02/21/2024Lilith ChristopherFormer UCI postdoctoral researcher Gabriela Espinosa (right) created an engineering program for Concordia University Irvine that focuses on teaching communication skills and a hands-on approach.202402/07/2024Lori BrandtBruce Tromberg is elected to the National Academy of Engineering.202402/13/2024Mechanical engineering senior Christopher Arauzo 202402/01/2024Quincy Barnes (middle) helps set up the methalox rocket202402/22/2024Lilith ChristopherSolmaz Kia is one of 10 Newkirk Faculty Fellows selected this year.202402/29/2024Mechanical engineering junior Rachael Koo is braking engineer at HyperXite202402/05/2024Tom VasichANTrepreneur Center director Ryan Foland takes a selfie with participants in the AI Innovation Challenge. Angie Delfin / ANTrepreneur Center202402/21/2024Jennifer Prescher (left), UCI professor of chemistry, Stacy Copp (middle), assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Michelle Digman (right), associate professor of biomedical engineering, received multi-million-dollar grants from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to develop advanced deep-tissue imaging methods for biological research and medical applications. Steve Zylius / UCI202402/28/2024Andrei Shkel will bring considerable leadership and innovation experience to the position of associate dean for research and innovation.202402/14/2024Reposted from RegMedNet202402/06/2024Lori BrandtWilliam Sirignano will receive ASME's Spirit of St. Louis Medal, the society's highest recognition.202402/01/2024Lilith ChristopherEnder Ayanoglu, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was recognized for his 30-plus years of outstanding service as an editor on IEEE journals.202402/12/2024Lori BrandtPerry Johnson receives Young Investigator Program grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.202404/30/2024Pictured from left, Payam Heydari, Mohammad Oveisi and Huan Wang are recognized for their research introducing an innovative transmitter architecture for 6G and future generation wireless networks.202404/30/2024Lori BrandtCalifornia’s State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin spoke to UCI civil and environmental engineering students about safety and climate during Earth Month.202404/10/2024Lilith ChristopherAfter working in teams on projects for two quarters, students present their ideas by displaying or demonstrating them to a wider audience at Annual Design Review.202404/24/2024Brian Bell / UCIThis “Clearing the Air” series explores the cutting edge research happening in centers and laboratories connected to UC Irvine’s Clean Energy Institute. Navigate through and learn how the present generation of UC Irvine researchers is living up to the legacy of the university’s founders.202404/12/2024“Right now, biomanufacturing can’t compete with fossil-fuel based processes because of cost,” Li says. By decreasing the cost, she says, waste and emissions could decrease as well.202404/03/2024Lori BrandtThe research team includes, from left, Natalie Celt, Ze-Fan Yao, Emil Lundqvist, Ardoña and Yuyao Kuang.202404/23/2024Keynote speaker, Bruce Tromberg, PhD, on “Accelerating Innovation and Technology Development through Engineering-Medicine Partnerships.”202404/09/2024Shakira Hobbs is named a Rising Star in Academia by the National Society of Black Engineers.2024Natalie TsoOlga Movilla Miangolarra 10/13/2026202604/10/2024Brian BellAn image from the Scientific Reports paper by UC Irvine researchers shows sleep wave frequencies embedded in a slow wave in a single axon. The top row presents raw data from a feedback axon from the hippocampus’ cornu ammonis 3 region. The middle row shows the same data filtered from 10-16 Hz for spindle events. In the bottom row, spindle frequency hot spots appear in red, while the yellow arrow points to the slow wave near 1 Hz frequency. UCI202404/02/2024Samueli School alumnae Amy Dunford races the Red Baron, a supercharged 1985 motorcycle, pictured here with additional sidecar added to qualify for new records.202404/22/2024Brian Bell / UCIClean Energy Institute director Jack Brouwer believes “we should aim to decarbonize by 2050.” Steve Zylius / UCI202404/22/2024Aliyah Kovner / Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryA map of the crystal structure of the NbTaTiHf alloy made with electron backscatter diffraction in a scanning electron microscope. Each color represents a section of the crystal where the repeating structure changes its 3D orientation. (Credit: Berkeley Lab)202407/24/2024Brett Sanders, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering and professor of urban planning and public policy, says that national flood models are not of a fine enough resolution to account for the risks faced by many people who live in U.S. cities. Exposure hot spots and inequities for social groups such as disadvantaged populations are poorly captured, he says. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202407/22/2024As leaders in their fields, (from left) Dimitri Papamoschou, Stephen Ritchie and Brett Sanders are named UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professors. 202407/26/2024School of Physical Sciences Dean James Bullock addressed a group of nearly 40 business, community and government representatives who came to UC Irvine recently to learn about sustainable energy research happening on campus. Roopa Atluri / UC Irvine202407/11/2024Lori BrandtUCI’s CanSat team took fourth place worldwide and second in the U.S. at the international competition.202407/18/2024Natalie TsoAssemblywomen Diane Dixon (center) and Laurie Davies (right) at the forum (Photo: Steve Zylius/UCI)202407/11/2024Keyue Smedley202407/31/2024Natalie TsoXizheng Wang (right) at ARPA-E award ceremony202407/31/2024Lori BrandtWendy Brown is honored by her alma mater as one of 40 under 40 Georgia Tech alums. 2024ProperData summer program participants and teaching team Zot in front of UCI’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building.10/13/2026202606/06/2024Guests and honorees gather on the Captain’s Deck for a cocktail reception at the 2024 Hall of Fame celebration on board the legendary Queen Mary in the Port of Long Beach. Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202406/18/2024The UCI Samueli School’s graduate program is ranked 17th among public universities in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s list of best graduate schools. Steve Zylius202406/28/2024UCI materials science and engineering graduate students Raquel Fierro Jaime and Shrivatsav Shankar celebrate being final presenters at the WFO Conference in Germany on June 11, 2024.202406/17/2024The 2024 faculty award winners are, top row from left, Yanning Shen, Han Li, Wendy Liu, David Copp and Christine King; bottom row from left, Diran Apelian, Iryna Zenyuk, Mo Li and Hamid Jafarkhani.202406/28/2024From left, Assistant Professors Salma Elmalaki, Perry Johnson, Christopher Olivares Martinez and Maxim Shcherbakov are NSF Career Awardees. 202406/13/2024Tim Downing will serve as the Stacey Nicholas Endowed Chair for Diversity in Engineering Education and principal adviser to the Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion in the Samueli School of Engineering.202406/18/2024Group photo from the 2024 Beall Butterworth Competition202406/03/2024UCI Distinguished Professor Pramod Khargonekar speaks at University of Florida following his induction into the school’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Hall of Fame.202406/27/2024Natalie TsoJustin Huang giving his pitch for Cup-a-Bug on Shark Tank202406/05/2024UC Irvine’s 2024 Hellman Fellows are (clockwise from upper left): Abigail Lapin Dardashti, Javier Sanchez-Yamagishi, Fangyaun Ding, Pablo Lara-Gonzalez, Katherine Trieste Rhodes, Alejandra Rodriguez Verdugo, Irene Vega, Xian Shi, Ji Seon Song and Travis Wiles. UC Irvine202403/27/2024Jason Bates/NSF202406/11/2024Michelle Digman will be the first woman to serve as faculty chair of the UCI Department of Biomedical Engineering. 