Three College of Biological Sciences research core facilities are among 20 across UC Davis selected to receive funding through the university's new Research Cores Central Investment (RCCI) Program. The one-time awards will help sustain essential shared research infrastructure, supporting advanced imaging, plant growth facilities, and other specialized resources that enable discoveries across the biological sciences.
Molecular biology labs rarely attract crowds, but white-coated students in UC Davis’s Esau Hall recently welcomed an unusual audience. The occasion? A celebration of the BIO123 series, the new introductory biology curriculum developed and run by the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) that serves students across UC Davis. To support the new courses, several lab spaces in Esau Hall were renovated — improvements enabled by donor funds.
Philipp Zerbe, a professor of plant biology whose research explores how plants use chemistry to communicate with and adapt to their environment, has been named associate dean for research and graduate studies for the College of Biological Sciences. He will begin serving in the role on September 1.
Sean Burgess, a professor of molecular and cellular biology whose research has advanced understanding of chromosome inheritance, reproductive biology and human developmental disorders, has been named chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB). She will begin serving in the role on September 1.
Think of friendships forged at UC Davis and you might picture first-year students gabbing in dorms, or recent graduates tossing their caps into the air, but the university fosters countless close ties — from the classroom to the boardroom.
A shared commitment to philanthropy and scientific learning is what sparked a friendship between two longtime UC Davis supporters, Elena B. “Lin” Weaver and Deborah J. “Deb” Neff ’76.
Finals are over, students are done, families are gathering—it’s commencement, the inspiring culmination of why we’re here, doing what we do. I will be on stage for this year’s ceremonies, as I have been for almost all of them over the last decade. This year, however, will be my last as dean of the College of Biological Sciences.
Robert D. “Bob” Grey, Ph.D., a pillar of the UC Davis campus and community for nearly 60 years, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, in May at the age of 86.
Satoshi Namekawa, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics whose research has advanced our understanding of fertility, epigenetics and genome organization, has been named chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG). He will begin serving in the role on July 1, 2026.
Frédéric Chédin, a professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and a renowned expert in genome biology, will be the next dean of the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan selected Chédin to lead the college following a nationwide search. He will start on September 1.
A kestrel swoops to grab a smaller bird on the wing and eats it, right in front of a group of men in the garden at California Health Care Facility, or CHCF, a prison in Stockton, where the garden has become both a thriving ecosystem and a science classroom for people incarcerated there. As the feathers fly, UC Davis researcher Laci Gerhart pulls out a bird guide and shows the incarcerated men how to identify the bird by its size and coloration, noting that kestrels are North America’s smallest raptor and one of the few that are sexually dimorphic.
We are in the penultimate month of the school year. Already, commencement is around the corner, and the finish line is fast approaching. We’re used to cyclical patterns here on campus, but each year – as the season moves from wet and cold, to warm and bright – it’s a source of renewal and comfort to see many of our students preparing to take the final steps of their undergraduate academic journey.
It’s officially spring in Davis. That means finding your bike or scooter – or even car – covered in a yellow dusting of pollen. In my Colorado days, dusting was snow!
J. David “Dave” Furlow, a professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, has been named the new Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs for the College of Biological Sciences. He will step into the role on July 1, 2026.
For Mark Winey, the path into biology was deeply personal from the start. Watching his sister live with an inherited metabolic disease sparked a curiosity about genetics that would shape his entire career.
He is this month’s guest on Face to Face With Chancellor May.
Now a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and dean of the College of Biological Sciences, Winey reflects on a journey shaped by both personal motivation and professional passion.
Four faculty, two each in CBS departments and graduate groups, are among this year’s recipients of the Academic Senate and Federation top awards. They are in a cohort of 15 academics across various disciplines throughout the university to be recognized.
The awards cite the impact these academics have had on their fields, on UC Davis students and on the broader community through public service.
