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...

Two students in white lab coats work in a chemistry lab.

$1.5M Grant Will Transform Chemistry Curriculum, Improve Access to STEM Careers

It’s a startling statistic: Nearly 30 percent of UC Merced students who start their college careers in the School of Natural Sciences (SNS) switch to majors outside the science, technology,...

Understanding Why Designs Work — or Don’t — is Important

Just because a design works once doesn’t mean that the research and development is done. That’s why, Professor Sarah Kurtz argues in a new commentary in the prestigious journal...

A long table holds a display of crystal awards.

Campus Celebrates Faculty for Teaching, Research

UC Merced faculty members wear multiple hats as teachers, mentors, curriculum creators and researchers who seek innovative solutions to complex problems. During UC Merced’s recent Faculty...

News and Notes: Speaker to Discuss HSI, STEM; Intern Project Proposals Due Sept. 7

On Sept. 5, educational studies Professor Anne-Marie Nuñez from Ohio State University will talk about UC Merced as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and how HSIs contribute to the STEM workforce...

Founding Faculty Member Leading Campus in New Role

Cognitive science Professor Teenie Matlock, the McClatchy Chair in Communications , has been appointed interim vice provost for the faculty at UC Merced. This is her first high-level...

Hundreds of UC Merced staff members listen to Chancellor Dorothy Leland speak inside the Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium.

Faculty, Staff Usher in New Year at Convocations

Chancellor Dorothy Leland, her leadership team members and others kicked off the 2018-19 academic year by celebrating the campus community’s good work and looking ahead to the coming year...

A kneeling woman holds the skull of a saber-toothed cat in front of a chest of drawers containing fossils.

CAREER Award Will Help Professor Predict How Species Respond to Climate Change

Paleoecology Professor Jessica Blois recently became the campus’s 19th recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award. The NSF...

Two students hold a sign that reads: Welcome to UC Merced. Welcome to the Community. Welcome Home!

Events Prepare Campus Community for Fall

Never mind the holidays. For Ron Radney, the most wonderful time is the start of a new academic year. Since joining UC Merced three years ago as director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Radney...

A young boy and a woman play with educational toys.

Free Children’s Pop-Up Exhibit Returns to Merced

Kids Discovery Station, this year’s second installment of the children’s pop-up exhibit, opened Aug. 1 at the Merced County Library after the resounding success of the city’s first...