Research and Economic Development

UC Merced Injects Over $1 Billion in Economic Vitality into San Joaquin Valley, State

January 20, 2026

UC Merced, a beacon of academic achievement in the San Joaquin Valley, is also a powerful driver of economic growth and prosperity in the region it was created to serve. UC Merced generates $1.12 billion in economic production per year in the Valley, according to an...

The UC Merced astrophysicists with the Keck Observatory behind them

Astrophysics Researchers Present their Work at Hawaiian Observatory

A delegation of dignitaries from the University of California Office of the President, UC Merced and UCLA were recently treated to a presentation that included the astrophysicists from UC Merced at...

UROC Summer Symposium (Slideshow)

Research conducted over the summer was on display at the 2023 UROC Summer Symposium. The research showcase marks the end of the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI), a nine-week...

Students to Present Wide Array of Research at Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

UC Merced students will present research conducted over the summer at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. The research presentations...

Merced to Market Event to Help Students, Faculty Bring Inventions to the World

The Office of Research and Economic Development at UC Merced is hosting its inaugural conference on entrepreneurship and innovation, called Merced to Market. The April 7 conference, being held...

Students from Universidad Autónoma Chapingo in Texcoco, Mexico, visited UC Merced in March.

Campus Visit Broadens Mexican Research Collaborations

When three buses rolled onto campus on one chilly winter morning, UC Merced gave the occupants a warm Bobcat welcome. More than 100 undergraduate students and faculty members from Universidad...

Field researcher at California's tidal pools.

Research Week Highlights Solutions to Urgent Environmental Issues

It's time for the campus and the community to celebrate UC Merced’s high-level research during Research Week, March 6 through 10. The annual research showcase, hosted by the Office of...

Berhe Chosen for National Academy Membership in Recognition of Her Soil Research

Soil biogeochemistry Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe — who is on leave from UC Merced while she serves as federal director of the Office of Science for the Department of Energy — has...

Wilson Selected as a 2023 American Astronomical Society Fellow

Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development Gillian Wilson has been named a 2023 American Astronomical Society (AAS) Fellow — the preeminent organization of professional...

Zatz Named 2022 AAAS Fellow

Special Assistant to the Chancellor and sociology Professor Marjorie Zatz has been elected to the 2022 class of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), adding to the list of...