2024Student Commencement speaker Joyce Chen at UCI's Aldrich Park (Photo: Natalie Tso)10/13/2026202606/10/2024Pictured clockwise, from top left, are NSF graduate research program fellows Maya Brandy, Maya El-Ajouz, Daniel Jilani and Valen Yamamoto.202406/25/2024The Samueli School of Engineering awarded approximately 113 doctorates, 275 master’s degrees and 827 bachelor’s degrees at its commencement ceremony on June 16, 2024. Steve Zylius202406/05/2024Lori Brandt202403/16/2026The Homeless Intervention Services of Orange County (HIS-OC) moved the four modules of the award-winning home designed by UC Irvine and Orange Coast College students into their backyard. The home won second place overall at the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon for its innovative features and was donated to the center by the student team.The four modules of the home moving to the center's backyard202601/24/2024Lori BrandtSoroosh Sorooshian, whose work in water resources over nearly two decades has been well recognized worldwide by many countries, is selected as a Hagler Fellow.202401/09/2024Lori BrandtDistinguished Professor Emeritus Enrico Gratton receives an honorary doctorate from University of the Republic, Uruguay.202401/29/2024Filippo Capolino is one of 129 members from 26 countries elected to Optica’s 2024 Class of Fellows.202401/30/2024"This research represents an exciting new advance in DNA nanotechnologies,” says Stacy Copp, assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Steve Zylius / UCI202401/04/2024Brian Bell / UCIThe greater blue-ringed octopus, native to waters in the Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, can ward off predators with an iridescent flash of the circular shapes on its skin. A research team led by Alon Gorodetsky, UCI professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, drew inspiration from this amazing creature to develop a signaling and deception technology platform with a multitude of uses. Thierry Eidenweil / Getty Images202401/26/2024Taha’s group applied the new theory of lift to the flow over a rotating cylinder, such as the one used on a rotor ship (above), and managed to find simple analytical solutions without the need to solve the complicated nonlinear partial differential equation of Navier-Stokes.202401/25/2024Natalie TsoBiomedical engineering senior Vietbao Tran holds up his unique Petr stickers202403/16/2026Ethan Martinez is a biomedical engineering senior and leads the 37,000-strong undergraduate student body as president of the Associated Students of UC Irvine (ASUCI). What would you like to say to new Anteaters?Associated Students of UC Irvine (ASUCI) President Ethan Martinez202610/29/2024The 2024-25 UCI-LANL-SoCalHub Graduate Research Fellows are, clockwise from top left, Arthur Feeney, Shu Li, Ezra Sarmiento and Anthea Segger.202410/17/2024Natalie TsoIryna Zenyuk (left) and Mo Li in front of an electrolyzer at the National Fuel Cell Research Center at UC Irvine.202410/02/2024Lori BrandtTerry Sanger accepts the Excellence Award from University Lab Partners and the Beall Family Foundation at their 2024 Ignite Gala. Photo courtesy of ULP.202410/28/2024ASM International’s past president, Pradeep Goyal (left), presents honorary membership to UCI Distinguished Professor Diran Apelian.202410/24/2024Lilith Christopher1. Student team Venaptic won $20,000 for their design for a DVT detection and monitoring system. Pictured from left are CIRC Associate Director Elliot Botvinick and Venaptic members Lucas Jones, Polaris Phan, Piyashi Biswas, Neha Muvvala and Adhithi Lakshmikanthan. 202403/16/2026Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other international institutions have for the first time achieved atomic-scale observations of grain rotation in polycrystalline materials. Widely used in electronic devices, aerospace technologies, automotive applications and solar energy systems, these substances have long been studied for their unique properties and structural dynamics.“Scientists have speculated and theorized on phenomena occurring at the boundaries of crystalline grains for decades, but now – through the use of the most advanced instruments available to the scientific community – we have been able to transition from theory to observation,” says Xiaoqing Pan, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering and director of the UC Irvine Materials Research Institute. He’s lead author of a paper in Science on direct observations of grain rotation in polycrystalline materials. [Credit] Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202610/25/2024UC Irvine’s Derek Dunn-Rankin and Pheather R. Harris are two of the lead investigators on a new University of California systemwide grant from the National Science Foundation to support the California Alliance for Minority Participation. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202410/04/2024Natalie TsoIncoming students show off their engineering creations202410/15/2024Brian BellBarbara Barletta (left), a research specialist in the laboratory of Donald Blake, professor of chemistry, demonstrates the function of an air sampling canister to Dr. Octavio Carrillo Acosta (center), president of Mexico’s Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, and Jose Luis Sosa, UAEH director of international affairs. The Mexican dignitaries were given a tour of the laboratory which was the past workspace of F. Sherwood Rowland and his postdoctoral scholar Mario Molina, a native Mexican researcher. Rowland and Molina won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for their work in identifying chemical compounds that were harmful to Earth’s ozone layer. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202410/08/2024Stacy Copp is awarded $2.1 million as an NIH Director’s New Innovator.202410/01/2024Natalie TsoFrom left: Yulai Zhang, Han Li, William Black, and Derek Aspacio202403/16/2026Brian BellIn the chaos of a wildfire, heat, wind, flames and fuel interact to produce embers that are lofted into surrounding areas, starting new spot fires and spreading destruction and property loss in California’s wildland-urban interface. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have conducted first-of-their-kind field experiments to better understand the physics of these firebrands, and their results can help authorities better model the outcomes of disasters that are happening with greater frequency in a warming climate.To study the physics of firebrands – embers generated by wildfires – UC Irvine researchers set up a unique experiment at the UC Berkeley Blodgett Forest Research Station in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. They placed sheet pans of water around the fire to catch embers and used high-speed photography instruments to track the speed and direction of the burning particles. The results can help fire modelers to more accurately predict the severity and spread of wildfires. Alec Petersen / UC Irvine202610/07/2024Diran Apelian (left) and Carl Söderhjelm 202410/03/2024David Copp (left), the Engineering Dean’s Honoree at the 2024 Celebration of Teaching Awards, is congratulated by Vice Provost of Teaching and Learning Michael Dennin.202411/21/2024Natalie TsoFrom left: Computer science engineering senior Aiden Dodge, Professor Peter Burke and teaching assistant Patrick Rwei watch Dodge’s drone fly.202411/18/2024Natalie TsoQuinton Smith at his UCI lab202411/04/2024Lilith ChristopherBiomedical engineering major Edmund Totah is this year’s Engineering Student Council president.202411/13/2024Lori BrandtUCI Samueli School Dean Magnus Egerstedt shares with the audience the remarkable achievements at the school as a result of the generous gifts from Susan and Henry Samueli. 2024Natalie TsoDion Khodagholy holds neural soft electronics in his UCI lab.10/13/2026202611/06/2024UCI biomedical engineering researchers have developed a new microfluidic system capable of capturing 3D images of groups of single cells. They’ve inspected hundreds of T-cells, a type of white blood cell with critical immune function, and are using it to quantify and correlate cell nuclear shape to status of immune health.202411/12/2024Lilith ChristopherNatascha Buswell (right) accepts the Belonging Excellence and Transformative Research (BETR) Allyship Advocate Award from Pennsylvania State University’s Mechanical Engineering Department Chair Mary Frecker.202411/13/2024UCI Beall Applied Innovation article image posted at https://innovation.uci.edu/news/neocare/202411/25/2024The American Meteorological Society (AMS) Committee on Boundary Layers and Turbulence selected Tirtha Banerjee for an early career award honoring his research and leadership.202411/18/2024Perry Johnson202411/07/2024“Antibodies are the ‘magic bullets’ of biology, acting as drugs, molecular sensors for disease diagnosis, frontline therapeutics for outbreaks and fundamental research tools for biomedical discovery,” says Liu.202411/12/2024Lori BrandtThe new Office of Experiential Learning promises to be a dynamic facet of the school that ignites ideas, passions and new careers.202403/16/2026Tatiana OverlyBeginning in 2023, UC Irvine undergraduate students