Research

Project Aims to Put AI to Work Reducing its Own Energy Needs

April 8, 2026

Photo depicts Elizabeth Nowadnick, center, surrounded by members of her lab on campus at UC Merced.
It's no secret that artificial intelligence uses a lot of electricity. A standard ChatGPT query consumes approximately 0.34 watt-hours - roughly 10 times more than a Google search. According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 -...
Depicted is a scene of burned-out trees and ash in the wake of the Caldor Fire.

Rising Simultaneous Fire Weather Threatens International Firefighting Efforts

High-risk conditions for fires are increasingly happening across countries at the same time, making wildfires even more challenging to tackle, new research reveals. Scientists from UC Merced and...
Collage of historical Black figures: Lorraine Hansberry, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Wells, Oscar Michaeux, Granville Woods

Spotlighting Black Trailblazers Whose Stories Deserve to be Told

Black History Month often honors familiar names, leaders whose courage and determination changed the course of a nation. But many others have made groundbreaking contributions that exposed injustice...
AI-rendered of hand emerging from a box, holding a pen pressed against paper

How Writing Rewires Your Brain to Face Everyday Challenges

Written words can do more than communicate. They can also unlock the writer’s ability to process distress, identify hurtful feelings and take control of personal conflict. Emily Johnston, a...
Blue-green algae in flasks are used by researchers at UC Merced and UC San Diego to further the understanding of circadian clocks. Image courtesy of UC San Diego.

Researchers Rebuild Microscopic Circadian Clock That Can Control Genes

Our circadian clocks play a crucial role in our health and well-being, keeping our 24-hour biological cycles in sync with light and dark exposure. Disruptions in the rhythms of these clocks, as with...
UC Merced artists in residence Ruben Aguilera Sanchez, Frank Ayala and Abel Corchado

Merced Trio to Share Knowledge, Visions as UC Merced Artists-in-Residence

Three Merced painters, united in friendship and in their steadfast determination not to compromise their creative values, are serving as UC Merced’s first locally based artists-in-...
Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang

Unlocking the Secrets of Tiny, Living Clocks Could Revolutionize Science

Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang has spent much of his career studying how life keeps time. His work on the circadian clock of cyanobacteria — tiny, ancient organisms that share the planet...

UC Merced Scientists Among Global Elite Shaping AI, Climate and Health

UC Merced continues to demonstrate its growing influence on the global stage. Several faculty members landed on Clarivate’s 2025 list of the world’s most‑cited researchers. The honor...
UC Merced professor and students

New Major Teaches How to Tackle Questions of Ethics in Science, Tech

Should a scientist who sees signs of global catastrophe sound an early alarm or wait until more conclusive evidence is in? Does going public lead to swifter action or give naysayers more time to...
Kevin Arrieta is pictured speaking to an electrical engineering class at UC Merced.

UC Merced Alum, Now a Robotics Expert for Amazon, Advises Students to Get Their Hands Dirty

Kevin Arrieta got into robotics to avoid getting into trouble. Arrieta said he joined the robotics club at Dominguez High School in Compton high school after Gloria Esiobu, the teacher who ran it...

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