From unraveling the smallest molecules to investigating entire ecosystems, our faculty pursue scientific discovery for many reasons. 

For me, science began on a very personal note.

As an infant, my youngest sister Christine was diagnosed with a disease called galactosemia, which could've caused dire consequences if she were to have any dairy products in her diet. 

I grew up reading food labels to help keep my sister safe, and I was amazed by the doctors who cared for her. How did they figure out the root cause of her illness? What tools did they use to understand her biology?

These questions and many others inspired me to pursue a career in biological research. Recently UC Davis partnered with public television station KVIE to profile my path to science. 

I invite you to explore the “Curiosity Project” and view my story, as well as the stories of five other faculty members across the UC Davis campus. 

From Katia Vega’s wearable cosmetic tech to Geerat Vermeij’s distinction as one of the world’s foremost seashell experts—despite being blind—you’ll get aquainted with the many ways our researchers find inspiration.

At UC Davis, we are united by a fundamental curiosity. It drives our faculty and students as they reach out for answers about our world. 

Go Ags!

Evan Tjeerdema, a Marine and Coastal Sciences major, spent the entire summer at the Bodega Marine Laboratory, participating in both of the facility’s summer sessions. The opportunity to work continuously near the ocean was a dream come true for him.

In Frontiers in Neuroscience, UC Davis researchers provide the scientific community with comprehensive brain maps of the hormone receptors that may be involved in the flocking behaviors of European starlings, house sparrows and rock doves.

With robotics, computers and advanced genetics, Associate Professor Siobhan Brady and her colleagues at UC Davis and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have established a core set of genes that help plants metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth and crop yield.

In a study appearing in Science, Associate Professor Stacey Combes and her colleagues show that the pesticide imidacloprid, which has been sold in the U.S. since 1994, disrupts bumblebee nest behavior, causing reduced growth in exposed colonies.

For her work in teaching and mentorship, Professor JoAnne Engebrecht, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, was awarded the 2017-2018 College of Biological Sciences Faculty Teaching Award.

For his discovery of a new type of insulin-producing cell, Associate Professor Mark Huising, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, was awarded the 2017-2018 College of Biological Sciences Faculty Research Award.

Kristin Aquilino, an assistant project scientist at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, discusses her journey to UC Davis and her drive to restore white abalone.