Research

Animation of atomic motion in a 2-D material

Rotating ‘chiral phonons’ could enable new form of IT

02/02/18 Berkeley Lab — Researchers at Berkeley Lab, led by mechanical engineering professor Xiang Zhang, have found the first evidence of naturally occurring circular rotation in an atomically thin material, a phenomenon that could enable exotic and microscopic forms of electronics.

Keeping watch on nuclear weapons

01/22/18 — With her hand in a few different research projects, ranging from nuclear weapons detection to war-game simulations on social media, Bethany Goldblum also finds time to direct and establish groups whose aim is to shape nuclear security policy.

Slide containing cesium-doped perovskite that is transparent at room temperature but turns dark at high temperatures

Study shows solar power potential for smart window material

01/22/18 — Smart windows that automatically adjust their transparency in response to light conditions could potentially generate power as well, according to a new study led by Berkeley researcher Peidong Yang, who holds a joint appointment in materials science and engineering. The new study shows that perovskite can switch back and forth between transparency and non-transparency while retaining its electronic properties.

New research centers to help usher in future of microelectronics

01/19/18 — The Semiconductor Research Corporation announced six new multi-university research centers, and Berkeley Engineering faculty are leading partners in three of them. The centers aim to jump-start future technologies for the microelectronics industry.

Ravi Prasher, with Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay in the background

Batteries to provide renewable energy anytime, anywhere

01/16/18 — Ravi Prasher, adjunct professor of mechanical engineering, and his Berkeley colleagues are searching for new battery materials to help store renewable energy so we can use it when we need it.

Diagram of an adeno-associated virus, and cross-section photo of mouse spinal cord tissue showing cells in which the CRISPR-Cas9 gene has been expressed

First step toward CRISPR cure of Lou Gehrig’s disease

12/20/17 — Berkeley scientists led by Davis Shaffer, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and bioengineering, have for the first time used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to disable a defective gene that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in mice, extending their lifespan by 25 percent.

Illustration of autonomous vehicle situation on city street

Are we going too fast on driverless cars?

12/15/17 Science — Automakers, high-tech companies and politicians are solidly behind self-driving cars and trucks as a sure path to a better, more mobile society. But research on the social, economic and environmental effects of autonomous vehicles is sparse - something Berkeley transportation engineers are seeking to remedy.

Computer scientist Randy Katz named vice chancellor for research

12/06/17 — EECS professor Randy Katz, who helped develop many of the wireless tools and fast, reliable computer storage we take for granted today, has been appointed vice chancellor for research at Berkeley, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

The robot Vestri plays with objects to learn how to complete a task.

New robots can see into the future

12/06/17 — Berkeley researchers, led by EECS assistant professor Sergey Levine, have developed a learning technology that enables robots to imagine the future of their actions so they can figure out how to manipulate objects they have never encountered before.

Chelsea Finn, Sergey levine and Pieter Abbeel working on a robot that uses deep learning software.

Building AI that can build AI

11/06/17 New York Times — As the tech industry hunts for new ways to quicken the development of artificially intelligent machines, Berkeley researchers are focusing on machine-learning algorithms that will help robots learn new tasks based on things they've learned before. "Computers are going to invent the algorithms for us, essentially," says EECS professor Pieter Abbeel.

Ultrafast magnetic reversal points the way toward speedy, low-power computer memory

11/03/17 — Researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Riverside have developed a new, ultrafast method for electrically controlling magnetism in certain metals, a breakthrough that could lead to speedier, more energy-efficient computer memory.

Major progress in realizing new type of lithium cathode

11/02/17 Berkeley Lab — A team of Berkeley Lab scientists led by Gerbrand Ceder, professor of materials science and engineering, have reported major progress toward making lithium battery cathodes with so-called “disordered” materials.

Case studies in forward thinking

11/01/17 — Nine Berkeley Engineering faculty members share some of their forward-looking work and how it might impact what's to come.

Shoestring theory

11/01/17 — Ever wonder why shoelaces come untied? Well, wonder no longer.

Comparing potential solar fuel materials

Materials genome to solar fuels

11/01/17 — Berkeley Lab's Materials Project was deployed with great success in an effort to find new materials that hold promise for capturing more of the sun's energy.

NSF awards support Berkeley data science institute, national workshops

10/27/17 — The UC Berkeley Institute for Data Science and its partners have received one award from the National Science Foundation to deepen the theoretical foundations of data science in a new transdisciplinary institute, and another to strengthen educational strategies through national workshops.

Berkeley experts on how to build more secure, faster AI systems

10/16/17 — In a new report from Berkeley's Real-Time Intelligent Secure Execution Lab (RISELab), leading researchers outline challenges in systems, security and architecture that may impede the progress of artificial intelligence, and propose new research directions to address them.

Diagram of CRISPR–Gold nanoparticle delivery

CRISPR-Gold fixes Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation in mice

10/03/17 — Berkeley bioengineers have developed a new non-viral way to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology inside cells. Researchers in the labs of professors Niren Murthy and Irina Conboy have demonstrated in mice that the technique can repair the mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a severe muscle-wasting disease.

Lotfi Zadeh and old TV screen reading "What

Golden Goose Award for fuzzy logic’s clear impact

09/29/17 AAAS — The late EECS professor Lotfi Zadeh's 1965 concept of "fuzzy sets" has received a 2017 Golden Goose Award, bestowed by group of science societies to honor seemingly obscure, federally-funded research that had led to major breakthroughs.

Knotty circumstance: How that shoelace study went viral

09/25/17 California magazine — The study that would become a media sensation started innocently enough, when a 4-year-old naively asked her father (mechanical engineering professor Oliver O'Reilly), “Why do shoelaces come untied?”