Research Excellence

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...

UC Merced's Professor Valerie Leppert at Bobcat Day

Thousands Enjoy a Big ‘Welcome’ at Bobcat Day

Fernando Malagon and his mom stood at the head of a line for guided tours of the university he plans to attend this fall. The informational stroll around UC Merced would be more for her than for him...

An electric vehicle charger on the UC Merced campus is shown.

Study Urges New Approach to Energy Planning

The world of energy is changing so quickly that the processes used for planning can’t keep up. UC Merced electrical engineering Professor Sarah Kurtz took part in a study that showed how...

Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses upcoming federal and state solar projects with other officials.

New Canal Project Expands on UC Merced Solar Research

Federal and state government officials journeyed to the western corner of Merced County on Thursday to announce a new project to place solar panels on the water in the Delta-Mendota Canal. The...

Graduate students from UC Merced’s three schools will take the stage to compete in the Graduate Division’s 10th Grad Slam finals on April 8.

Graduate Division Hosts 10th Grad Slam Competition

Who will UC Merced’s Grad Slam champion be? Cheer on the finalists on April 8 and find out. Graduate students from UC Merced’s three schools will take the stage to compete in the...

Youth Grapple with Interpreting the Unspoken for Their Immigrant Families

UC Merced researchers are shedding light on a little-explored aspect of cross-cultural communication that involves no spoken words but sometimes can cause confusion and anguish for children acting as...

UC Merced bioengineering Professor Eva de Alba and postdoctoral scholar Meenakshi Sharma are pictured.

UC Merced Researchers Analyze How Inflammation Works on a Molecular Level

Inflammation is the process by which the human immune system responds to injury and stimulates tissue repair and healing. But it can become a chronic condition, leading to health concerns such as...

An almond orchard with irrigation lines is pictured.

Water Risks to Agriculture: Too Little and Too Much

Water is among the most precious resources on the planet. Some areas don't get enough; some get too much. And climate change is driving both of those circumstances to ever-growing extremes....

Symposium attendees listen to Safeeq Khan, UC Merced associate adjunct professor and cooperative extension specialist in water and watershed sciences at the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, present research with coauthors Max Eriksson and Roger Bales on stakeholder perspectives of multi-benefit forest management and ecosystem-service valuation in California.

2024 Sierra Nevada Science Symposium Convenes Sierra Researchers at UC Merced

The 2024 Sierra Nevada Science Symposium, hosted March 5-6 at University of California, Merced, brought together National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Geological Survey, National Forest, state, local...

Professor Hyeran Jeon is pictured with her MoCA lab group.

UC Merced's 40th CAREER Award Funds Computer Efficiency Research

Professor Hyeran Jeon has received a CAREER award for her research into computer efficiency. She is the 40th researcher from UC Merced to earn a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation...

All News