News

Faculty members in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) and graduate student teaching assistants who support CBS undergraduates have been named Aggie Well-Being Champions. The new award recognizes instructors who prioritize students’ well-being and cultivate spaces where undergraduates can thrive.

Researchers in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) are driving breakthroughs in one of the thorniest problems in science: understanding and combating cancer.

On April 29, the first webinar in a new series called “Under the Microscope” will offer the public an inside look at their innovative research, which is changing our understanding of breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer.

Three faculty affiliated with the College of Biological Sciences are among the eight UC Davis faculty newly elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, announced March 27. They are: Frédéric Chédin, a professor and chair in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology; Dario Cantù, a professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology; and Huaijun Zhou, a professor in the Department of Animal Science.

Meet the eight faculty members who comprise the newest class of Chancellor’s Fellows, given to early career academics doing exemplary work in their fields. One of the new fellows, Kassandra Ori-McKenney, is a an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and four others are affiliated with the college's interdisciplinary graduate groups.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that our former MCB colleague Dr. Scott Hawley passed away this morning at his home in Kansas City.

In the last week of President Biden’s term, the White House honored over 700 scientists and engineers, including three CBS faculty.

Three members of the CBS faculty community have been named Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) scholars. The prestigious honor provides mentorship, support and community to new faculty members.

The development of maternal egg cells is pivotal for survival – but also precarious. During meiosis, the DNA-containing chromosomes can easily be broken or lost, causing infertility, miscarriage, or genetic disorders. Scientists have struggled to study these crucial cellular events in humans and other mammals.

A flowering plant might not be able to tell how many fingers you’re holding up, but it can tell whether it’s light or dark outside and might grow differently if it suddenly finds itself in the shade of another plant.

Plants do that through photoreceptors, which are a major focus of research for John Clark Lagarias, a distinguished professor emeritus of molecular and cellular biology.

Photoreceptors have important uses, like measuring the length of the day; plants can tell when seasons change because the days get longer or shorter.

The college was pleased to welcome five new faculty members to its ranks during the 2023-24 academic year. Joining the Departments of Plant Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, and the Center for Neuroscience, each faculty adds breadth and depth to the college’s research and teaching portfolio.