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Three College of Biological Sciences research core facilities are among 20 across UC Davis selected to receive funding through the university's new Research Cores Central Investment (RCCI) Program. The one-time awards will help sustain essential shared research infrastructure, supporting advanced imaging, plant growth facilities, and other specialized resources that enable discoveries across the biological sciences.

Xiaosa Xu, assistant professor of plant biology in the College of Biological Sciences, has received a UC Office of the President Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Award. The award includes $50,000 to support his research on the evolution of maize.

Philipp Zerbe, a professor of plant biology whose research explores how plants use chemistry to communicate with and adapt to their environment, has been named associate dean for research and graduate studies for the College of Biological Sciences. He will begin serving in the role on September 1.

The College of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025-26 CBS Faculty Research and Teaching Awards. These annual honors recognize faculty members whose contributions exemplify the college's commitment to advancing discovery and providing outstanding educational experiences for students.

As wildflowers go, the mountain jewelflower is demure, clever and quietly unbreakable. It has spread across many of California’s iconic landscapes, from Sonoma wine country to the oak-dotted foothills, even over the Sierra Crest, where snow covers the ground during winter.

The genomics of peppermint are not as fresh as their flavor but scientists from the University of California, Davis, have found a way to breathe new genetic variation into the species.

Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it’s a double-edged sword: too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth. In a new study published April 20 in Nature Communications, University of California, Davis, researchers discovered that plants use a surprising multi-layered system to regulate salicylic acid levels and keep their immune system in check.

Four faculty, two each in CBS departments and graduate groups, are among this year’s recipients of the Academic Senate and Federation top awards. They are in a cohort of 15 academics across various disciplines throughout the university to be recognized.

The awards cite the impact these academics have had on their fields, on UC Davis students and on the broader community through public service.

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Can the bend of a banana give us insight into cancer? What does the shape of a rice grain have to do with infertility? The proteins that give plants their shape and structure are also involved in human disease. A team led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, has mapped out the structure of a key player, augmin, in exhaustive detail.

Iliya Voytsyshyn, a fourth-year systems and synthetic biology major from Ukraine, entered UC Davis with plans to study cancer. That initial goal grew into a fascination with tools that fuse biology, systems design and gene editing to re-engineer cells.