News Highlights

Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin

Research

New Low-Waste Method Breaks Down Tough-to-Recycle Plastics

The method could help create plastic products with the best of both worlds by combining durability with an eco-friendly life cycle.

Four photos in a grid showing the progression of a 3D printed pufferfish in a beaker of clear liquid. As the photos progress, the pufferfish dissolves into powder.

Announcements

Fusion Energy Seed Grants Launch New Interdisciplinary Collaborations at University of Texas at Austin

The projects bridge physics, engineering and computational sciences to tackle big challenges for fusion energy.

Inside a donut-shaped fusion reactor, a whitish-pink blur represents a fusion plasma

Features

Six Lessons from a Legendary UT Science Teacher

On moving day, a veteran scientist and teacher looks back on lessons learned in the college.

A scientist and teacher sits at her desk, behind her wooden shelves overflow with papers and books

Features

5 Questions with Archer Graduate Fellow Christina Lildharrie

A Ph.D. student in neuroscience, she is exploring science, service and public policy in the nation’s capital.

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Research

Publishing in a Leading Journal as Undergraduates

Three undergraduate researchers published with a team in Nature, shedding new light on a microbe and its host.

Two adult aphids and nymphs on a stem

Accolades

Allan MacDonald Wins Kavli Prize in Nanoscience

MacDonald and two colleagues were honored for “foundational work that established the field of twistronics.”

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Features

Can This Scientist’s Proposal Save Coral Reefs in Our Hemisphere?

Evolutionary expert Misha Matz makes a splash with a controversial proposal that could save Caribbean coral reefs.

A man stands in a large greenhouse next to a large tank of water containing coral

Accolades

College of Natural Sciences Celebrates the 2026 Dean’s Honored Graduates

Meet the 32 graduating seniors being recognized for their excellence in research, academics, leadership and service to the community.

Meet the 32 graduating seniors being recognized for their excellence in research, academics, leadership and service to the community.

UT News

Nataša Pavlović Among Longhorns Joining American Academy of Arts and Sciences

UT mathematician Nataša Pavlović has been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Announcements

Computing, Sciences, Math at UT Among Best in U.S. for Graduate Study

In 2026-2027 rankings, all UT computer science programs rank in the top 10, while math and more are in the top tier.

Students in backpacks walk by a limestone building as the UT Tower looms in the distance.