Fourteen University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa academic subjects were ranked among the world’s best in the 2026 , released on March 25.

Four subjects placed in the top 22 in the nation and top 100 in the world. Leading the way was geology (No. 19 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world), geophysics (No. 19 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world), Earth and marine sciences (No. 21 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world) and linguistics (No. 22 in the U.S. and No. 61 in the world).

Ten additional subjects placed in the world’s top 2% (within top 500 in the world out of ):

• English language and literature: No. 28 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 30 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Anthropology: No. 31 U.S., No. 101–200 world
• Modern languages: No. 41 U.S., No. 251–300 world
• Environmental sciences: No. 66 U.S., No. 351–400 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 68 U.S., No. 251–275 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 70 U.S., No. 401–450 world
• Education: No. 78 U.S., No. 351–400 world
• Medicine: No. 99 U.S., No. 451–500 world
• Biological sciences: No. 100 U.S., No. 451–500 world

“These rankings highlight the exceptional work and commitment of our faculty, students and staff,” UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “They showcase the university’s global standing and reinforce that UH Mānoa offers outstanding educational opportunities and experiences for both our local community and those joining us from around the world.”

UH Mānoa was ranked in three broad subject areas and 14 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (measures the reputation of institutions and their programs by asking academic experts to nominate universities based on their subject area of expertise), employer reputation (measures the reputation of institutions and their programs among employers), research citations per paper (measures the impact and quality of the scientific work done by institutions, on average per publication), H-index (measures both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar) and international research network (measure of an institution’s success in creating and sustaining research partnerships with institutions in other locations).

The 2026 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 18,300 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,700 universities in 100 locations around the world.

Other rankings

UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026
• 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, January 4, 2026

A University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa researcher has received a top international honor for his work studying some of the smallest building blocks of the universe.

Chris Ketter, a postdoctoral researcher in the UH Mānoa , was awarded the Belle II PhD Technical Thesis Award. The honor was announced in February at KEK (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization), a leading high-energy physics research center in Tsukuba, Japan.

The award recognizes Ketter’s doctoral research on the Belle II K-Long and Muon detector (a system used to identify and track subatomic particles). He was selected from more than 250 PhD students involved in the global Belle II collaboration. Ketter began his research under the late Professor Gary Varner and now works with Assistant Professor Keisuke Yoshihara, focusing on particle detectors that help scientists study fundamental particles. He is expected to receive the award this summer in Vienna.

“This award came as a shock to me,” Ketter said. “I was just working hard to bring our detector up to the level or readiness required by the experiment. Now reflecting on this award, I can say it was made possible by the support and mentorship of the UH physics professors, postdoctoral researchers and engineers that I had the pleasure to work with. I am humbled by the kindness that my �鶹��ý ʻohana have shown me over the years and, to that end, I am proud to receive merit highlighting the world-class research carried out at the University of �鶹��ý.”

The Belle II experiment brings together more than 700 researchers from around the world. Based in Japan, the project studies collisions between particles to explore fundamental questions about how the universe formed. One of its main goals is to understand why the universe today is made mostly of matter instead of equal parts matter and antimatter (particles with opposite properties). Scientists believe there may be unknown particles or forces—often called “new physics”—that could help explain this imbalance.

�鶹��ýMānoa researchers play a key role in the experiment, contributing to detector systems and data collection tools that allow scientists to measure particle behavior with high precision. Ketter’s award highlights both his individual contributions and UH’s continued involvement in cutting-edge physics research on the global stage.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in UH Mānoa’s .

A new study out of the University of �鶹��ý at ��ā�ԴDz�’s could help solve the mystery surrounding why a key type of star used to measure cosmic distances appears to be missing.

Assistant Professor Jeremy Sakstein led the research, , by the American Physical Society. It shows that dark matter may prevent certain stars, called Cepheid variables, from forming near the Milky Way’s crowded core. Cepheid stars are often described as cosmic metronomes. They brighten and dim in a steady rhythm, making them essential tools for astronomers to measure distances across the universe. In most parts of the galaxy, these stars are common and well understood. However, none have been clearly observed near the galactic center.

The new study offers a possible explanation. According to the researchers, dark matter—an invisible substance thought to make up most of the universe’s mass—may collect inside stars that form in regions where dark matter is especially dense, such as the galaxy’s inner core. There, dark matter could release extra energy inside stars, subtly changing their evolution.

