News Archive
June 1, 2023The Class of 2023: Dedicated to Their Dreams
UC San Diego’s Class of 2023 looks forward to diving into their future. Their passions range from international environmental equity to artificial intelligence and from biosustainability to lasers and optics. Together, they forged their own pathways at UC San Diego and look forward to taking their next steps. Our soon-to-be alumni are ready to turn their tassels and start making their dreams into reality. Full Story
May 18, 2023
New Research from UC San Diego Sheds Light on the Possible Origins of Life
UC San Diego researchers have identified the conditions for cell metabolism to emerge on the early Earth, shedding new light on the origins of life itself, along with the fundamental nature of biological carbon fixation. Full Story
May 1, 2023
Safe, autonomous driving tech takes the wheel at Research Expo 2023
Ross Greer, an electrical and computer engineering graduate student at UC San Diego, won the grand prize at Research Expo 2023 for his work on a technology that could enable vehicles to drive more autonomously and decide when the driver is prepared to take back control of the wheel. Full Story
April 27, 2023
Scientists Slow Aging by Engineering Longevity in Cells
Researchers have developed a biosynthetic “clock” that keeps cells from reaching normal levels of deterioration related to aging. They engineered a gene oscillator that switches between the two normal paths of aging, slowing cell degeneration and setting a record for life extension. Full Story
April 18, 2023This student organization builds neurotechnology devices
UC San Diego students will present three projects at an event that will bring together teams for five University of California campuses April 29 at UCLA. The neuro-tech conference is organized by student organizations at UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis. Full Story
April 11, 2023
Commercial-scale Biomanufactured Melatonin is Here
For the first time, large amounts of melatonin are being made by bacteria. Engineered E. coli are feeding on glucose and churning out melatonin, the hormone that controls circadian rhythms. This mode of manufacturing is growing thanks in part to bioengineering advances made at UC San Diego. Full Story
March 2, 2023
Four Early Career Professors at UC San Diego Awarded Sloan Research Fellowships
Nanoengineering professor Tod Pascal and bioengineering professor Lingyan Shi are among the four professors at UC San Diego who have been selected as 2023 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows, a prestigious award for early-career scientists of outstanding promise. Full Story
February 28, 2023
Two UC San Diego Engineers Elected to the National Academy of Inventors
Two engineers from the University of California San Diego have been elected Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), in recognition of their efforts to improve human health through engineering. Bioengineering professors Michael J. Heller, who is also associated with nanoengineering, and Karen Christman are being recognized for the positive impacts that have come from their research. Full Story
February 1, 2023
This Injectable Biomaterial Heals Tissues From the Inside Out
A new biomaterial that can be injected intravenously, reduces inflammation in tissue and promotes cell and tissue repair. The biomaterial was tested and proven effective in treating tissue damage caused by heart attacks in both rodent and large animal models. Researchers also provided proof of concept in a rodent model that the biomaterial could be beneficial to patients with traumatic brain injury and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Full Story
January 25, 2023
Supplementation with amino acid serine eases neuropathy in diabetic mice
Approximately half of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes experience peripheral neuropathy—weakness, numbness, and pain, primarily in the hands and feet. The condition occurs when high levels of sugar circulating in the blood damage peripheral nerves. Now, working with mice, Salk Institute researchers, in collaboration with the University of California San Diego, have identified another factor contributing to diabetes-associated peripheral neuropathy: altered amino acid metabolism. Full Story
January 17, 2023
In Cells, UV-Emitting Nail Polish Dryers Damage DNA and Cause Mutations
The ultraviolet nail polish drying devices used to cure gel manicures may pose more of a public health concern than previously thought. Researchers at UC San Diego studied these UV light-emitting devices, and found that their use leads to cell death and cancer-causing mutations in human cells. Full Story
December 22, 2022Identifying pathways to slow cardiac aging
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and is caused in part by age-related cardiac structural dysfunction. A team of bioengineers at UC San Diego published a paper in Nature Aging on Dec. 22 that helps advance our understanding of how hearts age, and sheds light on a possible pathway to slow cardiac aging. Full Story
December 20, 20222022 Research Highlights
From tools to track the origin and spread of COVID-19, to making homes safer in earthquakes, to using smartphones as diagnostic tools, researchers at the Jacobs School of Engineering pioneered important work in 2022. A few highlights of our outstanding research this year are here. Full Story
November 22, 202216 Jacobs School researchers among most highly cited in the world
A remarkable 16 faculty and research scientists at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are among the world’s most influential researchers in their fields, according to the 2022 Clarivate listing of Most Highly Cited Researchers in the World. The list highlights individuals at universities, research institutes and commercial organizations who have demonstrated a disproportionate level of significant and broad influence in their field of research. Full Story
