We are thrilled to announce that UC San Diego has been awarded $18M from the NSF to fund a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. MRSEC is focused on making new kinds of #QuantumMaterials. https://bit.ly/4zcJdPc

NSF Funds Major Center at UC San Diego to Make New Quantum Materials

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.

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Many 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. Appearing in Science Magazine. https://bit.ly/4hKuLr8 #MaterialsScience

Thin Films “Dance” with Substrates That Are No Longer Inert

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.

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Congratulations to Prof. Thiemens, UCSD Chemistry @ucsandiego.bsky.social @ucsdphysci.bsky.social

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)@cenmag.bsky.social · 5d ago

Mark Thiemens is recognized for discoveries that have transformed how scientists understand the solar system and origins of life on Earth and which have strengthened capabilities for monitoring human impact on the environment. #chemsky 🧪

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's Neal Devaraj has reported the first #CryoEM visualizations of #EColi TGT structure with surprising results. https://bit.ly/4fhVYjq

First Ever Reported Cryo-EM Visualization of E. coli TGT Structure

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.

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AI is being positioned as a replacement for mathematicians. The Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics calls on AI corporations and practitioners to act responsibly to ensure the continuance of mathematics as a discipline. https://bit.ly/4pu5seQ #AIEthics

A Call for the Ethical Use of AI in Mathematics

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.

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This year #ComicCon will have a STEAM activity room where you can design rockets, build rovers, search for alien life, earn mission patches, and more. A team of scientists will guide the activities. July 23-26. A San Diego Comic-Con badge is required to participate. #SDCC2026 https://bit.ly/4fgVZ60

UC San Diego postdoc Aidan Gibbs was part of a team that found a new planet in the Beta Pictoris star system--only the second planetary system known to contain at least three imaged planets. The planet was discovered from the unique chemical fingerprint of its atmosphere. https://bit.ly/4wUi9lP

How big can a planet be and why does it matter? UC San Diego astronomy research scientist Jean-Baptiste Ruffio gives us the rundown in this Academic Minute. https://bit.ly/3TyLeog #PlanetaryScience #ScienceExplained

Re-org alert! We now have two distinct, but closely aligned, departments: the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics and the Department of Chemistry. This transition recognizes the growth, breadth and impact of the chemical and biochemical sciences at UC San Diego. https://bit.ly/4yC88LR

The School of Physical Sciences Launches Two New Departments in Chemistry and Biochemistry

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,...

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💥Congratulations💥 to Shaowei Li's group for being featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) The featured work shows how paired molecules enable energy-efficient multilevel switching. https://bit.ly/4flOTgK

Ever wonder what how UC San Diego came to be located on a coastal bluff in La Jolla? KPBS San Diego reporter Andrew Dyer has the answer. https://bit.ly/3QV58ZY

How 2 old military bases became San Diego's largest university

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

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Researchers from Joel Yuen-Zhou's lab at UC San Diego theorize that if light travels through a material trapped in a microresonator, rare quantum electrodynamic events can occur, leaving material “fingerprints” on the photons. https://bit.ly/4vjOD7T #QuantumPhysics #PhotonScience

E. coli grow as fast as possible and it was assumed all bacteria did the same. Now Suckjoon Jun’s lab at UCSD has found that B. subtilis, a bacterium found in soil, employs a strategy that prioritizes survival over speed. This work appears in Science Magazine. #Microbiology https://bit.ly/4wlcdlp

A Subtle Difference Offers Insight Into Bacteria Survival Strategies

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.

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Congratulations to Daniel Kane on receiving the Gödel Prize, considered the highest theoretical computer science honor. Kane holds a joint appointment in the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Department of Mathematics. https://bit.ly/4vVs1ep

UC San Diego Professor Daniel Kane Awarded Gödel Prize, Highest Theoretical Computer Science Honor

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.

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Congratulations to biochemistry major Kelli Childs on receiving an HHMI Cech Fellowship! Currently a member of Alexis Komor's lab, Childs will spend the summer at Columbia University in the Sternberg lab. https://bit.ly/4xqacpm

HHMI Selects 176 Undergraduate Students as Inaugural Cech Fellows | HHMI

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

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Congratulations to Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Bob Continetti on being appointed the Distinguished Chair in Physical Chemistry! 🎉

Early biological systems that could generate 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. https://bit.ly/4onwXWT

What Powered the Earth’s Earliest Life?

