Staff & Faculty News

Unlocking the Secrets of Tiny, Living Clocks Could Revolutionize Science

February 2, 2026

Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang has spent much of his career studying how life keeps time. His work on the circadian clock of cyanobacteria — tiny, ancient organisms that share the planet with us — has shed light on one of biology’s most elegant systems. But his newest...

Dr. Thelma Hurd joins UC Merced as the Director of Medical Education after years working as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist.

New Director of Medical Education Ready to Unleash Valley’s Untapped Potential

Dr. Thelma Hurd’s journey in medicine has taken her from New Jersey to Nigeria, with stops in Texas and Buffalo. Along the way, she gathered experience as a clinician, public health researcher...

Nicole Pollack joined UC Merced in August, marking a return to the Valley for the longtime Turlock resident.

New Chief Human Resources Officer Nicole Pollack returns to her Valley roots

Nicole Pollack is happy to be home. After a few years in the Bay Area, the longtime Turlock resident is back in the San Joaquin Valley and diving into her new role as UC Merced’s chief human...

Researchers Aim to Solve the Unsolvable to Predict the Unseeable

A pair of UC Merced researchers are combining computational chemistry and machine learning principles to solve what seems to be an intractable problem at the heart of quantum mechanics: predicting...

Rural Poverty and Health Summit to Feature UC Merced Health Leaders

UC Merced health experts will join other Central Valley medical leaders on Friday, Nov. 22, for the Rural Poverty and Health Equity Summit in Delano. Professor Nancy Burke, chair of the...

Tenure-Track Faculty Merit Reviews Go Paperless Thanks to New System

A new electronic workflow system for tenure-track faculty merit reviews is modernizing and eventually replacing a tedious, time-consuming and paper-heavy process at UC Merced. After a two-year...

Lab Works to Understand Molecular Motors and Cholesterol’s Relation to Alzheimer’s

Professor Jing Xu and her students study extremely tiny motor proteins, but their work could make a huge contribution to the growing body of knowledge about Alzheimer’s and other diseases that...

Political Science Professor Jessica Trounstine is the first faculty member to receive the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees Presidential Chair.

Political Scientist Trounstine Appointed Inaugural Endowed Presidential Chair

Political science Professor Jessica Trounstine has been awarded the inaugural UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees Presidential Chair. This chair was created to recognize the excellent...

The Faculty and Staff Open Enrollment Benefits & Wellness Fair will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center.

Open Enrollment Period Offers New Options for Staff, Faculty

A new supplemental health insurance option and a realignment of prescription medications covered under PPOs are among the featured changes in benefits for UC Merced staff and faculty members as the...

Professor Kevin Dawson receives the Harriet Tubman Prize for his book "Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora" during an Oct. 10, 2019, ceremony at the Lapidus Center in New York.

Dawson Wins Harriet Tubman Prize for Book on Aquatic Culture of African Diaspora

As a child, Kevin Dawson traveled from California to visit his grandmother in Harlem, where he recalls playing in Jackie Robinson Park. Dawson, an avid swimmer and surfer, would peer through a fence...

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