Biological Sciences

UC Berkeley faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 2, 2024
Robert Sanders

At the conclusion of its annual gathering this week, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced the election of 120 new members and 24 new international members, among them UC Berkeley’s Abby Dernburg, professor of molecular and cell biology and a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

Also elected was Ramamoorthy Ramesh, a professor of materials science and mineral engineering and of physics who recently took a leave of absence to serve as...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/05/02/uc-berkeley-faculty-members-elected-to-nati…

New study shows how the brain reacts emotionally to the real world

July 15, 2024
Robert Sanders

In a new study, researchers were able to predict a person’s response to emotionally charged scenes using brain imaging and computer modeling alone — gauging not only whether the person’s reaction was positive, negative or neutral, but also how strong the reaction was.

The study helps neuroscientists understand how the brain represents complex emotional natural stimuli, according to senior author Sonia Bishop, adjunct associate professor of neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, and the newly...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/07/15/new-study-shows-how-the-brain-reacts-emotio…

Richard Harland named interim dean for the Division of Biological Sciences

June 27, 2024
By Chancellor Carol T. Christ and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Benjamin E. Hermalin

The following message was shared with the UC Berkeley community on June 27, 2024.

Dear Colleagues,

The search for the next dean of the Division of Biological Sciences is ongoing; we remain optimistic that we will be able to share news regarding the dean search in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are grateful to Senior Associate Dean Richard M. Harland, who has graciously agreed to step into the dean role on an interim basis effective July 1, 2024.

Senior Associate Dean Harland has an...

UC Berkeley neuroscientist and nanoscientist among this year’s Kavli Prize winners

June 12, 2024
Robert Sanders

In an announcement today (Wednesday, June 12), the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters named two University of California, Berkeley, faculty members — Doris Ying Tsao, professor of molecular and cell biology, and Armand Paul Alivisatos, professor emeritus of chemistry — winners of 2024 Kavli Prizes in the fields of neuroscience and nanoscience, respectively.

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/06/12/uc-berkeley-neuroscientist-and-nanoscientis…

2024 Q&A with the Neuroscience PhD Program graduates

June 3, 2024
Rachel Henderson

Congratulations to our recent and upcoming Neuroscience PhD Program graduates: Matthew Davis, Erin Aisenberg, Katie Cording, Marisa Denkinger, Julian Bieber-Dishart, Xue Lily Gong, Madeline Klinger, Sylvia Madhow, Hayley Bounds, and Jacob Ziontz!

Read our Q&A below with some of the graduates to learn about their most interesting discoveries, future plans, and words of advice.

https://neuroscience.berkeley.edu/news/2024-qa-neuroscience-phd-program-graduate…

Seven UC Berkeley scientists elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 24, 2024

Seven UC Berkeley scientists — including a chemist, a psychologist, an engineer, two biologists and two physicists — are among 250 new members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences today.

The Academy recognizes excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and to work together to cultivate art and science.

“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public,...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/04/24/seven-uc-berkeley-scientists-elected-to-the…

Berkeley Letters & Science announces 2nd annual L&S Faculty Award winners

May 8, 2024

The College of Letters & Science Advisory Board has announced the recipients of the second annual L&S Faculty Awards, which recognizes and celebrates exceptional faculty in the College of Letters & Science. Awardees were selected for their exceptional scholarship, service to the College and community, and transformational teaching. These extraordinary individuals not only embody the excellence of the College of Letters & Science, but they...

UC Berkeley Announces First Class of Curci Foundation Ph.D. Scholars

December 22, 2021
Debbie Rosenfeld-Caparaz

2021_CurciFoundationScholarsUC Berkeley is proud to announce its inaugural class of Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation Ph.D. scholars. The university received $1.78 million to support this pilot program, providing three years of incoming cohorts of six graduate students with two years of funding.

“It’s an honor for UC Berkeley to have been chosen...

Michael Botchan: A steady presence at Berkeley who drove major change

May 13, 2024
by Alexander Rony

Michael Botchan is the dean of biological sciences at UC Berkeley and a professor of biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology. On June 30, Botchan will step down as dean and start a new life as faculty emeritus in the Graduate Division and senior advisor at the Innovative Genomics Institute. The prospect of a calmer role appears to delight him.

“Being dean is a 24/7 job,” said Botchan. “I'm looking forward to...

L&S Staff Honored with Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Awards

May 4, 2023

Graphic with Sather Gate logo and a bear statue with words Chancellor's Outstanding Staff AwardsFive individual staff members from the College of Letters & Science were recipients of the Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Awards (COSA) this spring. One of the highest honors bestowed upon staff by the Chancellor, and the COSA awards are presented to staff members and teams who 'demonstrate exceptional initiative to create significant...