“This work highlights how research at UH Mānoa is helping to address some of the biggest unanswered questions in science,” Sakstein said. “By combining theory and computation, we’re helping to open up entirely new ways to test ideas about the universe. The next generation of telescopes will tell us whether we’re on the right track.”

For Cepheid stars, that extra energy may be enough to stop them from ever entering the phase where they pulse and become visible. The effect appears strongest for smaller Cepheids with shorter rhythms, which would be the first to disappear. Importantly, the study finds that Cepheids are more sensitive to dark matter than many other types of stars. That makes their absence a potential new clue in the decades-long effort to understand what dark matter is and how it behaves.

Powerful new telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope and the next generation of extremely large ground-based observatories, are expected to peer deeper into the galactic center than ever before. If these instruments still fail to find Cepheid stars where they should exist, it could be a strong sign that dark matter is influencing stellar life in ways scientists are only beginning to uncover.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s .

Five subject areas were placed in the world’s top 1%, and an additional four earned top 2% honors in the 2026 , released on January 21.

Education led the way, ranked in the No. 101–125 tier, followed by physical sciences at No. 126–150, arts and humanities at No. 151–175, and law and life sciences each at No. 201–250. To qualify in the world’s top 1%, rankings must be within the top 250 in the world () UH Mānoa was ranked in all 11 of the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject lists.

“We are proud that UH Mānoa continues to be recognized globally, reflecting our commitment to academic excellence, research and the student experience,” UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “These rankings underscore the hard work and dedication of our faculty, students and staff, who make UH Mānoa a truly exceptional place.”

All UH Mānoa rankings:

• Education studies: No. 101–125
• Physical sciences: No. 126–150
• Arts and humanities: No. 151–175
• Law: No. 201–250
• Life sciences: No. 201–250
• Social sciences: No. 251–300
• Medical and health: No. 301–400
• Psychology: No. 301–400
• Business and economics: No. 401–500
• Computer science: No. 501–600
• Engineering: No. 501–600

Times Higher Education considers the following factors for its rankings: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry income and international outlook. Regarded as one of the leading national and international university rankings focused on research and academic excellence, Times Higher Education considered between 425–1,555 of the top institutions for each of its subject rankings, out of more than 25,000 institutions worldwide, to be eligible for its World University Rankings by Subject.

Other rankings

UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, January 4, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, October 9, 2025
• Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, October 2, 2025
• U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings, September 23, 2025

For more information, .

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from UH Mānoa’s Niels Bidault, an assistant professor of .

Bidault shared: “Assistant Professors Siqi Li (left) and Niels Bidault (right) are installing a cathode in the electron gun of the UH linear accelerator. From Noelo magazine.”

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A NASA scientific balloon carrying a next-generation space science instrument has successfully launched over Antarctica, continuing a legacy of discovery that began at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa.

The mission, known as the Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations, or PUEO, lifted off December 20, from NASA’s launch facility near McMurdo Station. The balloon reached an altitude of about 120,000 feet and is now drifting high above the Antarctic ice while collecting data.

PUEO is designed to study tiny particles called neutrinos that travel through space at extremely high energies. When these particles strike the thick Antarctic ice, they create brief radio signals. From its vantage point far above the surface, the balloon-mounted instrument listens for those signals, using the ice below as a natural detector.

By tracking these signals, scientists hope to learn more about powerful events in the universe, such as black hole formation and collisions between dense stars. The mission also includes two additional balloons that send test signals to help researchers confirm the instrument is working properly. PUEO is expected to remain airborne for several weeks, circling the continent as it gathers information.

“This mission shows how ideas that start in �鶹��ý can grow through years of collaboration and dedication into discoveries that help answer some of the biggest questions about our universe,” Professor Peter Gorham said. “It reflects the creativity and persistence of our students, researchers and engineers, and it points to a future where UH research continues to play a meaningful role in advancing science worldwide.”

Building on UH’s Antarctic legacy

PUEO builds on earlier work led by UH researchers through the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA). That earlier project completed four balloon flights between 2006 and 2016 and helped open a new way of studying high-energy particles using radio signals detected over Antarctica. ANITA also recorded unusual particle events that scientists are still working to understand. With improved sensitivity and updated technology, PUEO aims to expand on those discoveries and clarify unanswered questions from the earlier missions.

This is the second high-altitude scientific balloon launched from Antarctica this season with major UH involvement. On December 15, a separate scientific balloon carried the General AntiParticle Spectrometer experiment into the sky to search for rare cosmic antimatter linked to dark matter. Together, the missions highlight UH’s growing role in NASA-led balloon research, using Antarctica’s unique environment to study some of the most basic questions about the universe.

