Moving the needle in higher education

UF physicists part of effort toward first-ever detection of dark matter(opens in a new tab)

Despite estimating that dark matter makes up approximately 85% of all the universe’s matter, scientists know very little about the invisible substance. But an experiment based in a lab in Sudbury, Canada, has taken a step toward potentially recording the first detections of dark matter particles. A team including Tarek Saab, Ph.D., professor of physics at the University of Florida, constructed and installed the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search, or SuperCDMS, SNOLAB, which started collecting data earlier this month.

EPA approves HLB-resistant citrus rootstock based on UF research(opens in a new tab)

Florida company Soilcea is preparing to supply more than 300,000 citrus trees based on University of Florida technology after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval of CarriCea T1, a new Huanglongbing (HLB)-resistant rootstock that could help growers combat citrus greening.

Pioneers in pain relief: UF-led research team test injectable, battery-free neural implants(opens in a new tab)

A team led by University of Florida researchers is developing an injectable implant to stimulate nerves without batteries or wires. The research stands to improve treatment for chronic pain and neurological disorders. The implant is injected into the body and powered wirelessly by a small, wearable — and removable — transmitter worn outside the body that transmits energy through the tissue.

UF ranks No. 4 among public universities in TIME magazine’s America’s Best Colleges 2027(opens in a new tab)

The University of Florida has been ranked No. 4 among public universities in the inaugural TIME magazine “America’s Best Colleges of 2026-2027” ranking, placing UF among the nation’s top institutions for student outcomes, learning environment and attractiveness to students. The new ranking was developed by TIME magazine in partnership with Statista and focuses on the value students receive from their college education, including outcomes after graduation and the overall student experience.

Tiny transmitters could unlock monarch migration mysteries in Florida(opens in a new tab)

Monarch butterfly migration has captivated scientists for generations. They arrive quietly, fluttering through fields and roadsides, stopping at nectar plants to feed and to lay eggs on patches of milkweed. Soon their offspring emerge and begin dispersing across the landscape. What happens next has long remained one of the biggest unanswered questions in monarch migration research. Now, researchers at the University of Florida are preparing to follow the butterflies in a way that was impossible until recently — using tiny solar-powered radio transmitters light enough to ride on the backs of monarch butterflies as they move through North Central Florida.

UF chemist Austin Evans receives federal award to advance next-generation materials

University of Florida chemist Austin Evans, Ph.D., has been selected for a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which is the highest honor the U.S. government gives to early-career scientists and engineers. The five-year award from the U.S. Department of Defense will support Evans’ research on next-generation polymeric materials with potential applications in electronics, space and other energy implications.

University of Florida research spending reaches record $1.34 billion in fiscal year 2026

University of Florida faculty conducted a record $1.34 billion in research in fiscal year 2026, advancing discoveries in medicine, agriculture, engineering, space and many other fields. The research spending figures are estimates based on UF’s response to the National Science Foundation’s annual Higher Education Research and Development, or HERD, Survey, the national standard for comparing university research activity, which will be finalized early next year. They reflect spending during the fiscal year that ended June 30.