The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration has been awarded the 2026 Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy.
This international prize given by the American Astronomical Society recognises research of outstanding importance.
The DESI team will officially receive the award at the Society’s meeting in January 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Durham has played a leading part in DESI’s achievements.
Our scientists have designed and built part of DESI’s fibre-optic system, a vital piece of technology that enables light from thousands of galaxies, quasars and stars to be collected simultaneously with extreme precision.
Our researchers also led major computer simulations of the universe, allowing DESI’s observational data to be compared with theoretical models.
This work, guided by Professor Carlos Frenk, a member of the DESI Institutional Board, has been central to turning the telescope’s raw data into breakthroughs in our understanding of the cosmos.
Together with Professor Shaun Cole and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Willem Elbers, they have played a major role in the key analyses of the collaboration.
The prize highlights DESI’s role in reshaping our view of the universe.
The instrument, based in Arizona, can capture light from 5,000 galaxies at once, allowing researchers to trace cosmic history stretching back 11 billion years.
The DESI project has created the largest ever 3D map of the universe, helping scientists better understand dark energy.
Its findings suggest that dark energy may not be constant, as assumed in the Standard Model of Cosmology, but may be changing over time with profound consequences for cosmic evolution.
This challenges long-standing models of the cosmos and points to exciting new directions in astronomy.
Our Department of Physics is ranked 88th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. Visit our Physics webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
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