PUEO is led by Professor Abigail Vieregg of the University of Chicago. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in .

A groundbreaking scientific experiment aimed at detecting dark matter in space launched from Antarctica on December 15, with significant contributions from University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa.

The General AntiParticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment is suspended from a football-field-sized balloon approximately 24 miles above Antarctica to search for rare cosmic antimatter that could help unlock the mysteries of dark matter, one of physics’ most perplexing phenomena.

Dark matter makes up about 85% of all the mass in our universe, yet we can’t see it or directly detect it—we only know it exists because of how it affects things around it through gravity. Understanding dark matter would help us grasp what most of the universe is actually made of and potentially reveal fundamental new physics that could revolutionize our understanding of how everything works.

International partners work on mystery

UH Mānoa received $1.4 million, part of a larger NASA grant, in support of the project, and has been playing a leading role in developing the experiment. Columbia is the lead institution on the GAPS project. Collaborators include the UH Mānoa, UCLA, UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, Northeastern University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and international collaborators from Japan, Italy and China.

“This experiment puts �鶹��ý at the forefront of one of the biggest mysteries in modern physics,” said Philip von Doetinchem, project lead and professor. “Our students and researchers at UH Mānoa are helping lead a quest to understand what makes up a large fraction of our universe, showing that groundbreaking science is happening right here in our islands.”

The UH GAPS flight operations team is composed of Research Corporation of UH researcher Achim Stoessl, graduate student Grace Tytus and Doetinchem. In addition, Cory Gerrity was instrumental for on-campus detector development tasks during the pandemic, which was also supported by undergraduate student Hershel Weiner.

The experiment seeks to detect antiprotons and antideuterons (antimatter particles that are used in research to study dark matter and other phenomena), which scientists believe could provide crucial evidence about the nature of dark matter. While researchers have observed dark matter’s gravitational effects, its fundamental properties remain unknown.

GAPS utilizes NASA balloon facilities similar to previous Antarctic experiments, including one that recently challenged standard physics models. The project builds on years of preparation, including extensive detector calibration work at UH Mānoa and integration testing at multiple NASA facilities.

Primary funding is from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), with substantial funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

• Related UH News story: UH professor’s Antarctica discovery may herald new model of physics, December 10, 2018

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in .

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa researchers in the have wrapped up a six-week campaign at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire or European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland, to study how rare antimatter particles (particles with opposite charge to ordinary matter) are created. Understanding these particles helps us learn how the universe was formed and why it behaves the way it does today.

The team used the NA61/SHINE experiment, a fixed-target experiment at one of CERN’s particle accelerators, to produce antinuclei under conditions similar to those found in space. The new data recorded on the ground will help scientists better understand unusual signals recorded by instruments orbiting Earth.

The work is part of a project funded in 2024 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The group expects the data analysis to take several years.

“This work demonstrates that our team in �鶹��ý is at the forefront of understanding cosmic antimatter by using one of the world’s most advanced science facilities, also providing an amazing opportunity for the next generation of researchers to engage in international research,” Professor Philip von Doetinchem said. “Without the hard work of postdoc Anirvan Shukla and graduate students Bobby Lyon and Michael Bell, we could not have executed the campaign. Great thanks also go to our international collaborators at CERN—without them the data taking would not have been possible. What we learn from these measurements will help us better understand our Galaxy and what it is composed of.”

This effort builds on more than a decade of UH Mānoa research focused on hunting for antimatter in space. In 2024, the project received a $600,000 NSF grant to analyze data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the International Space Station. That instrument has detected possible signs of rare antinuclei that may come from dark matter or other unknown processes in the galaxy.

By creating these particles on the ground and comparing them with signals from space, UH scientists aim to narrow down where the antimatter is coming from and what it can reveal about the structure of the universe.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in the UH Mānoa .

A team of scientists, including University of �鶹��ý researchers, has found further observational support for a model originally developed at UH Mānoa that could help solve two of the biggest mysteries in physics: the accelerating growth of the universe and the mass of ghost-like particles called neutrinos.

In a study , the researchers used data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to test whether dark energy emanating from black holes could be responsible for the mysterious force causing the universe to expand faster throughout time. DESI, located at the Kitt Peak National Observatory on land stewarded by the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona, uses 5,000 robotic eyes to map millions of galaxies, helping scientists measure how quickly the universe has grown over billions of years.