had the opportunity to complete the Environmental Changemakers certificate program. The program, jointly created by the schools of engineering, physical sciences and social ecology, aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues and the policy challenges that surround them.202608/02/2024Kathryn Jones is named a DOE IBUILD graduate research fellow.202403/16/2026Courtesy Cal State LACal State LA, in partnership with the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance research and education in the field of materials science. This three-year, $1 million grant will launch a groundbreaking collaboration between Cal State LA and UC Irvine’s NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC).Professor Xiaoqing Pan, director of UC Irvine’s MRSEC Center for Complex and Active Materials, is the co-principal investigator of the NSF PREM grant.2026Lilith ChristopherUCI postdoctoral scholar Ryan Donahue ‘22 was recognized as one of University of Miami’s 30 Under 30 alumni.202408/05/2024The transformation mechanism from molten liquid metal to a high-entropy alloy solid is unclear, as illustrated by the image where a cloud blocks the view of such a transformation process. Here, researchers report new findings to clear away the dark cloud. Image credit: Yang Yang / Ying Han, Penn State University.202408/28/2024Rachel Nordberg202408/15/2024Andrei Shkel, pictured, and former doctoral student Yusheng Wang ’20 win the 2024 Wiley-IEEE Press Professional Book Award.202403/16/2026Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have discovered the neurons responsible for “item memory,” deepening our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves the details of “what” happened and offering a new target for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Memories include three types of details: spatial, temporal and item, the “where, when and what” of an event.“We are the first to pinpoint the neurons responsible for creating and maintaining item memory. This discovery has important implications for understanding how memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease disrupt these processes and identifying potential new treatment targets,” says corresponding author Kei Igarashi, Chancellor’s Fellow and associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology. School of Medicine202608/09/2024Natalie TsoTwo students working on a robotic car together202408/02/2024Natalie TsoThe high school students and camp leaders at the UCI-Crystal Cove Environmental Engineering Summer Institute202403/16/2026Cities around the globe are experiencing increased flooding due to the compounding effects of stronger storms in a warming climate and urban growth. New research from the University of California, Irvine suggests that urban form, specifically the building density and street network of a neighborhood, is also affecting the intensity of flooding.Chancellor’s Professor Brett Sanders, Ph.D. candidate Sarah Balaian and Associate Professor Mohammad Javad Abdolhosseini Qomi (from left) – all from UC Irvine’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering – have developed a new formula to project the impact of climate change-driven flooding in urban environments. Steven Zylius / UC Irvine202603/07/2024Lori BrandtOptica honors Zhongping Chen for pioneering research and groundbreaking contributions in biophotonics.202403/18/2024“What makes engineering enticing to me is the ability to appreciate my work and creativity in the palm of my hand,” says Ozzy Sanchez-Aldana. Steve Zylius / UCI202403/18/2024Lilith ChristopherThe UCI Graduate Division awards engineering doctoral student Ajinkya Desai a Distinguished Public Impact Fellowship for his research on fire-atmospheric interaction.202403/26/2024Lori BrandtBernard Choi and Tibor Juhasz are recognized as 2024 AIMBE Fellows.202403/25/2024Lori BrandtDiran Apelian receives Presidential Medal from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.202403/16/2026Brian BellThe Air Force Office of Scientific Research, under its Defense University Research Instrumentation Program, has granted materials scientists at UC Irvine $1.5 million for the acquisition of sophisticated nanomechanical and chemical characterization equipment for biomaterial analysis and a 3D printing platform to be used and biomimetic processing. Combined with existing tools in the laboratory of principal investigator David Kisailus, UCI professor of materials science and engineering, these new instruments will facilitate high-speed nanomechanical testing of materials under extreme temperatures (from cryogenic to ultrahot), nanometer-resolution Fourier transform infrared mapping via an atomic force microscope and a high-resolution, direct-ink-write multimaterial printer.David Kisailus, UCI professor of materials science and engineering, is the recipient of a $1.5 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to purchase new nanomechanical and chemical characterization equipment and a 3D printing platform to be used for biomaterial analysis and biomimetic processing. Steve Zylius / UCI202603/21/2024Lilith ChristopherDean Magnus Egerstedt flips pancakes for engineering students at the E-Week Dean’s Breakfast.202403/11/2024Manuel Gamero-Castaño wins proof-of-product grant to support his research to develop an electrospray propulsion system for small satellites.202403/16/2026A team led by researchers at UC Irvine has won a $904,000 grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for a four-year project to uncover the multiscale architectural features and functions of the exoskeletons of two beetle species. The goal of the work is to reveal new designs that provide robust mechanical properties while exhibiting such other characteristics as thermal stability.The diabolical ironclad beetle (pictured), a native to desert habitats in Southern California, and the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, are the subjects of a new Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded project to be led by UCI materials scientist David Kisailus. The team will study structures in the beetles' exoskeletons that make them so well-adapted to harsh environments and use those blueprints to create new multifunctional synthetic materials. Jesus Rivera / UCI202603/12/2024Lori BrandtSasha Voloshina is recognized for fostering an inclusive culture and empowering women.202403/16/2026Brian BellIn recent years, researchers at UC Irvine and other institutions have studied the molecular mechanisms by which microbes survive in hyper-arid desert environments by taking mineral nutrients and water from rocks. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research has awarded a UCI materials science team $4 million for a three-year project to perfect the use of microscopic life-forms in the extraction of rare earth elements and as productive components in additive manufacturing systems.Microorganisms (highlighted in green) colonize gypsum rock (highlighted in purple) to extract water from it. UCI and Johns Hopkins researchers learned how cyanobacteria transform rocks in their hyper-arid desert environment in a recent study. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research has awarded the team $4 million to continue their studies and look for ways to apply their findings for national defense and space exploration. David Kisailus / UCI202612/10/2024Brian BellHamid Jafarkhani (left), Chancellor’s Professor of electrical engineering & computer science, and Jianhua Yu, professor of medicine, hematology & oncology, have been named 2024 fellows by the National Academy of Inventors for making significant contributions to society and human health through their work. UC Irvine202412/11/2024Brian BellNnaoma Agwu (left), a UC Irvine Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering, and his mentor, Arash Kheradvar, M.D., Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, have developed a unique transcatheter pulmonary heart valve to address an unmet need for children born with congenital heart defects. The first of its kind, the Iris Valve is designed to be implanted in children as small as 17 pounds and expanded to accommodate their growth. