News

UC Merced Sees Strong Gains in U.S. News Grad School Rankings

April 7, 2026

UC Merced saw broad gains in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings with graduate programs rising in national standing, reflecting the campus’s growing academic and research profile. UC Merced’s School of Engineering broke into the top 100 in the rankings, securing No....

Bioengineering Professor Among Senate District’s ‘Women Who Inspire’

March 31, 2026

State Sen. Anna Caballero recently honored UC Merced bioengineering Professor Sushma Shrinivasan among the “Women Who Inspire” in 2026 for District 14. According to the senator’s office, Shrinivasan was honored for her continued contributions to education and for serving as an inspiration to girls...

UC Merced Launches Distinguished Speaker Series with World-Renowned Bioengineer David Kaplan

September 30, 2025

The Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI) at UC Merced is preparing to launch its long-envisioned distinguished speaker series on Oct. 6 with a visit from David Kaplan, a Tufts University professor internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in bioengineering. “This is something we’...

UC Merced Agricultural Experiment Station Adds Fire, Insect and Soil Researchers

September 2, 2025

Three professors are joining UC Merced’s Agricultural Experiment Station this fall, bringing more expertise and resources to the 3-year-old research center. Management of complex systems Professor Crystal Kolden will focus on the intersection of agriculture and wildfire, public health Professor...

Vaping Produces a Chemical that Destroys Human Tissue, Research Shows

August 7, 2025

In addition to being used recreationally, marijuana and cannabidiol, or CBD, one of the cannabinoids produced by the marijuana plant, are thought to have medical benefits such as helping with chemotherapy-induced nausea, treating epilepsy, relieving pain and helping with a variety of mental health...

Tiny Artificial Cells Can Keep Time, Study Finds

July 28, 2025

A team of UC Merced researchers has shown that tiny artificial cells can accurately keep time, mimicking the daily rhythms found in living organisms. Their findings shed light on how biological clocks stay on schedule despite the inherent molecular noise inside cells. The study, recently published...

Three Engineering Programs Ranked in Top 100 by U.S. News

April 8, 2025

UC Merced’s School of Engineering and its programs continue to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as demonstrated in the release today of its 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings. The R1 school advanced three spots in the latest Best Overall Engineering Schools rankings, inching...

Thymus Research Could Unlock Immune System Improvements

March 12, 2025

A multimillion-dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund research at UC Merced that could help cancer patients and others live longer, healthier lives. The $3.5 million, five-year grant will fund bioengineering Professor Joel Spencer's lab, which is investigating the thymus, a...

Recognizing Late Professor Emeritus' Contributions

February 5, 2025

On Friday, the campus community will hold a remembrance to celebrate the life and contributions of bioengineering Professor Emeritus Ariel Escobar, who died in December. He joined UC Merced in 2008. His laboratory developed new optical, micro-mechanical and electrophysiological techniques for...

Students Spend Summer Learning about Stem Cells

August 21, 2024

A diverse group of students participated in a stem cell training pilot program at UC Merced this summer. It was the second summer for the Training Undergrads in Stem Cell Engineering and Biology (TUSCEB) program, funded through the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). It's a...