The Institute for Fundamental Science (IFS) enhances the experimental, theoretical, and astronomy research activities at the University of Oregon. IFS is one of several centers and institutes supported by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, and maintains close relationships with the Department of Physics, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Mathematics, and the Materials Science Institute.
The institute hosts visiting scientists, supports graduate and undergraduate student research, facilitates interaction between the experimental activities and theoretical investigations of IFS members, and fosters communication of research to the broader community.
IFS members have major involvement in international collaborations including the ATLAS and FASER Experiments at CERN, LIGO’s gravitational wave observatories, and others. We have vigorous programs of research in astronomy and astrophysics; condensed matter theory and statistical mechanics; data science; mathematics; particle theory; quantum information and quantum optics; and the International Linear Collider project.
Center Activities
A storyteller for the universe
22 January 2026 | Source
By Stephanie Metzger Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation
Yvette Cendes has done much of her research on tidal disruption events, which occur when a star drifts too close to a black hole and is shredded by the tidal forces, at the Very Large Array in New Mexico.
Yvette Cendes, who also happens to be one of Reddit’s most popular astronomers, joined the University of Oregon’s physics department last year. Her Reddit page, Andromeda321, has more than 4 million karma points and over 25,000 followers—making her a top contributor on the platform.
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IFS Seminar – Monday, February 16: Wenqian Sun (Georgia Tech)
Geometric mechanics of periodic thin surfaces: fancily speaking, the coupling of Killing fields on periodic submanifolds
4:00 – 5:00 pm, IFS Seminar Room (WIL472)
Speaker: Wenqian Sun
Abstract: Thin-walled corrugated structures are ubiquitous in both nature and engineering, ranging from plant wrinkles to origami-inspired designs. Their mechanical response is often dominated by a small set of low-energy deformation modes, so characterizing these modes can be essential for understanding biological behaviors as well as guiding industrial design. Beyond these practical motivations, recent
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Universe on Tap: Supernova in your area!
The Institute for Fundamental Science presents Universe on Tap…
Location: Claim 52 Brewing
Time: January 26, 2026 @ 6pm
Join us for an explosive evening with astronomy professor Yvette Cendes, as she takes us through what would happen if a supernova exploded in our galaxy and its light reached us tonight! Additionally, enjoy a talk by PhD Candidate and gravitational waves astronomer, Ben Mannix, as well as trivia and prizes!