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202412/02/2024Diran Apelian, UCI Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering and co-founder of Ascend Elements202403/16/2026During a stroll down a street in Barcelona’s Poble Espanyol, Andrei Shkel saw a man inflating molten glass with a blowpipe and shaping it into a perfect sphere. As a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Shkel imagined an ingenious application for the ancient art: glassblowing could enable the world to make tiny “wine glasses” for small gyroscopes.UCI Samueli School of Engineering Associate Dean of Research and Innovation Andrei Shkel202612/06/2024Brian BellEngland’s University of Bristol urge the scientific community to resist reliance on “bathtub modeling” of flood risk. The outdated approach does not take into account multiple physical factors such as flood mitigation infrastructure and the movement of water across land surfaces. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202412/05/2024Xiaoqing Pan, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering as well as physics and astronomy, Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering, and director of the Irvine Materials Research Institute, displays IMRI equipment that allowed his team to image atom vibrations at the interface between a superconductor and a substrate. The research, published recently in Nature, provides an atomic-scale understanding of what enhances superconductivity in advanced materials. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202412/03/2024The IMC 2024 Program Committee Chairs Cristel Pelsser (left) and Dave Levin (far right) present the Best Student Paper Award to Athina Markopoulou (second from left) and Olivia Figueira.202412/17/2024202403/16/2026Natalie TsoEngineering students Ervin Grimaldi and Edison Ta revamped the star robot of the musical “Winter Lights,” which is showing at the Discovery Cube Orange County this holiday season. The musical is an inspiring story about a tenacious 17-year-old girl named Lumina at Santa Ana High School who strives to win a science fair award and get a scholarship to pursue a STEM degree at UC Irvine.UCI computer science and engineering student Ervin Grimaldi ’25 and postdoctoral researcher Efraín Méndez with Jean Luc at the UCI Robot Ecology Lab202612/10/2024“This research has great potential for advancing energy-efficient technologies and improving system designs across various disciplines,“ said Distinguished Professor Tryphon Georgiou, pictured, left, with coauthors Olga Movilla Miangolarra (center) and Ralph Sabbagh (right). 202405/13/2024Lori BrandtUCI Foundation trustees, from left, John Carrington, Mary Carrington, Kate Klimow, Dick Ackerman, Linda Ackerman, Gary Singer, Dulcie Kugelman and Bob Romney suit up for a tour of the INRF clean rooms. 202403/16/2026The Creophone, Wube Tubes and Saxatars were just some of the cool creations by engineering students who had to meet a challenge: invent a new musical instrument for a UCI contest. Their inspirations included harnessing brainwaves, capturing the wind and upcycling instrument parts.Leo Harjanto and Naya Sterritt perform with the Wube Tubes at E-SONIC202605/30/2024Lori BrandtNew York Tech President Hank Foley (left) stands with honorary degree recipient Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering, who delivered the commencement address at the NYIT graduation ceremony on May 19. 202405/14/2024A. Lee Swindlehurst is honored with the IEEE 2024 Fred W. Ellersick Prize.202405/28/2024Class of 2024 graduate Christopher Arauzo, B.S., mechanical engineering. Steve Zylius/UC Irvine202405/28/2024Natalie TsoDiran Apelian, UCI Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering and co-founder of Ascend Elements202405/20/2024UCI Professors Maxx Arguilla and Herdeline "Digs" Ardoña host a Filipino graduate student dinner at the their home. Maxx Arguilla/UCI Physical Sciences202405/02/2024Lori BrandtYoonjin Won will lead a DOD multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI) project to improve efficiency of thermal management systems for Navy power and energy applications.202405/02/2024Natalie TsoAcid Ron, UC Irvine's winning Chem-E-Car202405/03/2024“The connection between the environment and human health is an opportunity, but it’s also a threat,” says Sunny Jiang, UC Irvine professor of both civil and environmental engineering and ecology and evolutionary biology. Anne Lemnitzer / UC Irvine202405/15/2024The newly introduced neuron map representation of material structure enables the prediction of fundamental properties across the vast compositional space. 202405/15/2024Crew Parker filming for his sci-fi film Meridian202405/06/2024Lilith ChristopherMichelle Digman (center, alongside her parents) accepts the Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award at the 2024 Latino Excellence and Achievement Awards Dinner (LEAD).202405/23/2024Lilith ChristopherMiguel Alcantar (left) and Soyeong Kwon were chosen as UC Irvine Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellows for their demonstrated public service efforts, exemplary research and promotion of equitable access to education.202409/24/2024The U.S. Army Development Command/Army Research Laboratory supports Stacy Copp’s materials research with Early Career grant. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202409/11/2024Lori BrandtStacy Copp wins an Early Career Award from the DOE for her nanocluster-based materials research. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202409/23/2024UC Irvine leaders of a new National Science Foundation-funded initiative to use technology to improve access and equity in cardiovascular care are (top, from left) principal investigator Naomi Chesler, professor of biomedical engineering; and co-principal investigators Bernard Choi, professor of biomedical engineering, and Christine King, associate professor of teaching in biomedical engineering; as well as (bottom, from left) co-principal investigators Jason Douglas, associate professor of health, society and behavior; and Dylan Roby, chair and professor of health, society and behavior. UC Irvine202409/05/2024The UC Irvine team conducting this research is (upper left, clockwise) Dr. An Do, Hung Cao, Leigh Turner and Zoran Nenadic. UC Irvine202403/16/2026Each week, people in Los Angeles and San Francisco are taking more than 100,000 rides in self-driving vehicles, known as robotaxis. “As autonomous cyber-physical systems, such as autonomous cars, drones, and rovers, are increasingly used in everyday life, the security vulnerabilities of such systems are becoming more exposed to real-world attackers,” says Alfred Chen, a professor of computer science at UC Irvine.The SENPAI-UCI Research Group is advancing the frontiers of cyber-physical security, focusing on identifying vulnerabilities in cutting-edge drone/rover systems. Group members (from left) include Mohammad Al Faruque, Halima Bouzidi, Ph.D. student Mohamad Habib Fakih, Ph.D. student Fayzah Alshammari, Ph.D. student Shaoyuan Xie and Alfred Chen.202609/10/2024202409/04/2024Researchers in the DELTAi laboratory include (from left) Jerry Hu, program manager; Benjamin Bielajew, postdoctoral scholar; Rachel Nordberg, research specialist; and Kyriacos Athanasiou, Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering. They stress in Nature Reviews Rheumatology that tissue-engineered cartilage therapies can be made available to people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but concerted effort and regulatory navigation will be necessary. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202409/05/2024Lori BrandtPostdoctoral fellow Zefan Yao is first author on research, published in Science Advances, that could pave the way for more efficient nanoscale device technologies.202409/18/2024Natalie TsoStudents work on an aligner for photolithography in UCI’s clean room.202409/30/2024Natalie TsoAerospace engineering senior Marc Anthony Martinez 202409/03/2024Lilith ChristopherCivil and environmental engineering doctoral candidate Ajinkya Desai receives the Dissertation Fellowship.202402/12/2026In assessing stroke patient rehabilitation, clinicians have largely relied on their eyes to measure how well a stroke patient can move, grasp and let go. But what if a pocket-sized tool could capture every motion, quantify progress and provide new insight — all in the time it takes to open an app?Computer science graduate students Ziqiang "Joe" Zhu, left, and Jun Min Kim pose with the Box and Blocks Test. (Elena Troncoso/UC DavisElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Graduate Students202602/18/2026Modern drug discovery is better than it’s ever been. We can sequence genomes in hours, predict how proteins behave, and design molecules with increasing precision. Biomedical Engineering Dept.202602/09/2026Electrical engineering and computer science graduate student Md Hedayatullah Maktoomi received second place for his research paper in the 2026 IEEE MTT-S Student Paper Competition. The award was announced at the IEEE Radio Wireless Symposium (RWS) in January 2026 in Hollywood. Md Hedayatullah Maktoomi (center) accepts his award for second best student paper at the IEEE RWS from the contest co-chairs Kenneth Kolodziej (left), MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Davi V.Q. Rodriguez (right), University of Texas, El Paso. