---
title: Two Faculty Members Receive 2023 Sloan Research Fellowships
date: 2023-02-21T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/two-umd-faculty-members-receive-2023-sloan-research-fellowships"
section: Articles
---
# Two Faculty Members Receive 2023 Sloan Research Fellowships

*February 21, 2023* — by [Katie Bemb](/author/abby-robinson)


> Early-Career Award Honors Computational Astrophysicist, Quantum-Focused Computer Scientist

*Testudo 11072020 SC 6307 fix 1920x1080 — College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences assistant professors Benedikt Diemer and Xiaodi Wu are the latest University of Maryland early-career researchers to receive the Sloan Research Fellowship.*

A computational astrophysicist and a quantum-focused computer scientist at the University of Maryland received 2023 [Sloan Research Fellowships](https://sloan.org/fellowships/), one of the most competitive and prestigious awards available to early-career researchers.

The two-year, $75,000 fellowships awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to Benedikt Diemer and Xiaodi Wu, assistant professors in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), recognize their distinguished performance and unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.

Since the first Sloan Research Fellowships were awarded in 1955, 70 faculty members from UMD have received one.

"These awards from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation speak to the significance and value of Benedikt Diemer and Xiaodi Wu's research and scholarship, which have the potential to truly shape their fields," said CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney. "We are proud to see them honored in this way."

Awarded this year to 126 of the brightest young scientists across the U.S. and Canada, the fellowships are also often seen as a marker of the quality of an institution’s science faculty and proof of an institution’s success in attracting the most promising junior researchers to its ranks.

“Sloan Research Fellows are shining examples of innovative and impactful research,” said Adam F. Falk, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “We are thrilled to support their groundbreaking work and we look forward to following their continued success.”


*Headshot of Benedikt Diemer — Benedikt Diemer*


*Headshot of Xiaodi Wu — Xiaodi Wu*




**Topics:** [Research](https://today.umd.edu/tags/research)


**Tags:** [Computer Science](https://today.umd.edu/topic/computer-science), [Physics](https://today.umd.edu/topic/physics), [Quantum Science](https://today.umd.edu/topic/quantum-science), [Research](https://today.umd.edu/topic/research)


**Units:** [College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-computer-mathematical-and-natural-sciences)