November 17, 2022
Parsing the Genetic Drivers of Head and Neck Cancers
In a new study, published in the November 14, 2022 issue of PNAS, a team of researchers including Ludmil Alexandrov, a bioengineering faculty and UC San Diego School of Medicine faculty member, expands and deepens understanding of how genetic aberrations fuel HPV-negative head and neck cancers and, potentially, provide paths to further refinement and improvement of immune checkpoint inhibitors for HPV-negative head and neck cancers. Full Story
November 10, 2022The Jacobs School at Neuroscience 2022
The Society for Neuroscience is holding its annual conference, Neuroscience 2022, Nov. 12 to 16 in San Diego and the faculty of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering will have a strong presence at the event. Full Story
November 3, 2022
UC San Diego Faculty Receive New EDI Award from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
As part of a new funding opportunity launched to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in science, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, in collaboration with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, has selected UC San Diego Assistant Professors Brian Aguado and Sonya Neal as two of 25 grant recipients in the new program. Full Story
October 27, 2022With $25 Million Gift to Bioengineering at UC San Diego, Gene Lay Honors his Mentor Shu Chien
Eminent biotechnology innovator and entrepreneur Gene Lay, through the Laygend Foundation, has committed to provide $25 million as an endowment gift to support UC San Diego's world-leading bioengineering department. In recognition of Lay's generous gift, UC San Diego is renaming its bioengineering department the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering. Full Story
October 27, 2022Healthy blood flow is more important than you may know
When UC San Diego bioengineering professor emeritus Shu Chien reminds you that it's a good idea to get up, move, and get your blood flowing, he knows exactly what he is talking about. In fact, Chien has led research teams that discovered some of the reasons why getting your blood flowing is so good for you. Full Story
October 17, 20222022 New Faculty Hires at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
The University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is proud to introduce 11 new professors hired in 2022. These faculty represent the first year in our latest three-year, 35+ faculty member hiring cycle. Full Story
October 5, 2022UC San Diego's Chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society earns Outstanding Achievement Award
UC San Diego’s chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) was recognized with the Chapter Outstanding Achievement Award for their work in the 2021-2022 school year. This is the third time the undergraduate BMES chapter received this prestigious award in the last five years, after earning the honor in 2017 and 2020. Full Story
September 29, 2022Franklin Antonio Hall opens its doors
The UC San Diego campus community turned out in big numbers last Friday to celebrate the opening of the sleek and soaring Franklin Antonio Hall. The 186,000 square foot building is not only innovative in its architecture, it’s also ground-breaking in how research teams are organized within the building. Full Story
September 26, 2022Mutational signature linking bladder cancer and tobacco smoking found with new AI tool
UC San Diego researchers have for the first time discovered a pattern of DNA mutations that links bladder cancer to tobacco smoking. The work could help researchers identify what environmental factors, such as exposure to tobacco smoke and UV radiation, cause cancer in certain patients. It could also lead to more customized treatments for a patient’s specific cancer. Full Story
September 22, 2022Bioengineering, bioinformatics graduate students selected as Siebel Scholars
Five UC San Diego bioengineering and bioinformatics graduate students have been honored as 2023 Siebel Scholars. The Siebel Scholars program recognizes the most talented students in the world’s leading graduate schools of business, computer science, bioengineering and energy science. Full Story
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September 14, 2022Six undergraduate engineering programs earn top-10 rank
Six undergraduate academic programs at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering ranked in the top 10 programs in the nation according to the U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 Best Colleges ranking. Full Story
September 8, 2022$5M from NSF to Empower Transfer Students to Earn Engineering Degrees
With a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, UC San Diego is leading a new effort to support low-income transfer students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering. The five-year program, called EMPOWER, will support engineering students at UC San Diego and two nearby community colleges, Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif., and Imperial Valley College in Imperial, Calif., working to eliminate opportunity gaps through comprehensive cohort-based, success-promoting programming and significant scholarships. Full Story
August 25, 2022Binational program provides students with impactful research opportunities
As part of the ENLACE binational research program, 185 students from Mexico and the United States spent the summer getting hands-on experience in science and engineering labs on campus. Full Story
