Our science departments are committed to creating and disseminating new knowledge in their fields by combining research and teaching. Our 300 faculty members — including fellows of many learned societies and academies — are engaged in research that spans a broad range, from questions about the foundations of quantum mechanics, to the development of cancer cells and the workings of the brain, to work resulting in the spin-off of high-technology companies. Faculty share their excitement about their research with their students, training them to become part of the next generation of scientists who will push the frontiers of human knowledge. Explore majors, minors, concentrations, and academic programs in the Natural Sciences.
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World-Class Faculty in the Natural Sciences
Thien Nguyen
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Thien Nguyen is an expert in natural language processing, or the ability of artificial intelligence to understand, interpret and generate meaningful human language. He aims to enable computers to perform cognitive language-related tasks. His lab is among the first to develop deep learning algorithms for information extraction and text mining in natural language processing and data mining. His research on using natural language processing for multilingual learning earned him a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation.
Nguyen's recent research focuses on programming computers to improve the efficiency and safety of large language models (LLMs) across human languages while extracting valuable information about events like natural disasters, cyberattacks, disease outbreaks, and protests from news articles and other sources. His work seeks to deliver useful insights from diverse data and make these technologies accessible in low-resource languages that lack adequate data sets for training AI models.
Tien-Tien Yu
Associate Professor of Physics, Institute for Fundamental Science
Tien-Tien is a theoretical particle physicist working at the interface of theory and experiment. She is particularly interested in understanding the nature of dark matter, whose existence is known through its gravitational effects on ordinary matter. She co-founded the SENSEI collaboration, an experiment utilizing silicon chips, much like those found in digital cameras, to search for dark matter. She was recently appointed to P5, an advisory group convened once a decade by the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation to help determine the next funded projects in particle physics.
On Jan. 14, 2025, Yu was one of nearly 400 scientists and engineers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest award the US government awards to early career scientists.
A founding member of the group Particles for Justice, Yu is also a leader in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the physics field. In collaboration with the Comics and Cartoon Studies program, Yu created the UO Science and Comics Initiative. Read more about the initiative here.
Santiago Jaramillo
Associate Professor of Biology, Institute of Neuroscience
Santiago Jaramillo leads a research group dedicated to understanding how the brain processes and interprets sounds. Using advanced techniques to monitor and manipulate neural activity in mice, along with computational approaches, he investigates how the brain filters, learns, and assigns meaning to sounds and how brain disorders can affect these processes. His interdisciplinary work, supported by the BRAIN Initiative of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, includes collaborations with psychologists, bioengineers, theoretical neuroscientists, and linguists, with the long-term goal of developing neural interfaces to improve human-to-human and human-to-machine communication.
Beyond the lab, Jaramillo is deeply committed to broadening participation in STEM. He provides hands-on neuroscience experiences to middle school girls through the SPICE program, serves as an advisor for international programs engaging young minds in scientific critical thinking, and mentors college students from a wide range of backgrounds through programs such as NSF STEP-UP, SPUR, and the ESPRIT scholarship for aspiring K-12 science teachers.
School of Computer and Data Sciences
The mission at SCDS is to empower a diverse population of students and faculty working to advance knowledge in computer and data science, train the next generation of scholars, and engage with the wider world to tackle interdisciplinary challenges.
To do this, we start by applying our knowledge and experience at home across the University of Oregon campus.
Research in the Natural Sciences
Natural scientists use data to understand, predict, and work with naturally occurring phenomena on earth and in the universe. From highly controlled experiments in the lab to observations collected in the field, our findings help make sense of the natural world while driving advancements in society and technology that touch everyone. By expanding the limits of human knowledge, we provide a scientific foundation for helping people live better, longer lives.
Explore Other Majors and Minors in the College of Arts and Sciences
Meet our Dean
Welcome to the natural sciences, where our top-flight researchers bring students in to experience the biological, physical, and computational sciences. Working side-by-side with faculty who are equally committed to student success and scientific discovery, students learn valuable critical thinking skills through hands-on research in the lab, field, and classroom—from studying marine biology at the Oregon Institute for Marine Biology on our beautiful campus on the coast to coding advanced systems and analyzing complex data in the School of Computer and Data Science.
The research we’re conducting at the UO makes a tangible difference in our communities, our nation, and the world. For example, our chemists are pioneering the materials and techniques that will inspire the next generation of batteries for energy storage. Our psychologists are developing and testing cutting-edge interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing. Our geologists and environmental scientists are collaborating with governments, tribes, and industry partners to protect communities from earthquakes and wildfires.
You may or may not end up in a science career, but either way these experiences will change the way you experience and interact with the world. A healthy society depends on people who know how to gather evidence and critically analyze data. No matter what field you enter, scientific thinking will help you become a more thoughtful, engaged, and critical citizen in modern society.
We’re excited to explore the natural world with you.
Elliot Berkman
Divisional Associate Dean, Natural Sciences
Happening at CAS
9:00–10:00 p.m.
Take a step to make the most of your LinkedIn profile. Join this zoom session to learn what it takes to build a great profile that speaks directly to your ideal audience and get your questions answered by a LinkedIn expert.