This idea, called the cosmologically coupled black hole (CCBH) hypothesis, is based on black holes that convert dead star matter into dark energy. Such dark energy black holes have been studied for over half a century, but their relation to the universe’s growth was not initially appreciated. Duncan Farrah, UH Mānoa associate professor in the and graduate faculty at the ; Kevin Croker, affiliate graduate faculty in the UH Mānoa Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Joel Weiner, professor emeritus in the UH Mānoa , were the first to explore how such a population of black holes could give rise to the accelerated growth that scientists observe today.

“The upshot of this is that if you convert just a little bit of ordinary matter into dark energy over the history of the universe, then you can go a significant way to solving two big mysteries. You explain the origin of dark energy, and you solve a significant tension in the world of particle physics,” Farrah said. “This doesn’t prove anything, but it does motivate further examination of the idea, and testing it against other possible explanations.”

One of the most puzzling findings from DESI is that the standard explanation for accelerated growth of the universe seemed to leave no room for a type of particle called a neutrino to have mass. DESI used the expansion of the universe itself as a giant set of scales, but found that, in the standard model of cosmology, measured mass of neutrinos had begun to contradict measurements from other experiments.

The CCBH model offers a solution. If black holes are turning star matter into dark energy, then the total amount of non-neutrino matter in the universe would decrease over time. This correction allows the neutrino mass measured in DESI data to match what Earth-based experiments have found, something only one other model has done successfully. And it can do so while also explaining the observed accelerated growth of the universe as a whole.

The research explains the amount of dark energy in the universe, suggesting that it wasn’t set at the beginning of time but built up slowly as stars formed and died. The work shows how creative thinking, combined with powerful telescopes and global cooperation, can bring us all closer to understanding how the universe really works.

More about DESI

DESI is an international experiment that brings together more than 900 researchers from more than 70 institutions. The project is led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the instrument was constructed and is operated with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. DESI is mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory—a program of NSF NOIRLab—in Arizona.

In addition to its primary support from the DOE Office of Science, DESI is also supported by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility. Additional support for DESI is provided by the NSF; the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom; the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; the French Alternative Energies 2 and Atomic Energy Commission; the National Council of Humanities, Sciences, and Technologies of Mexico; the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain; and by the DESI member institutions.

What once sat dormant for nearly a decade—a powerful, highly specialized instrument known as a Free-Electron Laser (FEL) at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa—is now sparking back to life, thanks to a new generation of accelerator physicists, determined to restore the FEL’s brilliance and redefine its potential.

Why the FEL matters

Unlike conventional lasers, the FEL produces tunable light (light that can be adjusted to different colors or energies) by accelerating electrons through alternating magnetic fields. This unique mechanism makes it a versatile tool, allowing researchers to probe matter at the molecular and atomic scale, making it a vital tool in physics and chemistry to biology and materials science. At UH Mānoa, the FEL facility engages in:

• Biological research
• Materials science research
• Nanostructure wake research
• Fundamental physics
• Advanced light source development

Since its invention, the FEL has enabled major breakthroughs in advancing scientific understanding, such as capturing ultrafast chemical reactions, determining the structure of complex proteins for drug development, and probing materials at the atomic scale to inform next-generation electronics and energy technologies.

Revival and expansion

In 2024, UH Mānoa took a strategic leap forward by hiring two rising stars in accelerator physics: Assistant Professor Siqi Li from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Assistant Professor Niels Bidault from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. Their mission: restart the FEL, upgrade its capabilities and carve a new path forward.

“Operating the FEL is like building a Swiss watch, but at the scale of a particle beam.” — Niels Bidault

“Operating the FEL is like building a Swiss watch, but at the scale of a particle beam,” said Bidault. “It requires precision across every domain—electrical engineering, vacuum science, magnets, diagnostics, high-voltage systems. Everything must align within millimeters or less in order to work.”

Li and Bidault are working with a team of two postdocs and several undergraduate students on tech upgrades. In addition, Li is leading a nearly $1-million Department of Energy Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research-funded project that develops a comprehensive simulation framework to fully understand FEL physics and combines traditional beam physics with cutting-edge machine learning techniques to optimize the FEL’s controls.

Related UH News stories:

• Renowned visiting accelerator expert praises UH Mānoa’s physics research innovations, February 24, 2025
• 3 UH research projects earn nearly $1M by Dept. of Energy, October 2, 2024

For more on how the FEL is helping to train the innovators of tomorrow, see . Noelo is UH’s research magazine from the .