Faculty

Astronomers Reveal Hidden Activity in the Early Universe’s Most Massive Galaxies

January 5, 2026

Spectroscopy at the UC's W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii helped the researchers interpret complex data about ultramassive galaxies. Photo courtesy of the W.M. Keck Observatory.

An international team of astronomers has studied ultramassive galaxies - galaxies containing more than 100 billion stars - as they existed when the universe was less than 2 billion years old. The results show that while some of these ultramassive galaxies, or UMGs, had already shut down star...

Researchers Win Prestigious Grant to Study Similarities in Language, Molecules

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California, Merced, has begun an ambitious quest to discover common principles that guide evolution of structures at the linguistic and...

Research Investment Grows to Record $17.3 Million

Research expenditures at the University of California, Merced, increased by more than 9 percent in the 2012-13 fiscal year, to a record $17.3 million, according to data released today by the...

UC Merced Students Excel at National Science Conference

Two University of California, Merced, students – Viridiana Murillo and Alexandro Perez-Tovar – won first prize in their divisions at the recent Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos &...

Professor’s Research Shines a New Light on the Neurology of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is one of the oldest diagnosed learning disabilities – and one of the most widely researched. However, a UC Merced professor believes there is still more to learn and his recent research...

Students Get Boost for Med School Plans

First, UC Merced senior Julio Flores wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Then, neurobiology called his name. Now, after research experience in diabetes, he thinks that’s the field for him. In the...

UC Merced's First Ph.D. Grad Now Leading the Class

UC Merced’s first Ph.D. graduate is back on campus. But this time, Ricardo Cisneros isn’t enrolled as a student; he’s a professor instead. Cisneros, who earned his doctorate in Environmental Systems...

New Blum Center at UC Merced to Focus on Valley Prosperity

UC Merced has a unique opportunity to help the San Joaquin Valley as the university forges the newest branch of the Blum Center for Developing Economies. The $400,000, two-year seed grant through the...

Cognitive Scientist Shows How the Brain Can Assemble New Ideas from Old Parts

People routinely encounter familiar components from everyday life in new combinations, such as when a co-worker takes on a new role or a sentence uses a word in a new way. We typically excel at...

UC Merced Professor’s Research Helping People Get Well

Chances are, sometime in your life, you’ll need an antibiotic. But did you know that bacteria are evolving antibiotic resistance so quickly – and pharmaceutical companies are not inventing new...