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.
News from 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
4:00–5:30 p.m.
Dr. Shannon Cram is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersections of geography, anthropology, science and technology studies, and the environmental humanities. She will speak about her award-winning book, Unmaking the Bomb: Environmental Cleanup and the Politics of Impossibility, that blends history, ethnography, and memoir, as she investigates remediation efforts at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the former weapons complex in Washington State.
This talk is part of the “Anti-Nuclear Research and Activism in the US and Japan” film and speaker series that links nuclear accidents in Japan with the U.S. The series will bring three speakers, two filmmakers, and one film to campus in winter and spring terms to discuss nuclear issues and activism in the U.S. and Japan. This series is of particular importance in the Pacific Northwest because of the Hanford Site in Washington and the new push for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors along the Columbia River.
noon
Are you interested in law, but not sure how to combine it with your current discipline or aren’t sure about a traditional career in law? You might want to check out the newest trend in legal education, legal master’s degrees. Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (in Chicago) has created the Master of Science in Law (MSL) for students interested in how STEM and technology interact with law and business – in areas such as AI, health/medicine, consulting, intellectual property, regulation, compliance, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, technology policy, and many others.
The Director of Northwestern’s MSL will be on hand to discuss the program and answer your questions; join Professor Leslie Oster to learn more about this exciting interdisciplinary law degree.
More information/contact: Leslie Oster, Master of Science in Law, Director leslie.oster@law.northwestern.edu https://www.law.northwestern.edu/academics/degree-programs/msl/
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Students taking WR 121z, 122z, or 123 are invited to drop by the Tykeson 3rd floor Writing Lab (glass room, 351) for candy and quick writing support. Our GE Writing Support Specialists (tutors) are available to help you with any part of a WR assignment, from coming up with ideas to reading to revising to polishing up a final draft. Join us!
Mondays 3-4 and Thursdays 2-3, beginning week 4, for the rest of Winter quarter 2025.
6:00–7:00 p.m.
Join the UO Women in Economics Club for a guest lecture from Dr. Margaret Hallock, former UO Economics professor. Margaret Hallock retired in 2015 as the founding director of the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. She formerly directed the UO Labor Education and Research Center (LERC). Hallock is a Ph.D. economist who taught economics and worked for Service Employees International Union 503 where she led the struggle for pay equity for women workers. Hallock served as a policy advisor to Governor Ted Kulongoski for labor, revenue and workforce development. She has contributed to public policy issues in labor, taxes, healthcare and workforce development. Currently she is active on the Board of Directors for Sponsors, a reentry organization, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon.
The UO Women in Economics Club (WiE) was established in 2023 to support and meet the unique needs of women and gender-diverse individuals in the male-dominated economics field. WiE strives to build community, empower, and increase participation in economics through academic and social events. The club hosts guest speakers, roundtable discussions, professional development workshops, and more. Students undergraduate through PhD are welcome.
"In a male-dominated field, the Women in Economics Club is the first opportunity I've had to directly collaborate with and support my female peers." -M.S. Economics '24