October 2018
A Message from the Dean: Welcoming New Faces to Campus
The smell of crisp autumn air has arrived, and hustling bikers breeze a flurry of energy into campus.

This can only mean one thing: the Aggies are back from summer vacation and the fall quarter is upon us. 

For the new academic year, we are excited to welcome each student, which total more than 5,600 undergraduates in our college and 420 graduate students through the eight graduate groups we administer. While many are returning, others are making their way across campus for the first time.

We’re also thrilled to introduce these new professors to our faculty ranks. I invite you to learn more about their research and interests.

From environmental adaptation in flycatchers to the mathematics of neural networks to the impact of visual perception on movement—and much more—these talented researchers bring a diverse set of skills to our college. We’re excited to share more with you about their research in the coming months. 

Our students and faculty are at the core of everything we do, and make the UC Davis experience truly unique.

Go Ags!




Mark Winey, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Biological Sciences
Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology 
P.S. Support research and discovery in the College of Biological Sciences today!
Seventeen students traveled with the summer 2017 study abroad program in Ireland. Joanne Newens

Biology on the Emerald Isle: Study Abroad Program Provides Transformative Exeperience

Travel is transformative, but often, undergraduates in the life sciences think they don’t have the time to study abroad due to rigorous academic demands. But "Bio Sci 2A on the Emerald Isle" is designed with College of Biological Sciences' students in mind.

“Ireland is amazing and the class is amazing, but I feel like it wouldn’t have been the same without the people we went on the trip with,” said Miranda Burgett, a junior biological sciences student who studied abroad in 2017. 
News Highlights
Summer Research on the Coast: Scholarship Supports Undergrad Emily Meyers at Bodega Marine Laboratory
In the early summer months, Emily Meyers would rise before the sun, sometimes around 3 or 4 a.m. Keeping time by the ocean tides, she’d cart her research materials to eelgrass beds near the Bodega Marine Laboratory.
New Faculty Rachael Bay Receives NSF Grant to Study Environmental Adaptation in Willow Flycatchers
Rachael Bay and colleagues will investigate how the Willow Flycatcher deals with rapid environmental change, with the goal of linking physiology, morphology and genomics to create a comprehensive map of the species’ adaptation.
Wayward Ways: New Study Reveals How the Nucleus Travels
Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tools, Dan Starr created mutant versions of the worm C. elegans, to explore how the nucleus moves and repositions itself in the eukaryotic cell.
Susan Williams: Large Stretches of Coral Reefs Can Be Rehabilitated
Even after being severely damaged by blast fishing and coral mining, coral reefs can be rehabilitated. The study is one of the last publications led by the late marine biologist Susan Williams.
Discovering Curiosity
Explore how a passion for science propelled our faculty on the path to research
Making Music, Studying Memory with Charan Ranganath
As a cognitive neuroscientist, Professor Charan Ranganath studies memory and learning, exploring the intricacies of the mind. But outside of the lab, the UC Davis researcher trades the EEG cap for an electric guitar.

Introducing Our LinkedIn Showcase Page
As part of the official UC Davis company page, you can now receive updates from the College of Biological Sciences to share with your LinkedIn professional network.