August 17, 2022A new neuromorphic chip for AI on the edge, at a small fraction of the energy and size of today's compute platforms
An international team of researchers has designed and built a chip that runs computations directly in memory and can run a wide variety of AI applications–all at a fraction of the energy consumed by computing platforms for general-purpose AI computing. The NeuRRAM neuromorphic chip brings AI a step closer to running on a broad range of edge devices, disconnected from the cloud, where they can perform sophisticated cognitive tasks anywhere and anytime without relying on a network connection to a centralized server. Full Story
August 16, 2022Researchers receive $3.14M NIH grant for better imaging during pediatric heart procedures
Engineers and physicians at the University of California San Diego have received a $3.14 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to help make MRIs a viable option for imaging during heart procedures in children. Full Story
August 12, 2022UC San Diego bioengineering faculty to pursue collaborative research in Franklin Antonio Hall
When the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering’s new 186,000-square-foot Franklin Antonio Hall building comes online in Summer 2022, three bioengineering professors will be among the faculty from all corners of campus who will be leading teams within a building designed from the ground up to maximize the circulation of people and ideas. Full Story
June 15, 2022Netflix-style algorithm builds blueprint of cancer genomes
The science behind predicting your viewing habits on Netflix could one day be used to guide doctors in managing some of the hardest-to-treat cancers, shows a study led by the University of California San Diego and University College London. Full Story
June 7, 2022UC San Diego researchers working to trace roots of triple negative breast cancer
Researchers at the University of California San Diego, in collaboration with researchers at City of Hope Hospital, have launched a new project to uncover the mechanisms that lead to triple negative breast cancer in human breast tissues. Full Story
June 7, 2022Class of 2022 honored with Awards of Excellence
The Jacobs School of Engineering will honor the undergraduate class of 2022 at its annual Ring Ceremony on Saturday, June 11, after the campus convocation. Six students who have made significant contributions to their department and the Jacobs School community will be honored with Awards of Excellence. Full Story
May 5, 2022Breaking through to the brain
UC San Diego bioengineering Professor Ester Kwon, who leads the Nanoscale Bioengineering research lab, is developing nanomaterials that could be used to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injury. Full Story
May 4, 2022Arrhythmia mapping technology demonstrates positive clinical results
Bioengineers and cardiologists from UC San Diego invented a technology that can accurately and noninvasively map atrial and ventricular heart arrhythmias in a matter of minutes. The technology demonstrated 97.3 percent accuracy in a clinical validation study, and recently received FDA clearance. Full Story
May 3, 2022Study of promising Alzheimer's marker in blood prompts warning about brain-boosting supplements
Elevated levels of an enzyme called PHGDH in the blood of older adults could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. Research led by UC San Diego has consistently found high levels of PHGDH expression in brain tissue and blood samples of older adults with different stages of the disease. The findings also prompt caution against the use of dietary supplements that contain the amino acid serine as a remedy for Alzheimer's disease. Full Story
April 20, 2022Startup cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineer wins angel investment competition
Karios Technologies, a company cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineering professor Karen Christman, won the inaugural Apis Health Angel Conference, a Seattle-based event that connects investors and health-related startups. Full Story
April 19, 2022Sun and solar panels shine at 40th Research Expo
Nanoengineering master’s student Tala Sidawi had her time in the sun at the 2022 edition of Research Expo. Sidawi took home the grand prize for her work to model how solar panels “breathe” water in real time. Such a model could help researchers design solar panels that last longer and perform better in humid environments, and also cost less to build. Full Story
April 14, 2022Bioengineers Visualize Fat Storage in Fruit Flies
For the first time, researchers have visually monitored, in high resolution, the timing and location of fat storage within the intact cells of fruit flies. The new optical imaging tool from the lab of bioengineering professor Lingyan Shi at the University of California San Diego is already being used to untangle often discussed, yet mysterious, links between diet and things like obesity, diabetes and aging. The work from bioengineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is published in the journal Aging Cell. Full Story
April 12, 2022Researchers map lung development after birth into late childhood for the first time
How do the lungs develop after taking their first breaths outside the womb? What cellular events and changes early in life give rise to lung malfunction and disease? To help answer these questions, UC San Diego researchers have constructed the first single-cell atlas of postnatal lung development in humans and mice. Full Story
April 11, 2022ICRA 2022 preview: from robots inspired by insects to helping robots navigate and interact
