Biological Sciences

Michael R. Botchan Reappointed as Dean of College of Letters & Science Division of Biological Sciences

February 8, 2022

UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol T. Christ and Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Catherine P. Koshland announced today the reappointment of Michael R. Botchan as Dean of the College of Letters & Science Division of Biological Sciences. Botchan has held this position since 2016 and is a professor of Integrative Biology and Molecular and Cell Biology.

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Did dome-headed dinosaurs sport bristly headgear?

May 23, 2023

Artist's depiction of a pachycephalosaur in purple, yellow and blueIf you look at enough dinosaur fossils, you’ll see that their skulls sport an amazing variety of bony ornaments, ranging from the horns of Triceratops and the mohawk-like crests of hadrosaurs to the bumps and knobs covering the head of Tyrannosaurus rex.

But paleontologists are increasingly finding evidence that dinosaurs had even more elaborate...

New Molecular Therapeutics Research Division is Launched

May 16, 2023

With each passing year, more undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) are choosing to pursue professions in the biotech industry, and MCB’s research has increasingly found its way into clinical applications. In response to these trends, in July 2023 the department will launch a new division, Molecular Therapeutics (MTx), to better prepare students for careers in biotechnology and to support Berkeley’s science with the potential to develop new therapeutic modalities.

MTx will build on a strong tradition of research that has led to the...

Jeff Nathan: Pursuing a Less Predictable Path

May 17, 2023

When Jeff Nathan (BA 2013, MCB) received his undergraduate degree with a concentration in immunology and pathogenesis, he assumed he’d pursue a predictable path in research or medicine. A decade later, he’s carved out a very different kind of career for himself: as an acquisition professional for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Nathan currently serves as an assistant program manager for the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The office develops, procures, and fields sensors,...

UC Berkeley's Black Graduation: Celebrating community, culture, and achievement

May 4, 2023

As commencement season kicks off across the U.S., UC Berkeley’s Department of African American Studies is preparing to host the annual Black Graduation ceremony on May 20, 2023, at Zellerbach Hall. Black Grad, as it is affectionately called, honors and celebrates Black-, African-, and African American-identifying students upon completion of their undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D., J.D., and professional degree programs from departments all over campus. Black Grad is more than just a ceremony; it is a celebration of resilience, perseverance, and achievement. Grace Carroll,...

National Academy of Sciences elects seven from UC Berkeley

May 3, 2023

The College of Letters & Science is thrilled to congratulate the five L&S faculty members (Marla Feller, Tyrone Hayes, Hilary Hoynes, Donald Rio and Emmanuel Saez) and their campus colleagues recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Seven UC Berkeley faculty members were among 120 new members and 23 new international members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced this week, an honor that recognizes their distinguished and...

L&S grad programs ranked No. 3 in the nation by US News

April 25, 2023

 Copy shows Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Physics ranked #3 in nation

U.S. News & World Report's newly published graduate program rankings continue to place graduate programs from the College of Letters & Science among the best in the nation: programs in...

Jill Banfield Wins the 2023 van Leeuwenhoek Medal

February 15, 2023

IGI Director of Microbiology Jill Banfield has been awarded the 2023 van Leeuwenhoek Medal for her contribution to the understanding of microbial communities and interactions between microbes and the environment. Her pioneering work includes the development of genome-resolved metagenomics and advancing community proteomics to study diverse bacteria, archaea, and phages, adding new branches to the...

Doudna, Banfield to lead $70 million initiative to edit the microbiome

April 17, 2023
The Audacious Project, an initiative housed at TED, encourages the world’s greatest changemakers to dream bigger. A new initiative led by Jennifer Doudna and Jill Banfield at the Innovative Genomics Institute and announced today at the TED Conference in Vancouver is a big dream that uses the smallest tools: microbes. The research initiative, “Engineering the...

Six new fellows of American Academy of Arts & Sciences

April 21, 2023

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences announced its new fellows this week, among them six distinguished UC Berkeley faculty members.

The new UC Berkeley fellows are medical anthropologist Charles Briggs, philosopher John Campbell, neuroscientist Marla Feller,...