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Five people stand in front of a building, dressed in formal attire.

Five early-career scholars form second Arts & Letters cohort of prestigious Notre Dame postdoctoral fellowship program

Author: Mary Kinney

Five interdisciplinary scholars have joined the College of Arts & Letters at the University of Notre Dame to continue their research, obtain invaluable support, and engage in professional development as part of the Provost’s…

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Students walk along a sunlit sidewalk framed by vibrant yellow trees and brilliant red bushes on a college campus during autumn.

Should I Teach at a Liberal Arts College or Research University?

Author: Kyler Schubkegel

Noting the fierce competition to secure tenure-track faculty positions at highly ranked research universities, Kyler Schubkegel, a graduate associate in Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence, writes that it’s worthwhile to consider another route to such a job: the liberal arts college.

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Two smiling men in blue shirts stand on a path before Notre Dame's Main Building with the Golden Dome.

SROP experience helps Devin Ugbaja envision a future in research

Author: Traci DuVal

Devin Ugbaja, a junior sociology student at Henderson State University, crossed the room at the McNair Scholars conference in Florida, hoping to pick up a pen, or perhaps a T-shirt for his father. A devoted Fighting Irish football fan, his father had made sure Ugbaja grew up watching Rudy. Instead, Ugbaja walked away from the University of Notre Dame recruiting table with an opportunity that would eventually bring him to campus as a researcher.

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Man with dark curly hair and glasses in a maroon sweater looks at the camera in a blurred science lab.

Researchers show how early RNA-based life may have repaired its genome, providing insight into the origins of life

Author: Erin Fennessy Lawlor

Notre Dame postdoctoral researcher Annyesha Biswas is the first author of a new study revealing how RNA may have repaired itself billions of years ago—offering new insight into the origins of life and a potential tool for detecting disease-related RNA damage today.  

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An East Asian man in a lab holds a clear dish containing a wired device with colorful components, smiling faintly.

Ink-based thermoelectric technology could be solution for replacing problematic refrigerants

Author: Damienne Jugovic

Today’s refrigerants, which are specialized working fluids used in air conditioners, refrigerators, and heat pumps, come with a host of issues including leakage, emissions concerns, flammability, and limited reclamation of used refrigerants. However, a recent study by University of Notre Dame researchers describes a promising alternative for next-generation cooling using thermoelectric technology, which has no moving parts, no gaseous refrigerants, and thus zero leaks.

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Guanhao Zhou

Ph.D. student Guanhao Zhou receives ICSA Student Paper Award

Author: Kathy Phillips

The Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics (ACMS) is pleased to congratulate Ph.D. student Guanhao Zhou on receiving a 2026 ICSA Student Paper Award from the International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) at the 2026 ICSA Applied Statistics Symposium. Zhou,…

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Four diverse people smiling: woman outdoors, Asian man in blue Notre Dame graduation cap and gown, man with beard, and man with blue eyes.

Eck Institute’s Ph.D. fellowship helped anthropology student advance global health research

Author: Damienne Jugovic

The global health space has the power to connect researchers across disciplines and bring light to the world’s pressing challenges. For Ph.D. students and candidates who are pursuing research in global health, the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame facilitates this with its Ph.D. Fellowship program.

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Left to Right: Jane, Fr. Gary, and Anna inside the Notre Dame Newman University Church in Dublin, Ireland

Tradition and transformation: digital engagement and Catholic parish life in contemporary Ireland

Author: Jane Porter

It is a Tuesday evening in Dublin and the city is awake. But inside Newman University Church, inconspicuously tucked among a row of buildings facing St. Stephen's Green, something quieter is happening. Upon entering, each visitor is handed a candle and invited into silence at Taizé, an ecumenical…

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Smiling woman in white floral dress and bearded man in blue suit hold their crystal Michiana 40 Under 40 awards.

Two Notre Dame employees named to Michiana Forty Under 40

Author: Colleen Wilcox

Congratulations to the Graduate School's Jamila Lee-Johnson, recently named to Michiana Forty Under Forty. As assistant dean for inclusive excellence, Lee-Johnson leads initiatives that expand access to graduate education and research opportunities at Notre Dame. Beyond campus, she is dedicated to mentoring young women and helping prepare emerging leaders for service on nonprofit boards and foundations.

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Visitors view "Drawing the RNA World" scientific comic posters displayed on easels by large windows and an arched doorway.

Notre Dame graduate students explore the beauty of research through the Beauty of Understanding Showcase

Author: Traci DuVal

What do a conductor, a chemist, and a neurobiologist have in common? At first glance, not much. Yet that wasn't the impression visitors got when they walked into Jordan Hall of Science during the second annual Beauty of Understanding Showcase. Easel after easel lined the hall, displaying research through watercolor paintings, elegant data, acrylics, comic-style illustrations, photography, musical performances, and three-dimensional exhibits as graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and teaching scholars shared creative interpretations of their research.

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Smiling woman in clear glasses, gold cardigan, and dangle earrings, stands before a vintage bookshelf.

