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Donor-funded PhD scholar is part of prize-winning DESI team
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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.
Our key role in DESI’s success
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.
Donor-funded research impact
Dr Elbers came to Durham from the Netherlands in 2019 to work with Professor Frenk, completing his PhD research in 2023. His research was made possible as a result of a third generous scholarship, funded by one of our alumni.
Professor Frenk commented:
"Willem's unusual talent was soon recognized by the DESI collaboration and a few months ago he was appointed co-chair of the science working group on "Cosmological Parameter Estimation'', one of the main working groups in DESI. He is probably the youngest chair of a working group.”
Dr Elbers’ Scholarship in Astroparticle Physics is the fourth scholarship funded by a Grey College alumnus who graduated from Durham in the 1960s. The donor, who also studied physics at Durham, is keen to promote the benefits of giving to Physics.
It has been my good fortune to support four PhD students over the last 15 years. The three who have completed their doctorates have gone on to start impressive careers in academia and business, all in the UK, despite two of the students having come from European countries. Keeping the best brains for Britain means making our post graduate courses exciting and rewarding, tailored to the student's interests, and the flexibility offered by a private independent scholarship has allowed Prof. Frenk and his team to develop new research opportunities, one of which Willem has grasped with both hands. I am delighted to hear of the award, and Durham's part in helping to achieve that.
This international prize given by the American Astronomical Society recognises research of outstanding importance.
Impact on astronomy
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.
Find out more
- about the work of Professor Carlos Frenk, Professor Shaun Cole and Dr Willem Elbers.
- about our Department of Physics, ranked 88th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.
- about scholarships at Durham.
- about the impact of gifts to the University.
- about our alumni community.
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