Recent news about AI safety is fueling a new wave of political and societal fear. Five UW AI researchers discuss the real risks of AI and what to do about them.
September 16, 2026
The latest news from the UW
September 14, 2026
Faculty/staff honors: CRNS fellow-ambassador, Richard R. Ernst prize and a National Science Foundation award
Recent recognition of faculty and staff at the University of Washington includes France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Richard R. Ernst Prize for contributions to magnetic resonance, and a National Science Foundation CAREER award from the Division of Materials Research.
September 10, 2026
Fossil feathers preserved inside dinosaur poop could help explain why some birds survived the dinosaur mass extinction
A UW-led research team has discovered the best-preserved fossil feathers from the Mesozoic era — in fossilized dinosaur poop. Some of these feathers have features that look like modern birds’ feathers. This finding can help researchers better understand why and how some birds survived the catastrophic event 66 million years ago that killed 75% of life on the planet.
UW, WA Department of Health show it’s possible to test wastewater for STIs
American public health agencies don’t routinely test wastewater for sexually transmitted infections, but new research led by the University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Health found that such methods could be used to effectively identify Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria that causes chlamydia.
Coyote density is 9 times higher in Seattle than in Washington’s wild lands
A new UW study shows a nine-fold increase in coyote density in Seattle compared to natural areas of Washington state. Coyotes in urban environments have fewer predators and more prey, which may help explain the national trend.
September 8, 2026
UW researchers lead and support new ‘AI-for-Science’ Genesis Mission awards
University of Washington researchers are leading and collaborating on four research projects as part of Phase 1 in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Genesis Mission, a national initiative to build an AI-for-science ecosystem which accelerates breakthroughs in energy, discovery science and national security.
September 3, 2026
New timeline for Student Conduct Code revisions
This week, UW President Robert J. Jones wrote to UW Faculty Senate leadership that he will delay sending the Regents proposed changes to the Student Conduct Code so that faculty, students and staff may provide additional feedback on the proposals related to non-academic student conduct. Revisions to provisions on academic student conduct, which are not part of the proposed changes, will be handled in a separate process over the course of the 2026-27 academic year.
September 2, 2026
Q&A: The Arctic melt season is now more than a month longer than it was in the 1980s, according to new UW research
Melinda Webster, a research scientist at the UW’s Applied Physics Laboratory, is the lead author on a new study that catalogs changes in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice over the past 50-plus years. She spoke with UW News about the story behind the numbers.
Video: Curiosity, frustration and antipathy: How kids play with AI toys
University of Washington researchers gathered eight kids on campus to explore how they played with AI toys. The kids initially were curious, asking introductory questions, such as “What is your name?” But after communication breakdowns, the kids turned to antagonizing the toys, calling them “ugly” and “evil” and joking about throwing them in the ocean.
August 31, 2026
August research highlights: Nectar robbing, anxious attachment styles, persnickety plasma, more
Explore recent research from the University of Washington: nectar-stealing Hawaiian honeycreepers, ChatGPT and anxious attachment, the cost of nursing for marine mammals, new magnetic nanomaterials, and a new strategy to subdue finicky plasma.
August 27, 2026
New galactic simulations narrow the hunt for dark matter
Astronomers at the University of Washington simulated four Milky Way-sized galaxies for five billion (virtual) years to test a leading theory about how dark matter might influence streams of orbiting stars. The results could help researchers separate true evidence of dark matter from false positives.
August 21, 2026
Q&A: UW professors explain how we’re misreading the energy crisis
Dominic Muren, UW teaching professor of design, and Adrienne Russell, UW professor of communication, examine environmental problems from a perspective beyond the hard sciences. They spoke to UW News about what today’s energy crises reveal about contemporary societies’ dependence on fossil fuels and how we can create a “solar-powered system.”
August 19, 2026
Antarctica’s brief rebound was caused by climate variability, not a ‘new normal’
A new study attributes Antarctica’s brief stabilization to a short term climatic shift that increased precipitation over east Antarctica between 2021 and 2023, adding enough snow to temporarily balance ice loss at the continent’s edges.