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.

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You did it grads! Congratulations on all you have accomplished. We can't wait to see what you do next. No matter where you go, you'll always have a home at UC San Diego.

UC San Diego’s astronomy department will graduate its first cohort of undergraduates this year. 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. https://bit.ly/4onGA8f

UC San Diego’s Astronomy Department Celebrates Its First Graduating Class

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.

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💥Congratulations💥 to Sasha Levina on being selected for the prestigious ACME visitor program. Sasha will visit the University of Geneva to study gravitational waves and cosmic star formation. She is currently a third-year PhD student in Floor Broekgaarden's lab. https://bit.ly/3Q3fdDp

Results of the third TNA call to Centres of Expertise - ACME

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 […]

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#DarkMatter, extraterrestrial life, space dust -- our astrophysicists cover all that and more. Even beyond our astronomy department, UC San Diego faculty in biology, geophysics and engineering are helping us explore the final frontier. https://bit.ly/4uUwjmm #SpaceScience

6 Unexpected Ways UC San Diego Researchers are Studying Space

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.

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San Diego County is partnering with UC San Diego to better understand how pollution from the #TijuanaRiver Valley affects people living nearby. Led by Kimberly Prather PhD the study will equip the county with the scientific foundation needed to support future health studies. https://bit.ly/43fWMP8

Sally Ride didn't let any barrier--even the atmosphere--stand in her way. After a groundbreaking career as an astronaut, she taught physics at UC San Diego. And that's just one fact you might not know about her: https://bit.ly/3RN6m9A

Happy Birthday, Sally Ride! Here are 25 Things You Might Not Know About The Trailblazing Astronaut.

Happy birthday to Sally Ride (1951-2012) on what would have been her 75th birthday on May 26, 2026. Here, to celebrate her life and birthday during the 25th anniversary year of Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego, is a list of 25 things you might not know about the trailblazing astronaut Sally Ride.

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Drug delivery and diagnostic imaging can lack specificity, but a new method from UC San Diego biochem prof Neal Devaraj lets specially‑caged compounds stay inert until reaching a target cell’s enzymes, potentially allowing for more precise drug delivery and diagnostic imaging. https://bit.ly/4fWiZcj

New Step Toward Programmable Chemistry May Help Reduce Drug Side Effects

Drug delivery and diagnostic imaging often lack specificity, but a new “TRACE” method lets specially‑caged compounds stay inert until a target cell’s enzymes quickly remove the cage, potentially allowing for more precise drug delivery and sharper diagnostic imaging.

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Congrats to Aobo Li on receiving an NSF CAREER award. His proposal focuses on developing AI agents to automate the search for neutrinos and dark matter, as well as interdisciplinary AI education between physics and data science. https://bit.ly/4o0SVPc

The #TijuanaRiver sewage crisis remains one of the top #EnvironmentalJustice issues in the nation. In this interview with ABC 10News' Kimberly Hunt, atmospheric chemistry professor Kimberly Prather PhD explains the science behind the sewage. https://bit.ly/4dyksEh

10Talks: Kimberly Prather discusses Tijuana sewage crisis

ABC 10News’ Kimberly Hunt sat down with Kimberly Prather to discuss...

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Congratulations to all of our outstanding graduate students who received a Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention from the National Science Foundation! 🎉

Congratulations to all of our outstanding graduate students who received a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation! 🎉

Congrats to UC San Diego chemistry prof Fleur Ferguson on receiving the 2026 Philip S. Portoghese Early Career Award for the Advancement of Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society, which recognizes exceptional scientists whose research is reshaping their fields. https://bit.ly/4djorVd

Biological and Medicinal Chemistry 2026 Lectureship and Award Winners

Learn about the 2026 winners of ACS Publications' Biological and Medicinal Chemistry lectureships and awards.

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Congratulations to Physics Professor George Fuller on being elected to the National Academy of Sciences. George is known for his research in theoretical nuclear and elementary particle physics and astrophysics, gravitation and cosmology. https://bit.ly/4drVHs7