Postdocs bring valuable expertise, national prestige and additional research funding to UMD.

A UMD-led team found water, methane and a rare ammonia signal in the atmosphere of HATS-6 b, a large planet orbiting a tiny star—raising new questions about how giant planets form.

Davoudi will receive up to $2.5 million to explore how the universe works using cutting-edge tools such as quantum computing and sensing.

The program ranks in the Top 10 among public institutions overall and for the specialties of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Kelly Fast (M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’05, astronomy) is NASA’s acting planetary defense officer, overseeing U.S. efforts and global coordination to survey the sky, calculate orbits, study physical properties and identify possible impact risks of near-Earth objects.

The Department of Computer Science academic advisor contributed to several initiatives to address student advising needs and improve how the department delivers information and resources.

Eileen Buckholtz (M.S. ’73, computer science) is publishing a book, "Queens of Code: Inspiring True Stories from NSA’s Computing Women," in November 2026.

University of Maryland alumni Denis Peskoff (Ph.D. ’21, computer science) and Joe Barrow (Ph.D. ’22, computer science) developed the largest machine-readable collection of local law ever assembled in the country.

Astronomy postdoctoral researcher Erini Lambrides’ research on black hole formation earned her a coveted spot on Scientific American’s Young American Scientists list.