Curiosity drives almost all of us, and little sparks the imagination more than thinking about who might live among the stars.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a new public health consultation report using data from scientists at the University of California San Diego that analyzed environmental contamination in the Tijuana River Valley and evaluated hydrogen sulfide levels in outdoor air. 

UC San Diego Professor of Chemistry Joel Yuen-Zhou is 1 of 18 finalists for the 2026 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists. The highly coveted awards recognize exceptional early career scientists and engineers whose discoveries are driving the next generation of scientific innovation.

Scientists have developed a new understanding of how fish interact as they school in groups. Fish were found to copy their neighbors to align their movements within schools. The discovery opens a door to examining how the brains of individuals interact to produce group-level collective behavior.

STEM majors are expected to know how to critically read scientific research, even if no one ever taught them how. UC San Diego alumni Genevive Bjorn and Adam Burgasser wrote “How to Critically Read the Scientific Research Literature: Introducing the CERIC Method” to help young researchers learn how

Until now there was an upper limit to the energy produced by atoms irradiated with laser light. Now UC San Diego researchers have crossed the threshold using helium atoms and intense UV lasers.

YouTube video by Dr Brian Keating

Christine A. Hrycyna has been appointed as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UC San Diego, effective Jan. 1, 2027.

University of California San Diego researchers will lead one of the Department of Energy’s new Genesis Mission projects focused on accelerating fundamental physics and quantum computing by deploying intelligent AI agents.

Scientists have long-wondered how sheets of cells begin to move together to form organs. UC San Diego researchers used live imaging, genetic experiments and mathematical modeling to understand how cells in the fruit fly egg chamber synchronize movement with each other.

UC San Diego postdoc Aidan Gibbs explains why finding exoplanets, which orbit around stars other than our sun, can help us better understand our own solar system and home planet.

Mark Thiemen's decades of research on isotopes changed what scientists know about earth’s origins.

UC San Diego Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Mark Thiemens is the 43rd recipient of the Magellanic Premium, given by the American Philosophical Society. Thiemens was recognized for his groundbreaking work in mass-independent isotope fractionation.

The award of up to $27.7M from ARPA-H THRIVE supports a new approach to treat children with inborn errors of immunity.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded University of California San Diego researchers a six-year $18M grant to fund a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) focused on making new kinds of quantum materials.

Many of today’s electronic devices are built on thin-film substrates where the thin film is electronically conductive and the substrate is inert. Or is it? New research from UC San Diego shows that substrates are not inert after all.

Scientists use E. coli TGT as a primary model to understand how TGT works in other bacteria, but have struggled to visualize its atomic structure. UC San Diego biochemistry professor Neal Devaraj’s lab has captured the first cryo-EM visualizations of E. coli TGT structure.

AI is being positioned as a replacement for mathematicians, able to solve longstanding open problems in a fraction of the time it would take a human. The Leiden Declaration calls on AI corporations and practitioners to act responsibly to ensure the continuance of mathematics as a discipline.

OFFICE OF THE INTERIM EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR July 10, 2026 Geisel library at sunset ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF AT UC SAN DIEGO # The School of Physical Sciences Launches Two New Departments in Chemistry and Biochemistry We are pleased to announce that the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, one of the founding departments of UC San Diego, in the School of Physical Sciences, will now exist as two distinct, but closely aligned, departments: the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and the Department of Chemistry. This transition recognizes the extraordinary growth,...

How two San Diego military bases became home of one of the top research universities in the world.

E. coli grow as fast as the environment allows, and it was assumed all bacteria behaved similarly. Now UC San Diego researchers have discovered that B. subtilis, a bacterium commonly found in soil, employs a different survival strategy that prioritizes survival over speed.

UC San Diego computer science and mathematics professor Daniel M. Kane has been awarded the 2026 Gödel Prize, one of the highest honors in theoretical computer science.

The immersive summer research program pairs talented undergraduates from 109 institutions across 36 states and territories with leading HHMI scientists.

Early biological systems that could generate guanosine‑triphosphate (GTP) from prebiotic chemicals would gain a crucial advantage toward self‑replication. Now researchers from the UC San Diego report a version of an RNA enzyme (ribozyme) that makes GTP synthesis more efficient than its predecessor.

UC San Diego’s astronomy department will graduate its first cohort of undergraduates this year. When it was launched in 2023, the department wanted to capitalize on the rich history of space research and teaching at the university while also rethinking the needs of modern-day students.

The second call ran from March 2, 2026 to April 2, 2026. See more details here. Out of the 108 eligible applications that have been received, 52 projects were selected as listed below. The selected candidates are invited to contact the coordinator of the corresponding institute as soon as possible to organise the visit. List […]

In addition to UC San Diego’s well-known ties to space — producing astronauts such as Jessica Meir and Kate Rubins, offering K-12 offerings from Sally Ride Science, and sending health research to space, to name but a few — researchers are conducting space-related research in unexpected ways.