A Hub
for Groundbreaking Research
UC MERCED is home to a number of innovative research and training centers that offer extraordinary opportunities for our students. In state-of-the-art campus labs and in the field, our researchers are working on significant problems and innovative solutions in areas such as data analytics, robotics, solar and renewable energy, water quality and resources, health science, social inequality, immigration, child development, enterpreneurship, materials science and more. Explore information about some our research centers in the pages that follow and join in the excitement of discovery at UC Merced.
Research Centers & Institutes
Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines
The NSF CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines brings together more than a dozen faculty members from multiple units across campus, including bioengineering, physics, chemistry and chemical biology, materials science and engineering. Researchers are studying how biological matter like proteins or cells come together to perform specific tasks, in hopes of eventually being able to engineer and develop innovations ranging from designer cells and tissue to novel diagnostic and therapeutic devices. The CCBM also hosts an integrated, interdisciplinary training program for graduate students that emphasizes physical and biological components and research and training experiences for undergraduate and high school students to enhance the recruitment of underrepresented groups into STEM research.
Health Sciences Research Institute
The Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI) is the University's focal point for health and medical research and aims to foster world-renowned researchers through its work to improve the health of the people in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond.
San Joaquin Valley regional health issues include asthma, valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, heart disease, risky teen behaviors, teen tobacco use, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, and many others.
HSRI’s collaborative multidisciplinary research clusters and community emphasis provide an opportunity to rapidly develop, test, and disseminate new ways of improving health and delivering healthcare.
G-RISE Interdisciplinary Biomedical Science and Technology Program
The G-RISE I-BioSTeP training grant aims to prepare a diverse pool of scientists earning a Ph.D. for competitive careers in the biomedical field by training students to identify and solve pressing biological problems using quantitative interdisciplinary approaches.
G-RISE I-BioSTeP trainees will receive ~$25K + tuition and benefits per year for the first two years of their graduate career in addition to travel support to receive additional training or present research at professional meetings.
Convergence of Nano-engineered Devices for Environmental and Sustainable Applications (Condsesa)
CONDESA is a NRT graduate traineeship at the University of California, Merced.
CONDESA focuses on creating interdisciplinary opportunities for those interested in creating sustainable and low-cost nano-engineered devices for soil, water, and air.