Recent News

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  Merkin Graduate Fellows Program Receives Renewed Support to Fuel Global Research

  Fellowship enables UC San Diego graduate students to engage in research around the world

  Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution doctoral candidate Scott Morton (Shurin Lab) and his work have been shaped by the Merkin Graduate Fellows Program, which has allowed graduate students to further their research around the globe.

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  BioSci Alumnus Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

  Fred Ramsdell, who received a degree in biochemistry and cell biology in 1983, contributed to key discoveries about the human immune system

  The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to UC San Diego Biological Sciences alumnus Fred Ramsdell. He is being honored for transformative research on the immune system that has led to possible new treatments for a range of diseases.

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  $1.2M Award from the Keck Foundation Supports Innovative Study of Heart Attacks

  Assistant Professor Vineet Augustine’s groundbreaking research linking heart-brain connections could revolutionize cardiovascular care

  The Keck Foundation has awarded $1.2 million to Neurobiology’s Vineet Augustine to study heart attacks as events that combine systems. The research will focus on heart attacks as episodes that cut across neurological and immunological systems, driven by the interaction between the heart and brain.

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  Seeing Red: A UC San Diego Invention is Transforming the Way Scientists Track Genes

  Revolutionary ’RUBY’ — a cost-effective innovation designed to track gene activity — is proving valuable across a range of fields

  UC San Diego biologists have created a transformative new way to monitor genes. The game-changing tool known as RUBY is an inexpensive, easy-to-use technology that allows researchers to visualize genetic changes. The tool has expanded globally from plant biology into a range of other fields.

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  A New Kind of College Course: Learning ‘How to Be Human’

  BioSci Professor Carolyn Kurle offers the 'Guidance Groove' as part of the new Learning Sustainable Well-Being program

  Students can now get course credit for learning about mental health, thanks to the new program. “I want to help students have more peace and contentment in their lives."

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  HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Awarded to Eric Jordahl and Sonya Neal

  Program will support research on the underlying mechanisms of pancreatic cancer

  School of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Eric Jordahl and Associate Professor Sonya Neal have been named student-advisor recipients of the 2025 Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Gilliam Fellows Program, which supports promising PhD students in their early research careers.

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  Researchers Decipher Gene’s Critical Function That Prevents Disease

  Researchers have unraveled key functions of TRIM37, a gene that when inactivated leads to a rare disorder known as Mulibrey nanism, which results in growth delays and abnormalities in several organs. TRIM37, they found, is critical in preventing processes tied to abnormal cell division.

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  Stealth Genetic Switch in Mosquitoes Halts Malaria Spread

  Novel system uses CRISPR to replace one molecule and block parasites that cause malaria infection

  Researchers have developed a system that blocks malaria transmission in mosquitoes, which continue to be the deadliest animals on Earth. The CRISPR-based gene-editing system changes a single molecule within mosquitoes, a tiny but effective change that stops the malaria-parasite transmission process.

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  Don’t Feed the Animals: Researchers Warn of Risks Tied to Wildlife Interactions

  Food provisioning for wild animals can lead to dangerous outcomes, a new study on tourist-elephant encounters shows

  A study led by a UC San Diego scientist offers new warnings on the dangers of human interactions with wildlife. The new report, which focuses on elephants, indicates that human feeding of wild animals can lead to a range of problems and even result in the deaths of humans and animals.

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  BioSci faculty members selected as new Hellman Fellows

  Crucial funding for junior faculty members awarded in 2025-26 year

  School of Biological Sciences faculty members Vineet Augustine, Scott Biering, Alex Chaim, Vu Nguyen and Noah Rose have been selected as 2025-2026 Hellman Fellows. They are part of the largest cohort in the UC San Diego program's history.

To read more about the School of Biological Sciences happenings, see the News Archives.