Research Excellence

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...
Dr. Rosa Manzo speaking from behind a podium

UC Merced’s Center for Health Equity Convenes Partners to Address Patient Trust Gap in San Joaquin Valley

On March 20, UC Merced's Center for Health Equity brought together researchers, regional health partners and community members to share findings from a study on how community health workers are...
The sign reads University of California, Merced

Two UC Merced Researchers Among This Year’s AAAS Fellows

Professors Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and Ming-Hsuan Yang have been named 2025 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and...
Depicted is the sun in an orange sky framed by palm leaves.

UC Merced Climate Experts Explain Why March Heat Wave is Dangerous

Temperatures in the 90s are nothing new to the northern San Joaquin Valley. But having them in March, as expected this week, is unusual and potentially dangerous. An exceptionally strong ridge of...
A sign on a southern California beach indicates it is unsafe to swim because of human-caused contamination.

Ocean Chemistry Now Substantially Shaped by Humans

Although the oceans are the least explored places on the planet, even their depths are not untouched by humans. Drawing on more than 2,300 seawater samples collected across the Pacific, Atlantic...
Headshots of five postdoctoral scholars

UC Merced Receives $1 Million Award to Support Postdoctoral Fellows

UC Merced has received a $1 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to strengthen postdoctoral fellowships and expand research in the natural sciences. Awarded through...
Depicted are the letters "Ai" on a green graphic background

Amazon Funds Research into Making AI More Efficient

Two UC Merced computer science and engineering professors will delve deep into artificial intelligence in projects with Amazon. Dong Li and Xiaoyi Lu earned Amazon Research Awards, the...
Four student standing in front of their poster at the Data Science Challenge

UC Merced Students Invited to Tackle Real-World AI Challenges in 2026 Data Science Program

Applications are open for the 2026 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Data Science Challenge, a two-week summer internship that gives students a firsthand look at national lab research through...
Depicted is a scene of burned-out trees and ash in the wake of the Caldor Fire.

Rising Simultaneous Fire Weather Threatens International Firefighting Efforts

High-risk conditions for fires are increasingly happening across countries at the same time, making wildfires even more challenging to tackle, new research reveals. Scientists from UC Merced and...
AI-rendered of hand emerging from a box, holding a pen pressed against paper

How Writing Rewires Your Brain to Face Everyday Challenges

Written words can do more than communicate. They can also unlock the writer’s ability to process distress, identify hurtful feelings and take control of personal conflict. Emily Johnston, a...

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