This webinar enables you to:
- Recognize the value of your LinkedIn profile as part of your brand
- Identify 2-3 qualities to highlight across your profile
- Apply 3-4 best practices for building an engaging profile
Log into your LinkedIn Learning account (free for UO students and staff) and register at https://training.talent.linkedin.com/rock-your-profile?next=%2Frock-your-profile%2F1008029 (more date and time options are available for registration in the same link).
noon
This workshop, intended for international graduate students, introduces well-established processes for positioning onerself to execute a focused and successful US-based job search. Take away a four-step framework to optimize your job search game plan. Learn how to:
- Efficiently target companies that sponsor H-1B visas and hire international students
- Cultivate professional connections through strategic networking and informational interviews
- Leverage your story, skills, expertise, your university network, and brand to achieve your goals
- Practice how to use your cultural diversity as an advantage
Register for this workshop, offered by Interstride, at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FrrhKBQGQiqFE50S-CNpiw#/registration
7:30–9:00 p.m.
The University of Oregon, in conjunction with SPA/LCC Theatre, presents Them by Palestinian/Australian playwright Samah Sabawi, directed by Malek Najjar. This touring production runs at LCC’s Blue Door Theatre July 24, 25, 26, 31, August 1, 2 at 7:30 p.m., and August 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at the Portland Center Stage Ellyn Bye Studio at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $15 for students. This production is supported by The Very Little Theatre. There will be an ASL interpreted performances July 31.
Them is award-winning playwright Samah Sabawi’s powerful drama about war, hope, and survival. Through the use of humor, laughter, and song, Them transports audiences into the extraordinary circumstances that reveal their shared humanity and the ordinary moments that shape their lives. Sabawi says, “Any of us could be them. Our lives, even in tragic moments, have moments of humanity and humor and love and kindness… I wrote Them to bring the music, the humor, and love as well as the horrific reality of life in a war zone.” The play, written in 2015, was in response to the heightening anti-immigrant tensions she witnessed while living in Finland and Australia. “The divisive ‘us’ and ‘them’ dehumanizing discourse is prevalent in many western liberal nations,” Sabawi says.
Them is directed by University of Oregon Theatre Arts Professor Malek Najjar, who has been awarded the 2025 University of Oregon Presidential Fellow in Arts Award and the James F. Miller Artistic Development Fund for Faculty in Theatre Arts. Najjar, who is an award-winning director and scholar who focuses his artistic practice and scholarship on Arab American and Middle Eastern American Theatre, chose to produce and direct Them as his response to the rising anti-immigrant, anti-Middle Eastern sentiment he has witnessed since the last U.S. presidential election. “We are facing unprecedented attacks on artistic expression, academic freedom, and immigrants in this country,” Najjar says. “Them is an attempt to give value to the lives of those who are suffering in wars and conflicts that are funded and perpetuated by western powers that have turned a blind eye to the plight of millions of innocent civilians who are dying every day.”
The play features Portland-based actor Dré Slaman, and Eugene-based actors Zayne Clayton, Akash Dhruva, Manny Rojas Meza, and Trevor Tarantino. Live music will be performed by “Acoustic Pilgrims” aka Wayne and Denise Gilbertson.
Tickets are available at https://blogs.uoregon.edu/them/
Tickets will also be sold at the door one hour before curtain at each venue.
7:30–9:00 p.m.
The University of Oregon, in conjunction with SPA/LCC Theatre, presents Them by Palestinian/Australian playwright Samah Sabawi, directed by Malek Najjar. This touring production runs at LCC’s Blue Door Theatre July 24, 25, 26, 31, August 1, 2 at 7:30 p.m., and August 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at the Portland Center Stage Ellyn Bye Studio at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $15 for students. This production is supported by The Very Little Theatre. There will be an ASL interpreted performances July 31.
Them is award-winning playwright Samah Sabawi’s powerful drama about war, hope, and survival. Through the use of humor, laughter, and song, Them transports audiences into the extraordinary circumstances that reveal their shared humanity and the ordinary moments that shape their lives. Sabawi says, “Any of us could be them. Our lives, even in tragic moments, have moments of humanity and humor and love and kindness… I wrote Them to bring the music, the humor, and love as well as the horrific reality of life in a war zone.” The play, written in 2015, was in response to the heightening anti-immigrant tensions she witnessed while living in Finland and Australia. “The divisive ‘us’ and ‘them’ dehumanizing discourse is prevalent in many western liberal nations,” Sabawi says.
Them is directed by University of Oregon Theatre Arts Professor Malek Najjar, who has been awarded the 2025 University of Oregon Presidential Fellow in Arts Award and the James F. Miller Artistic Development Fund for Faculty in Theatre Arts. Najjar, who is an award-winning director and scholar who focuses his artistic practice and scholarship on Arab American and Middle Eastern American Theatre, chose to produce and direct Them as his response to the rising anti-immigrant, anti-Middle Eastern sentiment he has witnessed since the last U.S. presidential election. “We are facing unprecedented attacks on artistic expression, academic freedom, and immigrants in this country,” Najjar says. “Them is an attempt to give value to the lives of those who are suffering in wars and conflicts that are funded and perpetuated by western powers that have turned a blind eye to the plight of millions of innocent civilians who are dying every day.”
The play features Portland-based actor Dré Slaman, and Eugene-based actors Zayne Clayton, Akash Dhruva, Manny Rojas Meza, and Trevor Tarantino. Live music will be performed by “Acoustic Pilgrims” aka Wayne and Denise Gilbertson.
Tickets are available at https://blogs.uoregon.edu/them/
Tickets will also be sold at the door one hour before curtain at each venue.