August 18, 2026
Q&A: UW professor Hossein Naghavi uses terahertz waves to help sensors augment human vision
Hossein Naghavi, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UW, explores new applications for an underused segment of the electromagnetic spectrum known as the “terahertz band.” Naghavi recently received a grant from the Department of Energy to create powerful yet lightweight sensors using terahertz waves, which could aid emergency responders, autonomous vehicles, security systems and more.
August 12, 2026
12 UW professors elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences
Eleven faculty members at the University of Washington have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences while another was elected to the WSAS Board of Directors.
August 11, 2026
More than a decade of observation in Seattle suburbs shows where sensitive bird species won’t go
After tracking birds in the Puget Sound lowlands for 12 years, researchers conclude that birds respond better to some development configurations than others, highlighting measures developers can take to protect native species while still meeting the region’s growing demands.
August 10, 2026
With landmark 10-year investment, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation will deliver more local, timely health evidence worldwide
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent research organization at the University of Washington, has received a landmark 10-year grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen freely available, scientifically rigorous health evidence used by governments, researchers, and leaders to improve the health and well-being of people in Washington, the United States, and around the world.
August 7, 2026
Statement on cancellation of January 2027 lecture [Updated 8/19/26]
The University of Washington is dedicated to the free exchange of ideas, including on controversial topics and involving provocative speakers. After Hasan Piker was announced as a speaker for the 2026-27 Speaker Series, there was a review of the process by which the event was planned. It was determined that that the process for organizing this event did not meet the necessary level of rigor for University-hosted events in the Speaker Series. As a result, this event will not be…
August 6, 2026
AI models nearly erase female characters when they write kids stories about animals
AI systems such as Google’s Gemini Storybook now let parents or teachers conjure illustrated, personalized kids stories. UW researchers found that when six leading AI models made stories about talking animals, 57% of characters were either gender neutral or ungendered, 41% were male, and just 2% were female.
August 5, 2026
Q&A: As smoke blankets Washington, UW experts share how they navigate wildfire season
As fires rage and smoke smothers the Pacific Northwest, UW News sat down with five UW experts in fire science, forestry, air pollution and more to ask how they manage wildfire season.
August 3, 2026
NASA’s Hubble shows star formation in Andromeda galaxy winding down
A new study using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope found that star formation in the nearby Andromeda galaxy has undergone a 500-million-year decline, with an even steeper drop in the last 40 million years.
July 30, 2026
July research highlights: AI material design, ocean temperature models, paternal body odor
Explore recent research from the University of Washington: a new AI framework for developing advanced materials, a test of climate models’ ability to predict temperature trends, and the role of paternal body odor in brain-to-brain synchrony with infants.
July 29, 2026
6.5 million Americans face landslide risks — a new database shows where they live
University of Washington researchers created the Landslide Exposure Database, the first resource that maps per-building landslide vulnerability across the United States. The study estimates that roughly 6.5 million U.S. residents are highly vulnerable to landslides, and overturns the conventional picture of landslide risk in the U.S. by identifying high concentrations of exposure in Appalachia as well as a surprising urban-rural divide.
July 28, 2026
UW study identifies genetic changes tied to more severe cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia
Researchers at the University of Washington are investigating how genetic changes impact the severity of schizophrenia symptoms. A new study supports the idea that deletions in genes that regulate early brain and neuron development are associated with more severe features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, particularly lower cognitive abilities.
July 22, 2026
8 UW faculty and staff named Fulbright Scholars; will conduct research around the world
Eight University of Washington researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2026-2027 and will pursue studies around the world. Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues. This year’s UW cohort represents a variety of disciplines, including sciences, engineering, business, environmental sciences, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science….
UW researchers join national effort to streamline AI-driven cosmology
Researchers at the University of Washington and partners at Carnegie Mellon University are collaborating on a new project to help scientists use artificial intelligence to better understand the universe.
