Research

UC Merced Aerial Picture
From the Valley, for the Valley: New SJV PRIME+ Students Embark on Journey to Transform Health Care
September 12, 2025
The stethoscopes may come later, but the commitment to community was clear as UC Merced welcomed its newest SJV PRIME+ students last weekend. The Student and Family Welcome event marked the beginning of an eight-year journey for 15... Read More
Research into Hidden Chemistry Shaping Future Air Quality Earns Zhang an NSF Award
September 8, 2025
As nations cut emissions that once fueled urban smog, scientists are discovering unexpected chemistry taking place in the atmosphere. UC Merced Professor Xuan Zhang is leading a project to uncover how these chemical shifts could affect the... Read More
UC Merced Agricultural Experiment Station Adds Fire, Insect and Soil Researchers
September 2, 2025
Three professors are joining UC Merced’s Agricultural Experiment Station this fall, bringing more expertise and resources to the 3-year-old research center. Management of complex systems Professor Crystal Kolden will focus on the... Read More
New Bobcat Looks to Expand Impressive Research Resume
August 29, 2025
This is the final entry of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Adriana Ponce Mata spent the last two summers working in one of the largest and oldest companies in the Bay Area. This fall, she... Read More
Cal-Bridge Scholar Rolando Ortega Wants to Build the Future
August 22, 2025
This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester.  Rolando Ortega is closing in on his dream of earning a Ph.D. This fall, the Cal-Bridge scholar from Los Angeles County joins UC Merced to... Read More
Simple Chemical Treatment Makes Next-Gen Electronics More Reliable
August 19, 2025
A team of international researchers has discovered that a simple chemical treatment can enhance the strength and reliability of one of the world’s thinnest materials for use in future electronics. The study, published in Nature... Read More
A New Adventure for Two Founding Faculty Chemists: Retirement
August 18, 2025
Starting a university from scratch isn’t for the faint of heart — or the slow of foot. Lucky for UC Merced, Anne Myers Kelley and David Kelley are neither. Anne, a former Olympic marathon trials qualifier, and David, a competitive cyclist... Read More
Fellowship Lifts Mission of Farmworkers’ Daughter to Improve Immigrant Health
August 13, 2025
A daughter of San Joaquin Valley immigrant farmworkers has earned the opportunity to study alongside a nationally prominent health researcher and energize her mission to improve the well-being of agricultural laborers. Fabiola Perez-Lua,... Read More
Boosting AI and Science: NSF Invests $600K in OpenDOTA Project at UC Merced
August 12, 2025
The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded nearly $600,000 to support a groundbreaking project at UC Merced aimed at accelerating the future of artificial intelligence and scientific research. Professor Xiaoyi Lu from the electrical... Read More
Vaping Produces a Chemical that Destroys Human Tissue, Research Shows
August 7, 2025
In addition to being used recreationally, marijuana and cannabidiol, or CBD, one of the cannabinoids produced by the marijuana plant, are thought to have medical benefits such as helping with chemotherapy-induced nausea, treating epilepsy... Read More