Staff & Faculty News

UC Merced Scientists Among Global Elite Shaping AI, Climate and Health

January 26, 2026

UC Merced continues to demonstrate its growing influence on the global stage. Several faculty members landed on Clarivate’s 2025 list of the world’s most‑cited researchers. The honor is reserved for the top 1% of scholars whose work has shaped their fields over the last 10 years....

Gopinathan Chosen for Leadership Role in American Physical Society

Professor Ajay Gopinathan has been elected the next vice-chair of the Division of Biological Physics (DBIO) of the American Physical Society (APS), the world's largest organization of physicists...

Fourth-graders at a Merced elementary school are introduced to agriculture-related sciences by undergrads in the FARMERS program.

USDA Grant Supports Diverse Ag-related Learning and Training for Students

Students at UC Merced and those who might someday become Bobcats are the focus of FARMERS, Professor Rudy M. Ortiz’s training program funded again for $1 million by the U.S. Department of...

Professor Nishiguchi, right, shows one of her squid hatchlings in her lab.

Exploring Microbial Interactions with Glowing Squid

As a young child, Professor Michele Nishiguchi would dive off the couch and into the shag carpet reefs of her family home, mimicking the turns and leaps of intrepid explorer and environmentalist...

Is a Great Lecture Better Than Active Learning? Students May Think So But Study Says Otherwise

Students who take part in active learning — engaging directly with the instruction process — learn more than they would from an excellent lecture, though they think they learned less,...

Professor Rebecca Ryals, left, talks to students in her lab.

Research is Clarifying Benefits of Transforming Human Waste into Useable Resources

Human waste isn’t a topic most people want to talk about. But environmental systems Professor Rebecca Ryals embraces the subject, especially when it comes to mitigating climate change,...

From left, professors Tom Harmon, David Strubbe, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Michael Scheibner, Sayantani Ghosh and Mehmet Baykara

NSF Grant to Help Grad Students Find Solutions to Environmental Challenges

Graduate students and a convergence of physics, engineering and environmental science could result in not only the next generation of solutions to pressing environmental challenges, but a new group...

Sharim's "Central Valley Portraits" Exhibit Showcased Online and at UC Merced Library

After a two-month run at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center, a UC Merced professor's exhibit is now available for viewing across the globe. "Central Valley Portraits," an...

Hirst Selected for Prestigious Fellowship in the American Physical Society

Physics Professor Linda Hirst has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) by the APS Council of Representatives at its most recent meeting. This is the second consecutive year...

Trounstine to Speak on Race and Regulation in University of Pennsylvania Lecture Series

Department of Political Science Chair and Professor Jessica Trounstine will deliver remarks on race and regulation as part of a lecture series hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Law...

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