Q&A: How UW researchers are using AI to speed up drug discovery and development
Housed in the UW School of Pharmacy, the Institute for Innovations in Drug Delivery and Disposition (I2D3) brings together experts in artificial intelligence, drug discovery, pharmacology, data science and biotechnology to ease the bottleneck between promising molecules and successful drugs.
July 15, 2026
Roadless rule helps protect clean drinking water for 25 million Americans, new study shows
A new University of Washington study maps how the 2001 roadless rule protects U.S. rivers, and how rescinding the rule could impact access to clean drinking water, biodiversity, outdoor recreation and more.
July 8, 2026
ArtSci Roundup: Summer 2026
Come curious. Leave inspired. Wherever you are, the University of Washington offers opportunities to learn and connect with the ideas, people, and research shaping our world. This summer, visit campus for the latest exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, or join us from anywhere through recorded lectures, podcasts, virtual experiences, and more. As a public university, we’re proud to share the knowledge, creativity, and discoveries of the UW with communities near and…
July 6, 2026
UW kicks off one-year study to explore expansion and address needs for health care, impactful research
The University of Washington is exploring a significant redevelopment and expansion of UW Medical Center–Montlake, the Magnuson Health Sciences Center and west campus.
July 1, 2026
Q&A: Study warns rising temperatures could push rice beyond historical heat limits
A new study from Jade d’Alpoim Guedes, UW associate professor of anthropology, warns that the future of rice — arguably the most important crop on Earth — is in danger. Due to rising temperatures driven by climate change, projections show that Asia’s major rice-producing regions may soon pass the thermal limits that have remained consistent throughout the crop’s history. This would create unparalleled challenges in a region where more than a billion people rely on rice cultivation for their livelihoods.
Statement on activist group not affiliated with the University
The Seattle-based activist group calling itself “Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return” (SUPER) has no affiliation with the University of Washington.
June 30, 2026
Rubin Observatory begins landmark 10-year timelapse of night sky
The Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun its ten-year survey of the southern sky, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
June research highlights: Air quality inequity, ultrafast chemistry, cigar galaxy, more
Explore recent research from the University of Washington: low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately impacted by air pollution, an unfathomably fast chemical reaction, ups and downs in the methane record, and the cigar galaxy pictured at high resolution.
Some agentic AI browsers come with major cybersecurity risks, UW study finds
A UW team studied seven popular agentic AI browsers and found that four create ways for malicious actors to bypass a fundamental cybersecurity protocol called the “same-origin policy,” which makes websites open in a browser unable to interact with each other’s information. Researchers ran a successful proof-of-concept cyberattack on one browser.
June 25, 2026
UW researchers created PaperTok, an AI system that helps users turn research papers into short, engaging videos
A UW team built an AI tool that helps users turn research papers into 45-second videos. A researcher uploads a paper to the tool, which uses Google Gemini to write a short script explaining the paper. The researcher can then iteratively edit the transcript and resulting video clip.
June 24, 2026
President and Provost join new faculty on bus tour of Washington
President Robert J. Jones, Provost Tricia Serio and more than two dozen new University of Washington faculty toured Washington state last week on the annual Faculty Field Tour.
Decades-long dataset shows which orcas are most at home in Puget Sound
The prevalence of Bigg’s killer whales is increasing in Puget Sound, while the chances of sighting the southern residents remains slim, and pod-specific.
GovScape lets you easily search millions of government documents
A University of Washington-led research team created GovScape, an efficient search system for PDFs from the End of Term Web Archive. Users can look up exact keywords, like “FAFSA,” or use semantic search, which finds documents on a topic even if the exact search terms don’t appear on the page. Because researchers used highly efficient artificial intelligence models, processing the 10 million PDFs hosted online during Donald Trump’s first term costs less than $1,500, or about $1 per 47,000 pages.
June 23, 2026
Mitigated determination of non-significance: UWMC Outpatient Medical Center Expansion
Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the UW hereby provides public notice of: MITIGATED DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE.