Carnegie Mellon University

The McWilliams Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics was founded in 2007 with the goal of establishing Carnegie Mellon as an international center for pioneering cosmology and astrophysics research. The Center’s research lies at the crossroads of astrophysics, data science and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), with a mission to unravel the origins of our Universe and decode the fundamental principles that govern its functioning. Center members are leaders in the field of galaxy surveys, have pioneered novel theoretical and computational frameworks and are poised to harness the data revolution sweeping the field of Astronomy. Members collaborate across diverse disciplines, not only within the Physics Department but also in the Department of Statistics and Data Science and the Machine Learning Department at CMU. Drawing on these strengths, the Center is now expanding into the burgeoning field of Multi Messenger Astronomy (MMA). By integrating multiple streams of information, encompassing light, particles and gravitational waves, the ultimate vision in MMA is to foster a deeper understanding of the Universe's most enigmatic phenomena, including stars and their remnants, black holes, and the birth of our cosmos.


New members of the McWilliams Center are encouraged to review our onboarding document to learn about resources and communication channels available to Center members.

Over the next decade, a range of complementary observations—from radio to gamma rays, gravitational waves (GW), and neutrinos—will enable investigations in previously inaccessible regimes and allow us to address some of these fundamental open questions in our current understanding of the Universe.