News & Announcements

Sierra Cantway, a graduate student in physics and Yale’s Wright Lab, recently presented her thesis work at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). Cantway, a member of CERN’s A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE), also supported detector operations during the visit. She contributes to the data-taking operations of the ALICE detector through her work on its ElectroMagnetic Calorimeter (EMCAL), a subdetector designed to measure energetic photons, light neutral mesons, electrons, and jets that are produced through high-energy collisions of particles in CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator. 

Dalton Meyer ’25 PhD (Earth and Planetary Sciences) recently completed his graduate studies in December 2025. A vertebrate paleontologist, Meyer was part of a team that identified a new species of lizard during his dissertation research. The finding expands scientists’ knowledge of early gecko evolution and where these reptiles sit in the evolutionary family tree.

Frankie Barrett ’25 PhD (American Studies) recently completed her graduate studies in December 2025. Her dissertation research focused on the history of corporate dollar stores and the political economy of the U.S. South. In a new Q&A, the Asheville, North Carolina native talks about how she first became interested in the ubiquitous discount retailers.

In her recent Tanner Lectures at Yale, historian Jill Lepore ’95 PhD (American Studies) argued that fears of a robot apocalypse — shaped by science fiction like “The Terminator” — reflects humanity’s destruction of the natural world.

José Aravena ’25 PhD (Public Health) recently completed his graduate studies in December 2025. His dissertation research focused on reducing dementia risk by identifying and promoting social determinants. In a new Q&A, he talks about how he first became interested in aging and brain health and shares some surprising findings from his fieldwork in southern Chile.

In Oklahoma City, Nancy Anthony ’73 MA, ’74 MPhil helped transform a community foundation into a model of impactful philanthropy. Her time at Yale served as an important foundation for her work.

Three Yale PhD students were honored with prizes at the American Anthropological Association’s fall meeting in New Orleans. Al Lim, Botao Zhao, and Yuefei You are in the combined PhD program in Anthropology and Environment.

Read more about Dean Cooley’s thoughts on the start of the spring term and updates from the Graduate School.

On December 11, the Graduate School hosted a virtual conversation about its post-baccalaureate research education program (PREP). The program helps the most promising students become highly competitive applicants to graduate programs by giving them robust research experience.

The Graduate School Alumni Association (GSAA) invites Yale Graduate School alumni to help shape the future of alumni engagement by joining the GSAA Board. Applications are due February 1, 2026. GSAA will offer two virtual info sessions on January 16 and 17 for alumni who want to learn more about board service.