29 Faculty Members Promoted in UMD’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

Nine tenured/tenure-track faculty members, six instructional faculty members and 11 research faculty members were promoted in summer 2025.

Tracking Climate-Linked Pathogens Through DNA Science

Postdoc Kyle Brumfield and Distinguished University Professor Rita Colwell are working with an inter-university team to help mitigate the threat from waterborne pathogens.

Exploring the Secret Lives of Figs and Fig Wasps

Biology Professor Carlos Machado studies the extraordinary partnership between figs and their microscopic pollinators—and what happens when some evolutionary partners turn into ‘cheaters’.

Chen Receives NSF CAREER Award to Improve Security of AI Coding Tools

Chen’s research focuses on code large language models, which are AI systems that help programmers by completing partial programs or generating code from natural language instructions.

GRAD-MAP Students, Mentors ‘Learn From Each Other’

Over nine weeks, UMD researchers and summer scholars tackle short but ambitious projects related to physics and astronomy. 

Career Q&A with Biological Sciences and Mathematics Alum Safiullah Rifai

Rifai (B.S. ’23) received counsel from the Health Professions Advising Office and will pursue an M.D./Ph.D. at the University of Maryland School of Medicine this fall.

Small Wonders

Maryland State Entomologist Max Ferlauto (Ph.D. ’24, entomology) is working to protect some of the state’s smallest—and rarest—inhabitants.

Scientists Track Lightning “Pollution” in Real Time Using NASA Satellite

Led by UMD Atmospheric and Oceanic Science researchers, this novel experiment is revealing how thunderstorms affect our climate and how Earth’s atmosphere breaks down pollution.

$2.85M Gift Launches the University of Maryland Computing Catalyst

Donation from alum Brendan Iribe honors Jandelyn Plane, who pioneered the university’s K-12 outreach programs in computing.

Researchers Spy Finish Line in Race for Majorana Qubits

Our computer age is built on a foundation of semiconductors. As researchers and engineers look toward a new generation of computers that harness quantum physics, they are exploring various foundations for the burgeoning technology.

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