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202602/17/2026Heather Ashbach, UC Irvine School of Social Sciences; photos by Sydney Prange, UC Irvine School of Physical SciencesFunding from the National Science Foundation plays an essential role at UC Irvine in advancing critical research spanning topics from brain health and AI to wildfire mitigation, water quality and shifting social dynamics. Securing this highly competitive funding, however, requires navigating a complex pathway – one that can be daunting for early career faculty members working to bring new research ideas from concept to award.202602/05/2026Brian BellSouthern California's beaches have grown more than 500 acres over the past four decades despite being one of the most heavily urbanized and dammed coastal regions in the world, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, the U.S. Geological Survey and other institutions. The conventional wisdom-challenging revelation about coastal erosion and replenishment is the subject of a study published recently in Nature Communications.A bird’s eye view of San Clemente State Beach in Southern California shows Pacific Ocean waves lapping onto shore, a cluster of umbrellas and, to the far right, a rail corridor that serves passenger and freight trains. UC Irvine’s Brett Sanders says San Clemente is one of many examples of beaches in California that demonstrate their value in multiple ways. UC Irvine Flood LabCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202602/12/2026In assessing stroke patient rehabilitation, clinicians have largely relied on their eyes to measure how well a stroke patient can move, grasp and let go. But what if a pocket-sized tool could capture every motion, quantify progress and provide new insight — all in the time it takes to open an app?Computer science graduate students Ziqiang "Joe" Zhu, left, and Jun Min Kim pose with the Box and Blocks Test. (Elena Troncoso/UC DavisAlumniElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Graduate Students202602/19/2026Jill Kato/UCI Beall Applied InnovationBlood pressure is one of the most important measurements in healthcare. Yet how we track it hasn’t changed much in more than a century.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202602/13/2026Natalie TsoAnna Grosberg, UCI professor of biomedical engineering, and Ph.D. student Mary Tran have made the first characterization of the difference between male and female neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) in vitro tissues. Their work was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and offers a way to study sex-based variations in cardiac tissues and function.UCI professor of biomedical engineering Anya GrosbergBiomedical Engineering Dept.202603/16/2026Brian BellHenry Samueli, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of electrical engineering and computer science and namesake of the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has been named a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The organization, which inducted 15 innovators for 2026, recognized Samueli for his achievements in the field of advanced broadband communications, including developing technologies that have allowed affordable, high-speed digital data transmission to homes and businesses.“I am deeply honored to have been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame,” says Henry Samueli, UC Irvine Distinguished Adjunct Professor of electrical engineering and computer science. “I am proud to have played a role in developing and sharing technologies that have helped many people.” The co-founder of Broadcom Inc. is the namesake of the campus’s Samueli School of Engineering. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202602/23/2026Jean-Luc Gaudiot, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was honored with the Richard E. Merwin Award for Distinguished Service from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society. Named after Merwin, a pioneer in the field of digital computer engineering, the service award recognizes those who contribute outstanding service to the profession, the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society.Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and computer science Jean-Luc GaudiotAlumniElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202604/22/2026Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, Henry Samueli Chair in Engineering and Distinguished Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. He is one of six UCI faculty to be selected this year.“I am proud to be part of such a remarkable community of scholars, and this distinction truly reflects the strength of the work we do together at UCI,” says Kyriacos A. Athanasiou.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202604/30/2026Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, Caltech and Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed a bidirectional brain-computer interface that allows a person to control a robotic walking exoskeleton using brain signals and receive artificial leg sensation through direct electrical stimulation of the sensory cortex. The project is the first implementation of a BDBCI for walking that incorporates bilateral interhemispheric leg sensorimotor brain areas and represents a critical step toward restoring full ambulatory function in individuals living with spinal cord injury and paraplegia.UC Irvine researchers (from left) Dr. An Do, associate professor of neurology; Payam Heydari, professor of electrical engineering and computer science; and Zoran Nenadic, professor of biomedical engineering, recently participated in a study that demonstrated a brain-computer interface technology that enables spinal cord injury patients to walk with a robotic exoskeleton and feel lifelike sensory responses, a key factor in safe and realistic mobility. Debbie Morales / UC IrvineBiomedical Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202604/23/2026The UC Irvine Climate Collaboration was launched in early 2025 with a goal of tapping into diverse talents across campus to bring creative and innovative perspectives together around the profound climate challenges facing humanity today. The organization focuses resources on building interdisciplinary collaborations with external partners, a model designed to allow UC Irvine to bring trusted, scientific information forward for decision-makers, while preparing UC Irvine's talented and motivated student body for tomorrow's sustainability workforce needs.One of the most pressing concerns in Southern California currently is the increased risk of wildfire due to climate change. The UC Irvine Climate Collaboration brings together researchers in civil and environmental engineering, Earth system science, ecology and evolutionary biology, and other departments to study fires from all angles. The goal is to provide local and state government agencies, community organizations, businesses and property owners precise information that they can use to mitigate disaster risk. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202604/15/2026Fourth-year biomedical engineering student Adeola Adekoba was recognized with the Outstanding Undergraduate Student award by the American Society for Engineering Education - Pacific Southwest Section. He will receive this award at the ASEE Zone IV Conference at Cal Poly Pomona University on April 16-18.Adeola AdekobaBiomedical Engineering Dept.202604/30/2026The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has honored UC Irvine Distinguished Professor Soroosh Sorooshian with inclusion into its 2026 class of distinguished members. Sorooshian is a Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in engineering and founding director of the UCI Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing.Distinguished Professor Soroosh Sorooshian. Steve Zylius/ UC Irvine202604/08/2026The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) named a research paper co-authored by two UC Irvine faculty members as a Top 10 NINDS Research Advance of 2025. Dion Khodagholy, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Jennifer Gelinas, associate professor of pediatrics, were part of a multidisciplinary team who conducted the research, originally published in Nature Neuroscience on June 23, 2025.Dion Khodagholy holds neural soft electronics in his UCI lab.