Faculty

Research at UC Merced crosses lines every day. Whether it’s cognitive scientists working with computer and robotics experts, drone researchers working with water specialists, applied mathematicians working with chemists or artists working with bioengineers, interdisciplinarity is just part of the fabric of this university. Our researchers are tackling some of the world’s biggest issues, from climate change, big data, stem cells and cancer to social justice, equality and renewable energy. Whether they are just starting out or have held their Ph.D.s for decades, UC Merced faculty members are making their marks on the region, the state and the world.

Schools and Divisions

UC Merced has three academic schools — the School of Engineering, the School of Natural Sciences and the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, as well as a robust and growing Graduate Division.

Faculty members can affiliate with the campus’s research powerhouses, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), the Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI), the Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI), the Merced Nanomaterials Center for Energy and Sensing (MACES), UC Merced's branch of the Blum Center for Developing Economies or any of the others on an ever-expanding list of centers within each school.

Administration and Research Support

This growing campus provides many resources to assist faculty members in making UC Merced their home, and in promoting and supporting the important research being conducted here.

The Chancellor's Office, the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, the office of Academic Personnel and the Academic Senate are geared toward faculty members’ administrative needs and concerns.

The University of California has a three-pronged mission: research, teaching and community service. For the first part of the mission, the Office of Research, the office of Sponsored Projects, the office of Compliance and Integrity and Development Services help faculty members pursue and promote their research.
 

Instruction

Professors at any UC campus have a lot of plates spinning simultaneously, including teaching. But the second part of the UC’s mission is critical, so faculty members can find a host of online resources to help them stay on track, including the Academic Calendar; each semester’s class schedule; a listing of deadlines; the campus’s academic policies; the project collaboration and courseware system UCMCrops, the Center for Research on Teaching Excellence and information on teaching first-year students. 
 

Faculty Service and Support

Whether a professor is new to UC Merced or has been here since the beginning, this campus is evolving, as is its list of services for faculty members.

• The Information Technology department can help with technical issues, while Business and Financial Services is responsible for the campus's core business processes, including accounting, contracts and grants accounting, payroll, campus cashiering, purchasing, equipment management, risk management and tax and travel services.
• Facilities Management is responsible for the buildings and grounds, including UC Merced’s commitment to sustainability. Environmental Health and Safety supports the faculty to ensure a safe and healthful workplace and to manage hazardous materials in an environmentally sound manner. EH&S offers lab safety training, as well.
• University Communications is here to tell the stories of UC Merced, whether on the campus homepage, through press releases and other media pitches, or by helping promote programs, research, events or services. Communications spreads the word about the important work happening at UC Merced and works to bring media attention to the campus and your research, as well as offering full design, editing and photography services and a Web team that can assist with sites.
• Learn more about what the UC system offers at UCNet and get the full picture of employment benefits plus other tools and services; improve and maintain health and wellbeing at the ChooseWell site; get a parking permit; check out campus policies and procedures, the UC Academic Personnel Manual and the UC Merced Faculty Handbook for more information about working at UC Merced.

 Other services faculty members can take advantage of include a campuswide events calendar; the campus store; dining services; a massive repository of digital books, books in print and publishing services at the library; recreation and athletics through the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center; and campus escorts for people working late.