Research Excellence

UC Merced Breakthrough Could Transform How California Monitors Toxic Algae

July 10, 2025

Photo depicts Brittany Barreto Martinez pouring liquid into a test tube in a lab.

San Luis Reservoir in Merced County - one of California's largest artificial lakes - not only irrigates Central Valley farmland and supplies drinking water across Silicon Valley and the South Bay, but also draws swimmers, boaters and anglers year-round. Yet for months at a time, forest-green...

Why the Battle Against Cancer Needs Awesome Video Games

Cancer is vicious. In 2025, it is expected to cause more than 618,000 U.S. deaths — nearly twice the combined populations of Merced and Modesto. Each year, almost half of this nation, young and...

Novel Research Reveals Costs, Rewards for Youth Who Serve as Emotion Interpreters

Young people whose parents or caregivers aren’t acclimated to their community’s dominant language and culture play a valuable role in bridging communication gaps, including unspoken...

A mugshot of Professor Roberto Andresen Eguiluz is depicted on a graphic background.

Award Supports Research into What Makes Things Stick Under Water

Understanding how bacteria and other organisms stick to surfaces in wet environments could help develop better products ranging from medical adhesives to specialized boat paint. UC Merced chemical...

2024: The Year in Photos

A lot happened in 2024. Thankfully, we have some very talented photographers to document it all! Enjoy this look back at some of the images of the past year.

2024 Year in Review

2024 was a remarkable year for UC Merced. From groundbreaking research and academic excellence to inspiring student achievements and impactful community engagement, it has been a year of growth,...

Photo depicts a sepia-toned image of Albert Einstein transformed into Cubist art.

High School Student Part of AI Art Project at UC Merced

Here's a nifty use for AI: Turning photographs and other images into Cubist art. A team of UC Merced researchers developed a project to do just that, using artificial intelligence to transform...

Photo depicts Professor Debora Lyn Porter and a blue and gold background.

Grant Funds Research into Fungal Structures

Mushrooms are pretty amazing. They are light and porous yet have a high strength-to-weight ratio. They are absorbent. They can serve as filters. Manufacturing a material that mimics mushrooms and...

Photo depicts graphic blue and gold background and Efosa Omorogieva, a third-year computer science and engineering major at UC Merced,.

UC Students Tackle Tech-Centered Challenges in CITRIS Summer Internships

Efosa Omorogieva, a third-year computer science and engineering major at UC Merced, spent her summer using data to help transform items such as stalks and husks leftover after harvest into usable...

New faculty members pictured are Josué Medellìn-Azuara, Rebecca Ryals, Safeeq Khan and Reza Ehsani.

A Major Step Forward for UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station

The first four faculty members named to UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station look to make a big impact on farming in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Mechanical engineering Professor...

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