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202604/28/2026Mechanical and aerospace engineering doctoral candidate Melissa Lepe received a Graduate Student Excellence Award at UC Irvine's 9th annual Latine Excellence and Achievement Dinner (LEAD) on April 16, 2026, at the Pacific Ballroom in the UCI Student Center. LEAD recognizes students, faculty, staff and leaders who support student and research excellence in the Hispanic/Latine community at UCI and throughout Orange County.Melissa Lepe (left) with her adviser Jacqueline Huynh at the 2026 Latine Excellence and Achievement Dinner.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202604/14/2026The Samueli Foundation has funded another round of the UCLA–UC Irvine Collaborative Grants Program. Established in 2024, the initiative pulls together faculty from both Samueli Schools of Engineering and is designed to deepen cross-campus partnerships and accelerate high-impact research.The initiative pulls together faculty from both Samueli Schools of Engineering and is designed to deepen cross-campus partnerships and accelerate high-impact research.AlumniAlumniElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202604/22/2026In the six decades since it was founded, UC Irvine has garnered a reputation as an engine of solutions-oriented research and innovation. Having been on campus for a quarter of those 60 years, Amir AghaKouchak, Chancellor's Professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing, has helped increase the institution's renown with his lab group's research on the effects of water resources and climate extremes on the environment and infrastructure systems.“This recognition reflects the collective work of many people, including students, postdocs and collaborators, with whom I’ve had the honor of working,” says Amir AghaKouchak, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing. “We cannot prevent hazards from occurring, but through better science, we can help prevent them from becoming human disasters.” Steve Zylius / UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202607/16/2026UC Irvine Chancellor's Inclusive Excellence Professor Naomi Chesler has been awarded a $4.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue her research into RVF using a combination of experiments in rodent models of disease, human tissue, and computational multi-scale modeling. UCI Biomedical Engineering Professor Naomi CheslerBiomedical Engineering Dept.202607/09/2026UC Irvine chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Iryna Zenyuk has been awarded the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. The award honors researchers who received their doctorate within the past 18 years for their scientific achievements and excellence. Iryna Zenyuk (center) being presented with the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research AwardChemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202607/10/2026Jonathan Posner Ph.D ’01, B.S.’95, designed the world’s safest football helmet and most efficient natural draft portable wood stove, which has helped millions enjoy safer cooking in East Africa. He is a professor of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering at University of Washington and an adjunct professor of medicine.Professor Jonathan Posner Ph.D ’01, B.S.’95 at Lake WashingtonMAEAlumniChemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202607/06/2026UC Irvine engineering faculty members Hung Cao and Zhou Li have received spring 2026 Proof of Product (PoP) grants from UCI Beall Applied Innovation. The PoP grants help provide significant funding for promising research projects in order to enhance their appeal to the industry and future investors.Hung Cao and Zhou LiElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202607/14/2026For Mo Li, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Irvine, making concrete more sustainable is one of the most important engineering challenges of this century. Her research lab is developing technologies that make concrete more sustainable across its entire life cycle – from cleaner cement production and more efficient manufacturing to smarter, longer-lasting infrastructure and the recovering of materials for the next generation of construction.Professor Mo LiCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202607/08/2026Imagine someone charging their pacemaker not with the usual surgery but with just a brief prick of a thin needle. That could soon be possible with a groundbreaking sponge-like material called an Implantable Bioelectronic Outlet (IBO) created by UC Irvine researchers. The IBO is designed to live inside the body and aims to enable devices that are implanted in the body, like pacemakers, to be recharged without surgery. Conceptual image of the IBOElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202606/02/2026Fabrics that change transparency like squid skin, methalox rockets, mini gyroscopes and neuroelectronics for the brain are the latest topics featured in UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering's podcast The Lab Beat. This captivating podcast takes you right into the labs of engineering researchers as award-winning audio journalist Natalie Tso offers 5-8 minute audio portraits.From left: Alon Gorodetsky, the UCI Rocket Project, Andrei Shkel, and Dion Khodagholy.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202606/22/2026UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering hosted its commencement ceremony on June 15 at the Bren Events Center, which was packed with family and supporters ready to celebrate the recent graduates. The school expects to award 73 doctorates, 294 master's degrees and 934 bachelor's degrees for the 2026 academic year.Anteater engineers gather at the Bren Event Center on June 15 to celebrate their commencement.AlumniBiomedical Engineering Dept.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.Materials and ManufacturingMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.Undergraduate Students202606/25/2026The official podcast of the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering, The Lab Beat, won Best Audio Storytelling/Podcast at the 2026 OC Press Awards. From the stem cell engineering of mini human organs, to enabling wounds to heal without a scar, to revolutionizing gyroscopes used in phones and drones, UCI engineering professors are out to change the world — and their dynamic research and developments are happening right inside the school's cutting-edge laboratories.The Lab Beat podcast wins Best Podcast/Audio Storytelling Award at the 2026 OC Press Awards.Biomedical Engineering Dept.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Mobility and CommunicationsOutreach202606/15/2026Christopher Tan just graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biomedical engineering-premed from UC Irvine. He was president of the award-winning student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society, a researcher in four labs and founder of the Neovi Medical startup, which won awards in the BioEngine and Beall Butterworth Competitions for its invention NeoFusion.UCI biomedical engineering graduate Christopher TanAlumniBiomedical Engineering Dept.Undergraduate Students202606/29/2026UC Irvine civil and environmental engineering professor Jasper Vrugt was named a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), recognizing his extensive contributions to soil science and hydrology. The SSSA is the leading scientific organization working to advance knowledge and practices to sustain global soil.Jasper Vrugt is named a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202606/29/2026Generative AI, sleep health and aircraft material testing were among the projects tackled in this year's professional Master of Engineering program at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering. The graduate students partnered with 17 companies, municipalities and institutes to create solutions to real world problems.From left: Master of Engineering Faculty Adviser Farzad Ahmadkhanlou; Samueli School of Engineering Interim Dean Faryar Jabbari; Master of Engineering students Ananya Batra, Vincent Kuo, Alonzo Miao, David Maya Morales, and Raghav Gate; Microsoft liaison Joe Tostenrude; and Master of Engineering Program Director Dr. Michael Green.AI and Data ScienceGraduate StudentsMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202606/29/2026Researchers in UC Irvine’s Department of Biomedical Engineering are relying on the microgravity environment of the International Space Station to help build new cartilage tissue. For a project funded by the National Science Foundation, the UC Irvine researchers began by preparing cartilage-producing cells for the trip to space. Rachel Nordberg, UC Irvine associate specialist in biomedical engineering, prepares cartilage tissue engineering cells for transport to the International Space Station.