Faculty

From Soil to Climate Solutions: Berhe Leads Sierra Nevada Research Institute into its Next Chapter

September 11, 2025

When Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe arrived at UC Merced in 2009, she and her husband, Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei, were leaving major research institutions to join a brand-new campus in California’s Central Valley. It was a leap of faith — one made easier by the Sierra Nevada Research...

New Book Explores How Formerly Incarcerated Persons Participate In Civic Activism

When pondering faith and redemption, the concept of “making good” on the past can be a crucial step in moving forward. Professor Edward Orozco Flores’s new book, “Jesus...

Professor’s Research Earns Prestigious Appointment to Help Guide Tobacco Policy

Professor Mariaelena Gonzalez has been appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee (TEROC). Gonzalez, with the School of Social Sciences,...

More than $9M in Research Grants to Address California’s Critical Issues

The University of California Office of the President announced its biennial Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) grants, funding 16 collaborative projects encompassing issues...

Gregg Camfield Named Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

The University of California, Merced, today announced the appointment of longtime faculty member and administrator Gregg Camfield as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. Camfield has served in...

Researchers Assess Western Forests’ Ability to Survive Next Drought

UC Merced researchers have evidence that California’s forests are especially vulnerable to multi-year droughts because their health depends on water stored several feet below ground. “...

Innovative Partnership Aims to Restore Sierra Nevada Forest Health

The French Meadows Forest Restoration Project, an innovative collaboration approved this week, aligns the expertise of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at UC Merced, the U.S. Forest Service, the...

UC Merced Designing Management School of the Future

A new effort is underway to lay the groundwork for the next major development at UC Merced — a fourth school, this one with the Gallo family name on it. The planning initiative is a faculty-...

Computer Science Professor Named Fellow of Prestigious Institute

In recognition of his contributions to object tracking and face recognition research, Professor Ming-Hsuan Yang has been elevated to the status of Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and...

Professors ShiPu Wang and Ignacio Lopez-Calvo have been named to endowed chairs at UC Merced.

Two Professors Assume New Roles as Endowed Chairs

Professor ShiPu Wang has been named the Coats Family Chair in the Arts. Wang plans to use funding from the endowment to not only supplement his research, but also to provide a broader experience and...