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
3:00 a.m.–3:50 p.m.
The Comp Program Writing Lab is holding drop-in workshops alongside WR 199 students; this week's topic is REVISION STRATEGIES! What's the difference between revision and editing? How do I decide what to prioritize? How do I revise from feedback, or figure it out without feedback?
All students currently enrolled in WR 121z, 122z, or 123 are invited to join us for help with these questions and more! RSVP encouraged (but not required!): WritingLab@uoregon.edu. Email us your name and which workshop(s) you plan to attend.
9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Dr. Tiara Naputi (Associate Professor of Global and International Studies at UC Irvine Oceanic Dispatches) “Storying Our Planetary Health”
Lunch buffet and film screening: “Holding Back the Tide” (Emily Packer, Marginal Gap Films)
Dara Craig, Lydia Lapporte, and Megan Hayes (UO grad student panel) “Sea Urchins, Kelp, and Oysters: Justice, Relations, and Cosmic Tending”
Dr. Astrida Neimanis (Associate Professor of English and Cultural Studies, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at UBC) “Care for the Stranded”
Closing Panel: All speakers together with Dr. Stacy Alaimo
Blue Visions: Thinking with Ocean Ecologies across the Arts and Humanities was organized by Stacy Alaimo and Megan Hayes, along with the directors of the Center for Environmental Futures, Nina Amstutz and Emily Eliza Scott.
Thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences, the Oregon Humanities Center, the Center for Environmental Futures, the Department of English, the Horn Chair (English) and the Barbara and Carlisle Moore Chair (English) for their generous funding. Special thanks to Christina Lujin.
3:00–4:30 p.m.
Join us for the annual Wayne Morse Chair Address featuring Danielle Allen, 2024-25 Wayne Morse Chair. Allen is a political theorist, professor at Harvard University and an advocate for democracy. Her acclaimed book, Our Declaration, offers a profound analysis of American democratic principles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Allen contributed crucial insights on equitable policy responses and effective governance. Allen received the Kluge Prize, which recognizes work in disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes, in 2020. In 2022, she ran for Governor of Massachusetts, emphasizing the need for systemic reform and inclusivity in state government. She writes a column on constitutional democracy for the Washington Post.
This event is free and open to the public. Join us in person or watch the livestream.
Sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics as part of its 2023-25 theme, Defending Democracy. Cosponsored by the UO Office of the President.
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Queer Turns: Locating the Lesbi/Queer Genealogy of Chicana Feminism, 1970-2020
May 8 / 3:30pm-4:30pm / EMU Diamond Lake Room
Join the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS) on Thursday, May 8th in the EMU Diamond Lake Room for a research presentation by Dr. Yvette Saavedra (Associate Professor, WGSS), exploring the intersection of Chicana feminism and queer identity. Through archival research and oral histories, Saavedra uncovers the often-overlooked contributions of lesbi-queer feminists to the field of Chicana/o Studies.
In 2024, Saavedra was awarded a CLLAS Faculty Research Grant to begin the work of expanding her award-winning article “Of Chicana Lesbian Terrorists and Lesberadas: Recuperating the Chicana Lesbian/Queer Roots of Chicana Feminist Discourse, 1970-2000,” into a full-length book. Focusing on the fifty-year period between 1970 and 2020, this book project traces the impact that Chicana feminist thought, and discourse had in shaping Chicana/o Studies’ trajectory and opening new avenues of academic inquiry.
This event provides a platform for CLLAS-funded researchers to share their findings and engage in a broader conversation about the significance of these topics. We hope to see you there!