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202606/05/2026UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering Interim Dean Faryar Jabbari bestowed awards to outstanding faculty at the school's annual awards for the 2025-2026 academic year. The following faculty were honored for their distinguished research, teaching and service to the school.Faculty receiving awards from left: David Reinkensmeyer, David Copp, Ty Christoph-Tempesta, MJ Qomi, Rahim Esfandyar-Pour, Anna Grosberg, Joel Lanning, Plamen AtanassovBiomedical Engineering Dept.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202606/05/2026From Ask Sammy in Santa Clarita to Rivy, the City of Riverside's online chatbot, AI is increasingly being tapped to deliver public service information to residents across Southern California cities. But what happens when deployment of this technology outpaces evaluations of its accuracy, use and impacts?Community-facing project, funded by SSRC, will focus on accuracy, use and impacts of AI on residents’ civic understanding, engagement and inclusionAI and Data ScienceElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Graduate Students202606/22/2026Engineering students served on many of the winning teams at the annual Stella Zhang New Venture Competition, which is hosted by the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business's Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The event highlights UCI students' creativity and business skills as they are asked to launch a startup and build a team in just seven months.Team BrickCycle wins first place in the Social Enterprise/Sustainability category.AI and Data ScienceSocial EntrepreneurshipUndergraduate Students202606/01/2026Natalie TsoA team of UC Irvine students won honors from NASA for creating an innovative system for aircraft maintenance in the NASA’s Gateway to Blue Skies Competition. The team won the Best Infographic Award for their excellent presentation and were one of eight national finalists who received $9,000 to research their solution for aircraft maintenance.The 2026 UC Irvine Blue Skies team from left: mechanical engineering junior Jerry Chen, mechanical and aerospace engineering Ph.D. student Vanessa Chung, mechanical engineering senior Addison Rushing, and aerospace engineering senior Bryce Mankovsky.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.Undergraduate Students202606/15/2026In a world where phones and smart glasses can capture anyone's image, students at the Engineering+ Society Institute on AI are creating ways to protect personal privacy. These inventions and the risks of AI were on display at an exhibit hosted by the Samueli School of Engineering and Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine.Ph.D. graduate Jad Al Aaraj (right) demonstrates technology he created that enables people to opt out of visual tracking by public cameras.AI and Data ScienceElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Graduate StudentsOutreach202606/24/2026The University of California has selected six UC Irvine faculty as recipients of the inaugural Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Awards; four are from the UCI Samueli School of Engineering. The competitive program recognizes outstanding early career scholars whose innovative research demonstrates exceptional promise and impact.Four early career faculty receive UC research awards, clockwise from top left, Ty Christoff-Tempesta, Matthew Dean, Christopher Ignacio Olivares Martinez and Fei Xia.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202606/01/2026Tonya BecerraInnovation and entrepreneurship were on display at the 2026 Beall Butterworth Competition, a six-month contest that culminated in an on-campus Demo Day and awards ceremony on May 15. While the competition is open to all UC Irvine students, teams must be composed of at least one student from the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) in the Butterworth Product Development category and one engineering student in the Beall Student Design category. The 2026 Beall Butterworth Competition featured UC Irvine students from Engineering and the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences working in teams to find innovative solutions to real-world problems.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Undergraduate Students202606/10/2026UC Irvine graduate students presented adaptation alternatives for San Clemente's wastewater conveyance system to San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler and other city officials at an event last month held at the city's Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens. A wastewater pipeline running along the coast could be impacted by cliff failures and coastal erosion in future decades, especially as sea level rises and the shoreline retreats.UCI graduate student Manulya Gunasekera presents her proposal to San Clemente city officials at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Graduate Students202606/02/2026Six UC Irvine Samueli School students have received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award this year. The NSF GRFP recognizes graduate students who are continuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in STEM fields, and who have shown potential to make impactful contributions to the field.Clockwise, from top left, are Malak Gamal El-Din, Elias Heanue, Scott Duy Kiehn, Cameron Schmitt, Madeleine Marston and Lanie Le.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202601/13/2026UC Irvine engineering alumnus Tiantian Yang, M.S. 2011, Ph.D. 2015, has been recognized with the Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The award honors early career scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the hydrologic sciences, education or societal impacts and show promise of contributions to hydrology.Tiantian Yang (right) with his UCI mentor Distinguished Professor Soroosh Sorooshian (left) at the American Geophysical Union 2025 Honor Ceremony, where Yang was awarded the Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award.AlumniMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202601/06/2026Amazon selected three UC Irvine electrical engineering and computer science faculty for Research Awards. Sitao Huang, Zhou Li and Yanning Shen are among 63 recipients from 41 universities around the world to win the competitive award that includes unrestricted funds and Amazon Web Services (AWS) promotional credits.From left, Sitao Huang, Yanning Shen and Zhou Li have won Amazon Research Awards. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202612/02/2025Brett Sanders didn't name his flood modeling company after a Led Zeppelin song by accident. “When the Levee Breaks” is more than a musical reference, it's also a forecast.Professor Brett Sanders stands in the LA RiverCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202501/12/2026A new way to get to know the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering is through The Lab Beat podcast, which highlights its cutting-edge labs in 5-8-minute audio features. Award-winning audio journalist Natalie Tso visits the labs and speaks with professors and researchers about their innovations and visions.UCI professors share about their cutting-edge research on The Lab Beat podcast.202601/28/2026Xian Shi, UCI assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been selected as an awardee of the 2025 Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy (IGNIITE) program from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). The program supports early-career scientists and engineers with ideas that have the potential to transform the nation’s energy landscape.Xian Shi was selected as an ARPA-E IGNIITE 2025 AwardeeMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202601/29/2026Brian BellResearchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a multimodal, bioelectronic wrist-worn device for objective, continuous, real-time monitoring of stress. Outlined in a paper published in Nature Communications, the Smart Quantitative and Comprehensive Stress Assessor and Sub-Classifier simultaneously tracks molecular stress biomarkers alongside physiological stress indicators, providing a complete and precise picture of how stress is experienced by humans.UC Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science Rahim Esfandyar-pourElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202601/25/2026Chiyelum Ashley Nwagboso is the president of the National Society of Black Engineers @UCI and has interned at Honeywell and Chevron. An electrical engineering senior who will graduate this spring, she helped NSBE grow from eight members to over 30.Chiyelum Ashley Nwagboso is the president of the National Society of Black Engineers @UCI.