School of Natural Sciences

UC Merced Sees Strong Gains in U.S. News Grad School Rankings

April 7, 2026

Top 100 Best Graduate Schools ranking, two students in a lab

UC Merced saw broad gains in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings with graduate programs rising in national standing, reflecting the campus’s growing academic and research profile. UC Merced’s School of Engineering broke into the top 100 in the rankings...

Meet Ariana Valera an incoming first-year student for fall 2022.

Local Athlete, Student Leader Chooses UC Merced

UC Merced is highlighting incoming first-year students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats. Ariana Valera was born and raised in Merced. The fact that...

Applied Mathematics Ph.D. student Sarah Downs

DOD Fellowship Helps Grad Student Advance Machine Learning Research

Ph.D. student Sarah Downs was awarded the prestigious Department of Defense (DOD) Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship. The Department of Defense is committed...

Mucus Molecules can Thwart Fungal Infection, Researchers Discover

An international team of researchers, including Professor Clarissa Nobile from UC Merced, has discovered which component in mucus prevents a fungus most humans carry from turning destructive....

Professor Munoz and a few of his research group members.

‘Molecular LEGO’ Study Analyzes Building Blocks of Partially Disordered Protein

Bioengineering Professor Victor Muñoz and his lab have created a new way to solve some of the mysteries among an increasingly important class of proteins that don’t appear to have any...

Professor Zoghbi, seated, and some of the students in her lab.

Lab Aims to Understand Transporter Protein that Protects Cells from Damage

Professor Maria-Elena Zoghbi and her lab are taking a closer look at a human transporter protein that acts as a cellular protector by relocating a molecule that has important antioxidant properties...

UC Merced Honors Graduates with Historic In-person Commencement

A wave of blue and gold covered the recreation fields at UC Merced as more than 2,400 students walked the stage during the first in-person spring commencement in three years. The three-day...

Meza Honored for Scholarship, Contributions to Diversity

The Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) announced Professor Juan C. Meza as the 2022 recipient of the Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship,...

Student Commencement Speakers to Share a Message of Unity and Perseverance

In front of more than 1,400 fellow Bobcats, Cathryn Flores and Maya Morris, the student commencement speakers for the Class of 2022 will share their words of congratulations and encouragement with...

Senate Confirms Berhe as Federal Office of Science Director

The U.S. Senate today confirmed UC Merced Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be the new director of the Office of Science in the federal Department of Energy. The Department of Energy’s...