Staff & Faculty News

For the First Time, All Avian Evolutionary Relationships Revealed Through Collaboration

April 29, 2025

Professor Emily Jane McTavish and colleagues at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have mapped the evolution of every known bird species. They created a complete evolutionary tree of bird species by combining data on 9,239 species published in nearly 300 studies between 1990 and 2024 and...

Professor Claire Lukens, right, and recent graduate Kolleen Peyakov measure the geochemistry of a rock using an XRF spectrometer.

Lukens’ Latest Research Tracks Sediment’s Journey in the Eastern Sierra

Rocks, from ponderous boulders to tiny grains of sand, are subject to the whims of moisture, weather and time as they tumble from surrounding slopes into rivers, pools and lakes. UC Merced...

Two New Officers Added to UC Merced Police Department

The sworn ranks of UC Merced’s police department grew by two on Monday. UC Merced Police Chief Chou Her administered the oath to new officers joining his department. Angela Henke and...

Graduating students walk pass UC Merced sign

2023: A Look Back

2023 was a remarkable year in which UC Merced experienced tremendous growth and acclaim. Several milestones were reached, setting up the university to continue thriving in the near future and beyond...

UC Merced women’s soccer wins their first Cal Pac Conference Tournament Championship, beating Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 2-1 on Bobcat Field on Nov. 11, 2023.

2023 Brought Many More Firsts for Bobcat Athletics

The year just ending has been one for the college sports record books and many kudos are due to the Bobcat athletes and their coaches. UC Merced men’s and women’s outdoor track swept...

Researcher Among the World's Most Highly Cited for the Fourth Straight Year

Distinguished Professor Martin Hagger from the Department of Psychological Sciences has been awarded one of this year’s Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher awards. He is one of four...

UC Merced's New Medical Education Director Values Service

During college, Dr. Margo Vener was on a completely different career path. Having received a C in chemistry early on, she had all but closed the door on any notion of pursuing a career in medicine....

Study of Racial Effects of University Funding Cuts Wins $100,000 Education Prize

A $100,000 award will fund a UC Merced researcher's work into determining how the nation's public universities can do a better job educating students of color. Sociology Professor Laura...

New Partnership Offers Ph.D. Students a Path to Pedagogical Excellence

Graduate student Samuel Leventini comes from a long line of educators, and the tribology researcher thinks he might want to follow in those footsteps. Thanks to a new supplemental grant from the...

Climate Change to Drive Surge in Insects that Attack Almonds, Peaches, Walnuts

As a result of climate change, the Golden State's farms are expected to face a surge in agricultural pests, which poses a threat to California's specialty crops industry. Populations of...

All News