From algorithms that help robots better navigate and interact with the world and humans, to robots inspired by insects, researchers at the University of California San Diego are making significant contributions to the field of robotics at the 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation taking place from May 23 to 27, 2022 in Philadelphia. Full Story
April 1, 2022Research Expo enters its 4th decade
Connected systems take center stage at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering’s 40th annual Research Expo on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Join us to hear from more than 100 graduate students from all six Jacobs School of Engineering departments, as they present their groundbreaking engineering and computer science research. Full Story
March 16, 2022UC San Diego bioengineers inducted into prestigious biomedical institution
Two bioengineers at the University of California San Diego will be inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Professors Stephanie Fraley and Prashant Mali are among the 153 new AIMBE Fellows who will be recognized at a ceremony during AIMBE’s 2022 Annual Event on March 25. Full Story
February 24, 2022Bioengineering alumnus on COVID-19 antiviral pill development team
Jacobs School of Engineering alumnus Britton Boras shares how his graduate degree prepared him for a career at Pfizer, where he was on the team that developed a COVID-19 antiviral pill. Full Story
February 10, 2022Simplifying RNA editing for treating genetic diseases
New research led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego could make it much simpler to repair disease-causing mutations in RNA without compromising precision or efficiency. The new RNA editing technology holds promise as a gene therapy for treating genetic diseases. In a proof of concept, UC San Diego researchers showed that the technology can treat a mouse model of Hurler syndrome, a rare genetic disease, by correcting its disease-causing mutation in RNA. Full Story
February 9, 2022Mapping mutation 'hotspots' in cancer reveals new drivers and biomarkers
UC San Diego researchers have identified a previously unrecognized key player in cancer evolution: clusters of mutations occurring at certain regions of the genome. These mutation clusters contribute to the progression of about 10% of human cancers and can be used to predict patient survival. Full Story
January 27, 2022New drug screening method answers why Alzheimer's drugs fail, suggests new targets
A study led by UC San Diego sheds light on why Alzheimer’s drugs so far have been ineffective at curing or reversing the disease. The researchers identify new targets for drug development and present a new method to screen drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease. Full Story
January 10, 2022Introducing the second cohort of Racial Equity Fellows
Seven UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering students have been selected to serve as Racial Equity Fellows. In this role, they will act as student advocates on the Jacobs School Student and Faculty Racial Equity Task Force, each bringing their demonstrated interest in diversity, equity and inclusion to the Task Force. Full Story
December 20, 2021Our 2021 Research Headlines
From research into new ways to detect and preventCOVID-19, to new treatments for heart conditions and technology to combat natural disasters and climate change, it has been a busy year at the Jacobs School of Engineering. Here is a snapshot of research that made headlines this year, thanks to the dedicated work of our faculty, graduate and undergraduate student researchers, and staff Full Story
December 2, 2021Developing Sex-specific Treatments for Heart Disease
Heart diseases progress differently in men and women, yet treatments remain strikingly similar. UC San Diego bioengineering professor Brian Aguado aims to change that by studying sex-specific differences in disease, and developing new biomaterial treatments. Full Story
November 30, 202110 Jacobs School faculty among 2021 list of most highly cited researchers in the world
Ten professors at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are among the world’s most influential researchers in their fields. The professors, Ludmil Alexandrov, Trey Ideker, Rob Knight, Prashant Mali, Ying Shirley Meng, Shyue Ping Ong, Bernhard O. Palsson, Joseph Wang, Sheng Xu and Liangfang Zhang, are amone 51 professors and researchers at UC San Diego named in the prestigious list of Highly Cited Researchers in 2021. Full Story
September 23, 2021Graduate students honored as Siebel Scholars
Five graduate students working at the interface of engineering and medicine have been honored as 2022 Siebel Scholars. They are pursuing graduate degrees in bioengineering, electrical engineering, nanoengineering, and bioinformatics, all with a focus on advancing human health. Full Story
September 14, 2021Three Jacobs School undergraduate programs ranked in nation's top 10
Three undergraduate academic programs at the Jacobs School of Engineering were ranked in the top 10 programs for undergraduates in rankings released Sept. 13, 2021 by U.S. News and World Report. Full Story
September 8, 2021UC San Diego researchers make glycomics data AI-ready
Researchers at UC San Diego have created a tool that allows glycomics datasets to be analyzed using explainable Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and other machine learning approaches. Full Story
August 12, 2021Ultrasound remotely triggers immune cells to attack tumors in mice without toxic side effects
A new cancer immunotherapy pairs ultrasound with cancer-killing immune cells to destroy malignant tumors while sparing normal tissue. The approach could make chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy safer and effective at treating solid tumors. Full Story