Faculty

Pew Celebrates 40 Years of Support for Innovative Biomedical Research

March 27, 2025

Note: This article has been republished in part.The full article is available online . When David Mendoza-Cózatl, a 2006 Pew Latin American fellow in the biomedical sciences, got an email soliciting applications for the Pew Innovation Fund, he sprang into action. The program provides alumni...

COVID Lockdown Disrupted Preschoolers’ Social Skills, Trailblazing Research Shows

Lockdowns. Social distancing. Shuttered schools and businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping disruptions set off a stampede of “what it’s doing to us” research, focused...

Josiah Beharry Oﬀers Unique Perspective as 50th Student Regent

First-generation doctoral student Josiah Beharry made history in 2023 when he was chosen as the ﬁrst student regent from UC Merced. In addition to being the 50th student to serve on the Board...

Photo depicts Professor Debora Lyn Porter and a blue and gold background.

Grant Funds Research into Fungal Structures

Mushrooms are pretty amazing. They are light and porous yet have a high strength-to-weight ratio. They are absorbent. They can serve as filters. Manufacturing a material that mimics mushrooms and...

New faculty members pictured are Josué Medellìn-Azuara, Rebecca Ryals, Safeeq Khan and Reza Ehsani.

A Major Step Forward for UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station

The first four faculty members named to UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station look to make a big impact on farming in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Mechanical engineering Professor...

Study of Sugar Pines Reveals Urgent Issue in Protecting Forests from Climate Change

Sugar pines are the tallest pine species in the world, and they only grow along the West Coast of North America. They are a valued source of timber with cones as large as an adult’s forearm....

photo of student with brown hair and yellow shirt on blue and gold backgroud

Fellowship Draws UC Merced Alum Back to the Capitol

As one of UC Merced’s first students, Josue “Josh” Franco seized the chance to help shape student government for future scholars on campus; now he has grasped a new opportunity on...

graduate student wearing black presenting to the group

Inaugural Mechanical Engineering Graduate Symposium Celebrates Student Research Excellence

UC Merced’s Department of Mechanical Engineering held its first Graduate Symposium on Nov. 2, marking a successful day of research presentations and community engagement. Graduate students...

New Method of Mapping Proteins Offers Undergraduate Students New Opportunities

Research on cell development has led not only to a more efficient way to map proteins in living cells but also tapped into the research capabilities of UC Merced undergraduate students and brought...

UC Merced political science Professor Christopher Ojeda displays a slide showing people say they feel depressed in polls taken after elections.

Stressed Out by the Election? Political Scientists Explain Why and Offer Tips

If it seems anxiety around elections is at an all-time high, then political groups have done their jobs. "It's very conscious, it's very calculated," said UC Merced political...