ReSearching for the Common Good: Emelia Hughes

Author: David Cramer

How do social media platforms shape our sense of belonging online? Read about the research of Notre Dame graduate student Emelia Hughes, who studies how algorithms, recommendation systems, and online communities influence identity, connection, and how we interact in digital spaces.

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Smiling man in glasses holds a happy baby with fingers in mouth, both sitting in a patterned hammock outdoors.

Long-term study of COVID lockdown and family life shows unexpected, lasting effects on fatherhood

Author: Tracy DeStazio

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, an ideal vision of family life would have shown that parents are continuing to share in caregiving responsibilities and spending quality time with their children — dads, in particular. Many people hoped that the behavioral changes caused by lockdowns would persist, allowing dads more time and flexibility in the long term and ultimately reshaping how we view fatherhood in general. However, according to new research from Notre Dame anthropologist and fatherhood expert Lee Gettler, those fathering benefits have not outlasted the pandemic itself.

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Blue-gloved hands use a pipette to precisely manipulate liquid in a small clear lab dish with a square well.

Douglas and Diana Berthiaume make groundbreaking gift to support strategic investment in biomedical research infrastructure

Author: Erin Blasko

Douglas and Diana Berthiaume have made a transformational gift to the University of Notre Dame to advance biomedical research through strategic investments in critical infrastructure. The gift, totaling $35 million, establishes the Center for Biomedical Discovery. It includes $5 million in seed funding for multidisciplinary research teams, promoting new collaborations among biomedical researchers in the Colleges of Science and Engineering.

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Dante Alighieri, wearing a pink robe and laurel wreath, holds a book, standing between the dark rocks of Hell (left), Mount Purgatory (center-right, with ascending figures), and the golden cityscape of Florence (right, featuring the Duomo).

XX International Summer School in Dante Studies (August 22–27, 2026)

Author: Demetrio Yocum

Applications are now open for the 20th International Summer School in Dante Studies, jointly organized by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, the Centro Dantesco dei Frati Minori Conventuali di Ravenna, and the University of Verona.…

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Young woman with long brown hair and a cream shirt smiling broadly at the camera against a gray background.

Rising senior Katharine Steffes awarded Beinecke Scholarship for graduate study

Author: Erin Blasko

University of Notre Dame rising senior Katharine Steffes has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship worth $35,000 in support of her graduate education. She is Notre Dame’s 11th Beinecke Scholar overall and third since 2023.

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A dark-skinned baby in a red tutu onesie looks up from a bassinet as an adult's hands gently touch its chest.

When global warming becomes malnutrition: New study links climate change, childhood stunting and local inequality

Author: Renée LaReau

A new study co-authored by Notre Dame postdoctoral researcher Nabin Pradhan links climate change to rising childhood stunting in 34 African countries. Learn how global warming and inequality impact child health.

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Four diverse people smiling: woman outdoors, Asian man in blue Notre Dame graduation cap and gown, man with beard, and man with blue eyes.

Eck Institute’s Ph.D. fellowship helped anthropology student advance global health research

Author: Damienne Jugovic

The global health space has the power to connect researchers across disciplines and bring light to the world’s pressing challenges. For Ph.D. students and candidates who are pursuing research in global health, the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame facilitates this with its Ph.D. Fellowship program.

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The Golden Dome of the Notre Dame Main Building, topped with the statue of Mary, framed by white dogwood blossoms.

New Class of Graduate Fellows Joins Institute for Ethics and the Common Good

Author: Michael Infantine

The Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG) is proud to announce its new class of Graduate Fellows for the 2026–27 academic year. This group of emerging scholars will spend the year with the institute, dedicated to addressing critical ethical issues in their…

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A hand holds a black graduation cap and beige tassel high, with Notre Dame's Golden Dome and blue sky in the background.

Graduate School Commencement 2026 photo gallery | May 16, 2026

Author: Traci DuVal

From proud smiles and inspirational speeches to the conferral of degrees and joyful embraces, here's a gallery of images that capture memorable moments from our Graduate School Commencement Ceremony and celebration of the Class of 2026.  [gallery:'the-graduate-school-commencement-2026']

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Four smiling Notre Dame graduates in blue academic robes. One woman sits holding her cap; two men and a woman stand wearing theirs.

After commencement: four Notre Dame graduate students share a look back and a look ahead

Author: Traci DuVal

For many, college graduation is a reflective and emotional milestone. It's the close of a chapter shaped by hard work, new life experiences, and lasting friendships. For graduate students, the feeling often runs even deeper. Many describe it as finally setting down a weight they have carried for years. As the Graduate School celebrates the Class of 2026, we asked four graduates to reflect on the end of this chapter and the excitement of what lies ahead.

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Smiling man in blue Notre Dame academic regalia with a crest shakes hands with a graduate in matching gown and blue tam.

The Commencement of the Graduate School class of 2026

Author: Erin Blasko

Mary Cunningham Boyce delivered the keynote address Saturday during the Graduate School’s annual Commencement Ceremony, encouraging students in this moment of profound change, from rapid advances in science and technology to the increasing threat of global climate disaster, to “set aside any sense of a well-worn path to ‘success.’

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