Research & Innovation

Experts examine whether California’s climate model can meet its future goals

May 18, 2026
By Jessica Ballardo

In many ways, California is seen as a model for climate leadership. The state has managed to grow its economy while reducing emissions, and its climate policies have often set the tone for the rest of the country.

But at a recent panel hosted by the Berkeley Economy & Society Initiative (BESI), experts gathered to discuss the other side of the coin: the many challenges California continues to face, from rising energy costs to the possibility of not meeting future climate goals.

Moderated by BESI Senior...

Two economic titans debate California’s billionaires tax at UC Berkeley

May 14, 2026
By Aubrey Spowart

Two of the country’s most influential economists stepped onto a UC Berkeley stage earlier this month to debate one of California’s biggest political and economic questions: Should billionaires pay more to help fund healthcare?

Hosted by the Berkeley Political Union and co-sponsored by the Young America Foundation and the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Wealth and Income Inequality at UC Berkeley, the “Clash of the Titans” debate...

Meet the Berkeley professors shaping global conversations on the Middle East and South Asia

May 14, 2026
By Jessica Park

UC Berkeley is renowned for its academic rigor across departments and disciplines. For professors Elora Shehabuddin and Ussama Makdisi, it is also what made them decide to make Berkeley their home.

As a married couple and renowned scholars, Shehabuddin and Makdisi have built careers centered on teaching, research and public engagement. Shehabuddin serves as director of Global Studies and the Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies, and professor of Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS), while Makdisi leads the program in Palestinian and Arab Studies and is a...

Two UC Berkeley scholars elected to the American Philosophical Society

May 14, 2026
Robert Sanders

The oldest scholarly organization in the U.S., the American Philosophical Society, has elected two UC Berkeley faculty members to its ranks.

In a May 1 announcement, the society named historian Carla Hesse and chemist Jeffrey Long to the 2026 class. A total of 43 national and international scholars received the honor.

The society was founded...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/05/13/two-uc-berkeley-scholars-elected-to-the-ame…

Research in the College of Letters & Science

Michael Ward to join UC Berkeley faculty in neuroscience and molecular therapeutics

May 12, 2026
by Alexander Rony

The internationally recognized physician-scientist brings translational expertise in age-related neurodegenerative disorders

Using virtual reality and psychedelics to restore brain function

March 26, 2026
by Alexander Rony

When Professor Gül Dölen joined UC Berkeley’s neuroscience and psychology departments in January 2024, the influential scientist got to work designing her new lab and office. Now, after an extensive renovation, Dölen can finally reveal the results, complete with dinosaur brain replicas, a wall-to-wall bookshelf, colorful floor tiles, trippy Beatles posters, and all manner of octopus paraphernalia.

An unconstrained U.S. presidency threatens the global order, new paper argues

May 4, 2026
By Aubrey Spowart

Our current historical moment may signal the unraveling of the post-1945 world order, according to researchers from UC Berkeley and Columbia University. Recent shifts in U.S. governance have had rippling consequences for global equilibrium, they argue in a newly published paper, putting international law and institutional legitimacy at risk.

In the aftermath of World War II, the post-1945, or liberal, world order established a framework for peace, sovereignty and stability. At its core was a shared commitment to preventing another world war....

National Academy of Sciences elects six Berkeley researchers to its ranks

April 30, 2026
By Robert Sanders

The National Academy of Sciences announced its newest members this week, among them six eminent UC Berkeley faculty members, including former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen.

Membership in the academy, now held by more than 135 living Berkeley faculty members, recognizes scientists for “their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”

The National Academy of Sciences, along with the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, advise the...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/30/national-academy-of-sciences-elects-six-ber…

Berkeley Talks: Alison Gopnik on why AI is no match for a 4-year-old

April 30, 2026
By Public Affairs

Over her decadeslong career as a developmental psychologist, Alison Gopnik has observed a striking phenomenon: When children are given a new toy without an obvious use, they often outperform high‑achieving college students in figuring out how it works. While adults tend to test the most likely possibilities and quickly get stuck, children respond with playful experimentation.

“What children are doing is exactly the kind of open-ended, non-utilitarian, exploratory learning that allows you to find out...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/17/berkeley-talks-alison-gopnik/