Our campus has earned the prestigious R1 Carnegie research classification (the highest tier) within the university’s first 20 years.
UC Merced has been ranked Top 25 Best Public Schools in the Nation*
Youngest university ever to earn Carnegie R1 research classification**
#3 in Social Mobility*
*2026 U.S. News & World Report | **University of California
Through research at UC Merced, you can embrace the chance to work alongside innovative faculty members conducting interdisciplinary research that addresses some of the world's most pressing concerns. Students here have a unique opportunity to discover their passion and contribute to efforts that will not only shape their future, but also make a difference in the world.
Bocats Change the World
No matter what major you choose, you will have the tools to make valuable contributions to the world! At UC Merced, you’ll conduct research, learn theories, perform outreach and most importantly, create real-world solutions.
Find out how ¿field curious? Smashes Barriers to Outdoor Science
Learn about how Carlos Martinez, a biological sciences major from Southern California, discovered his passion for research through ¿field curious?. Sponsored by the UC Merced Natural Reserve System (NRS), ¿field curious? introduces undergraduates to field research during a weekend stay at an NRS reserve. The program covers all trip costs and is designed to lower the barriers preventing many students, especially first-generation college attendees and those from minority backgrounds, from giving field research a try.
Engage in Real-World Politics at the State Capitol
A cohort of six UC Merced political science students traveled to Sacramento for the Center for Analytic Political Engagement (CAPE) Legislative Bootcamp. They saw procedures in legislative committees, experienced what it would take to work in a district office, learned how to write press releases and resolutions, and were taught how to research bills. One of the participants, Christopher Ramirez, said the in-depth preparation has already paid off at his internship at the California Chamber of Commerce, where he is honing his lobbying skills.
Bocats Change the World
No matter what major you choose, you will have the tools to make valuable contributions to the world! At UC Merced, you’ll conduct research, learn theories, perform outreach and most importantly, create real-world solutions.
Find out how ¿field curious? Smashes Barriers to Outdoor Science
Learn about how Carlos Martinez, a biological sciences major from Southern California, discovered his passion for research through ¿field curious?. Sponsored by the UC Merced Natural Reserve System (NRS), ¿field curious? introduces undergraduates to field research during a weekend stay at an NRS reserve. The program covers all trip costs and is designed to lower the barriers preventing many students, especially first-generation college attendees and those from minority backgrounds, from giving field research a try.
Engage in Real-World Politics at the State Capitol
A cohort of six UC Merced political science students traveled to Sacramento for the Center for Analytic Political Engagement (CAPE) Legislative Bootcamp. They saw procedures in legislative committees, experienced what it would take to work in a district office, learned how to write press releases and resolutions, and were taught how to research bills. One of the participants, Christopher Ramirez, said the in-depth preparation has already paid off at his internship at the California Chamber of Commerce, where he is honing his lobbying skills.
PARTICIPATE IN RELEVANT RESEARCH WITH LONG-TERM APPLICATIONS
UC Merced faculty and students are actively involved in some of today's most important and rapidly evolving research areas. For example, 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. Two UC Merced cognitive science faculty members also conducted a study which looked at the use of metaphorical language to help people grasp the scope and dangers of wildfires.
meet others who say, "i want to help, too!"
Lift While You Lead (LWYL) connects current Bobcats at UC Merced with students in Merced and the surrounding Central Valley area. UC Merced students serve as mentors to high school students enrolled in Women’s Studies classes at Golden Valley High School and Yosemite High School. The small group mentoring relationship provides mentors and mentees with support, guidance, and encouragement – all with an emphasis on health, education, and leadership. The Lift While You Lead Women’s Program was federally recognized by President Obama's administration.
Engage in important international research collaborations
Engineering Professor Po-Ya Abel Chuang and his Thermal and Electrochemical Energy Laboratory at UC Merced are focused on developing hydrogen-based energy solutions. Through a pair of projects and a trans-Pacific partnership, Chuang and his lab are conducting experimental and simulation research to efficiently generate hydrogen and convert it directly to electricity. They are working on material and design optimization with researchers in the Philippines through PCARI — the Philippine Commission on Higher Education’s Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes.
“We need to give our students as many platforms as we can to be successful,” Chuang said. “To me, that’s part of my mission. We have a lot of opportunity to make an impact.”
PARTICIPATE IN RELEVANT RESEARCH WITH LONG-TERM APPLICATIONS
UC Merced faculty and students are actively involved in some of today's most important and rapidly evolving research areas. For example, 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. Two UC Merced cognitive science faculty members also conducted a study which looked at the use of metaphorical language to help people grasp the scope and dangers of wildfires.
meet others who say, "i want to help, too!"
Lift While You Lead (LWYL) connects current Bobcats at UC Merced with students in Merced and the surrounding Central Valley area. UC Merced students serve as mentors to high school students enrolled in Women’s Studies classes at Golden Valley High School and Yosemite High School. The small group mentoring relationship provides mentors and mentees with support, guidance, and encouragement – all with an emphasis on health, education, and leadership. The Lift While You Lead Women’s Program was federally recognized by President Obama's administration.
Engage in important international research collaborations
Engineering Professor Po-Ya Abel Chuang and his Thermal and Electrochemical Energy Laboratory at UC Merced are focused on developing hydrogen-based energy solutions. Through a pair of projects and a trans-Pacific partnership, Chuang and his lab are conducting experimental and simulation research to efficiently generate hydrogen and convert it directly to electricity. They are working on material and design optimization with researchers in the Philippines through PCARI — the Philippine Commission on Higher Education’s Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes.
“We need to give our students as many platforms as we can to be successful,” Chuang said. “To me, that’s part of my mission. We have a lot of opportunity to make an impact.”
The list of UC Merced's research strengths is long and includes climate change and ecology; solar and renewable energy; water quality and resources; artificial intelligence; cognitive science; stem-cell, diabetes and cancer research; air quality; big-data analysis; computer science; mechanical, environmental and materials engineering; political science; and much more.
Alumni Spotlight
Clara Y. Medina dove into her first research study at UC Merced, now she’s a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. Medina conducted research in UC Merced’s FEWS-US and WSML labs about wastewater-based epidemiology to understand the economic impacts of droughts in California. She was also a UC LEADS scholar, worked with Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UCSD and conducted hydrology research with universities in the United States and Mexico. Apart from this she was also published as a first author in a peer reviewed journal through the Naughton Lab during her third year as an undergraduate. Now as a graduate student, Medina works in the Osman Lab where she does research that advances urban flood planning by centering regional and cultural needs. She uses interviews and surveys to elevate community experiences with flooding, making sure engineering solutions are targeted to solve these needs.
I would like to thank every faculty member in the Environmental Engineering department for continually supporting me in my studies and pushing me to be better student and engineer.
