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Research Centers & Institutes

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, entrepreneurship, materials science and more. Explore information about some our research centers below and join in the excitement of discovery at Merced. 

De Alba Lab


UC MERCED CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES

The Center for the Humanities supports the exchange of intellectual and creative ideas and activities among faculty members, students and the broader regional community. This is accomplished through a wide array of forums, from lectures and seminars to exhibits and films. The center enriches imaginations by deepening explorations of our interconnected lives. 


CENTER FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH IN THE INTEREST OF SOCIETY (CITRIS) 

CITRIS creates information technology solutions for many of our most pressing social, environmental and health care problems. CITRIS was created “to shorten the pipeline” between world-class laboratory research and the creation of start-ups, larger companies and whole industries. CITRIS facilitates partnerships and collaborations among more than 300 faculty members and thousands of students from numerous departments at four University of California campuses (Merced, Berkeley, Davis, and Santa Cruz) with industrial researchers from more than 60 corporations.


CREST CENTER FOR CELLULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR MACHINES (CCBM)

CCBM is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology program brings together more than a dozen faculty members from across campus—including the fields of bioengineering, physics, chemistry and chemical biology, materials science, and engineering—and offers extensive training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. The center supports research that studies how biological matter such as proteins or cells come together to perform specific tasks, effectively behaving as machines.


HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE (HSRI

The HSRI applies knowledge from advanced research to create solutions for complex health issues. Research themes include the biomolecular basis of health and disease, prevention and control of chronic disease, health disparities, immunology and infectious disease and stem cell biology.


 

MERCED NANOMATERIALS CENTER FOR ENERGY AND SENSING (MACES)

 

The NASA-funded MACES promotes innovative and collaborative research in functional nanomaterials for energy and sensing for NASA missions, while simultaneously addressing terrestrial needs for early disease diagnosis and for clean and renewable energy. The center also aims to increase participation of underrepresented and underprivileged undergraduate and graduate students, educating a new generation of STEM workforce trained in a multidisciplinary material research environment with solid foundations and excellent problem-solving skills.


RESOURCE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP (ReCCES)

ReCCES helps community members connect with Merced students, staff and faculty so they can work together toward common research goals. It is designed to increase the effectiveness of higher education and address important community concerns.


SIERRA NEVADA RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SNRI)

The SNRI brings together more than 30 UC Merced faculty members who conduct basic and applied research in the “outdoor laboratory” our beautiful natural surroundings provide.

The San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada regions are legendary for their vast natural resources, physical and biological diversity and cultural heritage. However, rapid population growth, competition for natural resources, air, water and soil pollution, climate change and competing land uses pose serious threats to the sustainability of these regions. The SNRI faculty affiliates and students conduct basic and applied research on these issues, hoping to find ways to better preserve and protect the area for the years to come.


STEM CELL INSTRUMENTATION FOUNDRY (SCIF)

SCIF provides stem cell researchers at UC Merced and throughout California access to advanced instruments, techniques and collaborators for single-cell analysis. The foundry will enable innovations in biotechnologies that will lead to new discoveries about stem cells — discoveries that will enable researchers to increase our understanding about the molecular signals that influence the properties and behavior of stem cells. 


SPATIAL ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH CENTER (SpARC)

The SpARC center is the hub for spatial science research, analysis, education, visualization and spatial data archiving for UC Merced and its partners. The center leads faculty and community partner grants for research and other activities with a spatial aspect and collaborates on ongoing projects. SpARC also provides access to spatial science software and equipment for UC Merced and its partners, as well as training, consulting services, and support on projects that have imaginative uses for geographic information systems (GIS) tools. 


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ADVANCED SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES UNIT (UC SOLAR)

UC SOLAR is dedicated to designing and developing innovative solar-energy-generation technologies that are more efficient, more affordable and easier to integrate. Headquartered in Merced, UC Solar comprises participants from the University of California’s Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Davis, San Diego, Riverside, Irvine, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles campuses, and is supported by research grants, philanthropic gifts and corporate sponsors.