Staff & Faculty News

Astronomers Reveal Hidden Activity in the Early Universe’s Most Massive Galaxies

January 5, 2026

Spectroscopy at the UC's W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii helped the researchers interpret complex data about ultramassive galaxies. Photo courtesy of the W.M. Keck Observatory.

An international team of astronomers has studied ultramassive galaxies - galaxies containing more than 100 billion stars - as they existed when the universe was less than 2 billion years old. The results show that while some of these ultramassive galaxies, or UMGs, had already shut down star...

Merced to Market Event to Help Students, Faculty Bring Inventions to the World

The Office of Research and Economic Development at UC Merced is hosting its inaugural conference on entrepreneurship and innovation, called Merced to Market. The April 7 conference, being held...

One of the 2020 Black Lives Matter marches.

Group Conflict Inspires People to Feel Morally Elevated — for Their Side — Study Shows

You know that warm, uplifting feeling you get when you see someone going out of their way to help other people? You might get goosebumps or even a tear in your eye, and something inside you might...

Erin Hestir, a professor in environmental engineering, is attending a global water conference.

UC Merced Researcher Taking Part in United Nations Water Conference

A UC Merced researcher has a prominent role at a worldwide conference on water taking place at the United Nations this week. Erin Hestir, a professor in environmental engineering and associate...

Research team members are, from left, Brad Barker, Nabaraj Pokhrel, Md Kamal Hossain and Beth Nowadnick

Grant Funds Research into Computational Materials Science, Collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Materials Science and Engineering Professor Beth Nowadnick has earned a National Science Foundation (NSF) award to study materials that may provide new ways to store or process information....

The future of agriculture will be discussed at a summit March 30.

What's the Future of Agriculture? Summit Looks Ahead

UC Merced researchers will discuss the campus's Experimental Smart Farm, as well as pressing agricultural issues, at a one-day summit later this month at California State University, Fresno....

Female UC Merced researchers take home impressive awards already this year.

Female Researchers Receive Awards for Their Exemplary Research, Achievements

During Women’s History Month, we celebrate and reflect upon the achievements of women at UC Merced and beyond. 2023 is already shaping up to be a stellar year for female faculty members on...

Tammy Johnson, Diane Caton and Carmen Middleton are among the women who have worked at UC Merced since the beginning.

Women Make History at UC Merced

Innumerable changes have come to UC Merced since ground was broken for the campus in 2002. Some of the women who helped found the campus and remain employed by UC Merced, reflected recently on the...

Student Researchers Working with National Lab on Mercury Remediation

At UC Merced, mercury is a regional challenge that student and faculty researchers have been tackling for several years. Mercury was used to extract gold during the Gold Rush in California, and the...

Professor Rebecca Ryals and her students study soil organic amendments.

Ryals’ Teaching, Research and Service Earns Her Presidential Chair in Climate Change

Professor Rebecca Ryals has made campus history by being named UC Merced’s inaugural Presidential Chair in Climate Change. The appointment was recommended by her peers and Dean Betsy Dumont...

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