$4 Million Templeton Grant Launches Pasadena-Based Cosmic Research Initiative

A $4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation is powering a new interdisciplinary research collaboration administered by Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, aimed at probing the universe’s hidden components, including dark matter and neutrinos.

The Lyman Alpha Research Collaboration (LARC) brings together scientists from Carnegie Observatories, the University of Southern California and UC Riverside to simulate the formation of cosmic structures and compare them to telescope data.

Pasadena-based astronomers Drew Newman and Gwen Rudie are among the lead researchers mapping intergalactic hydrogen gas, which serves as a tracer for dark matter’s influence on galaxy formation.

“Thanks to new observations with large telescopes, we can now map the three-dimensional structure of intergalactic gas,” Newman said. “With the LARC team, we’ll create new ways to use these exciting maps to learn about the hidden universe.”

The initiative integrates expertise from observational and theoretical astrophysics, computer science and philosophy. USC’s Vera Gluscevic and UC Riverside’s Simeon Bird co-lead the project, joined by AI specialists Aiichiro Nakano and Christian Shelton, who are developing machine learning tools to enhance simulations and identify patterns in astronomical data.

Philosophers led by USC’s Dmitri Gallow will examine epistemological questions about explanation and understanding in AI-driven science. “Using AI to understand a system as complex as the universe poses significant rewards—but also significant risks,” Gallow said.