27 at 10:30 a.m. CMU’s one-year MS-DAS program trains science students in machine learning, data analytics and modeling, with a capstone and work with the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. RSVP to learn more.
apply-dc-mcs.mcs.cmu.edu/register/?id...

Shape the future of medicine. Carnegie Mellon’s MS in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering is a 1.5-year program preparing students for careers in bioprocessing, drug development and bioinformatics. Applications are processed on a rolling basis and due by March 1.
www.cmu.edu/bio/graduate...

CMU Offers New Master's in Neural Technologies

The Master of Science in Neural Technologies (MiNT) – jointly offered by CMU's Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering — places students at the edge of a fast-moving field where neuroscience meets engineering and AI.

www.cmu.edu/ni/news-even...

Ph.D. Student Wins NASA FINESST Grant Yihao Zhou earned a NASA FINESST grant for her work creating groundbreaking simulations that trace the evolution of massive black holes.

Physics Ph.D. student Yihao Zhou is using a NASA FINESST grant to create simulations that uncover how supermassive black holes form and collide. Her work will guide future gravitational wave discoveries and reshape our view of the cosmos. 🧪 ⚛️ #Astronomy #WomenInSTEM
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...

Byron Abraham Daniel

We asked Byron Abraham Daniel of @cmuscience.bsky.social a few questions about his experience competing in the 3MT Championship in 2023. bit.ly/3mt-byron

⏰ #3MTCMU pits doctoral students against the clock and each other to explain complex research and captivate their audience in just 3 minutes.