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202601/15/2026The UCI Rocket Project (Liquids) is one of the few undergraduate teams in America that has launched a rocket with cutting-edge methalox fuel. That rocket reached 9,300 feet in 2023.UCI Rocket Project propulsion lead and mechanical engineering senior Uma IyerUndergraduate Students202601/22/2026Brian BellA new transceiver invented by electrical engineers at the University of California, Irvine boosts radio frequencies into 140-gigahertz territory, unlocking data speeds that rival those of physical fiber-optic cables and laying the groundwork for a transition to 6G and FutureG data transmission protocols. To create the transceiver, researchers in UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering devised a unique architecture that blends digital and analog processing.202601/20/2026A coat that adjusts its temperature with the climate. Military camouflage fatigue that changes colors to blend into its surroundings.Alon Gorodetsky holds up material created in his lab that can regulate its temperature. (Steve Zylius/UCI)202601/22/2026Brian BellUniversity of California, Irvine and Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health researchers have identified fundamental structural and functional differences between two major causes of mitral valve stenosis. This narrowing restricts blood flow through the heart.UC Irvine’s Arash Kheradvar (left) and Gregg Pressman of Jefferson Health and their teams collaborated on a project to underscore differences in two prevalent forms of mitral valve stenosis in the heart. The research will help improve the diagnosis and treatment of the heart condition that impacts as much as 15 percent of the population. Arash Kheradvar / UC Irvine202601/21/2026Lori BrandtThe Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Athina Markopoulou as one of 71 ACM Fellows for 2025. The fellows program recognizes the top 1% of ACM members for their outstanding accomplishments.Athina Markopoulou is named ACM Fellow.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202601/15/2026Lori BrandtRobert H. Liebeck, UC Irvine adjunct professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and a world-renowned authority in the fields of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics and aircraft design, died on Jan. 12, 2026. He was 87 and passed away peacefully surrounded by family.Robert LiebeckMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202601/21/2026Cassandra NavaChristine King, associate professor of teaching, and Jim Brody, associate professor, will both be honored by the UC Irvine Academic Senate at the Distinguished Faculty Awards on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Every year, the Academic Senate awards professors for their outstanding contributions in teaching, mentorship and research.Christine King and James Brody will be recognized with Distinguished Faculty Awards in February.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202601/06/2026Jack Brouwer, the director of the UCI Clean Energy Institute, has been fascinated with the energy that powers vehicles ever since he was a boy on his family's farm. At age 11, he was driving the tractor, and by 15, he was tuning his car for better performance and fewer emissions.Jack Brouwer, the director of the UCI Clean Energy Institute, in front of the institute’s electrolyzer.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202610/05/2026Creating a digital twin of a beloved father, personalizing physical rehabilitation devices, and monitoring the impact and safety of artificial intelligence were among the topics discussed at the inaugural UC Irvine Engineering+ Society Institute on AI (Proper AI) Symposium on Sept. 29, 2026.Attendees of the UCI Engineering + Society on AI (Proper AI) SymposiumAI and Data Science202610/14/2026Mantis shrimp have one of the most powerful punches on the planet. That’s why David Kisailus, UC Irvine professor of materials science and engineering, has spent more than a decade studying the clubs of these small, but mighty creatures.Mantis shrimp at David Kisailus's UCI lab. Photo: Steve Zylius/UCIMSEMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202610/08/2026The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science has selected a geothermal energy project led by engineers at the University of California, Irvine to move forward to a second phase that will span three years. There is more than enough potential geothermal energy underground to power the entire United States, but unlocking it safely and economically is still a major challenge,” says MAESTRO project lead principal investigator Mohammad Javad Abdolhosseini Qomi (right), UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering, here with co-principal investigator Russ Detwiler, UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineAI and Data ScienceCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Environmental Sustainability202608/06/2026UC Irvine mechanical and aerospace engineering Ph.D. student Mohammadreza Rostami has received the Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship.Mohammadreza RostamiAI and Data ScienceGraduate Students202608/21/2026 Iryna Zenyuk, UC Irvine professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has won the Zhaowu Tian Prize for Energy Electrochemistry, an annual global award bestowed by the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) to researchers under the age of 40 for outstanding achievements in electrochemical energy science, storage and conversion.Iryna Zenyuk at her UCI labElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202608/27/2026From harvesting water from Hawaii’s mountain fog to sending swarms of autonomous drones across the ocean, two UC Irvine engineering students spent their summer developing innovative solutions to challenges facing their home state.Ian Kuo (left) and Jasmine Chang (right) at the Oceanit office in Honolulu, HawaiiEnvironmental SustainabilityMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202608/24/2026Researchers from the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CALIT2) at UC Irvine have been awarded $3 million in funding from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to lead a four-year research initiative to transform how the electrical grid harmonizes with privately owned energy assets, such as rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs).UC Irvine Distinguished Professor Guann-Pyng (G.P.) LiElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Environmental Sustainability202608/31/2026That week was the inaugural summer academy of M-SEA – the Self-Healing Ocean Infrastructure and Marine Science and Engineering Academy – a research and education program at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering, in collaboration with the Ocean Institute and supported by the Nicholas Endowment. Students at the Materials Science and Engineering Camp at UC IrvineEnvironmental SustainabilityOutreach202603/02/2026UCI Samueli School of Engineering Interim Dean Faryar Jabarri has announced that the new Engineering+ Sustainability Institute will focus on the sustainable processing of critical materials. The institute will reinvent the materials supply chain, closing the loop between sourcing, production, utilization and recycling.Critical elementsEnvironmental SustainabilityMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202603/24/2026Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a polymeric biohybrid cardiac device that harnesses the power of light to electrically and mechanically control living heart tissue without the use of metal electrodes. The innovation represents a leap forward in how scientists study heart disease, test cardiac drugs and potentially treat life-threatening arrhythmias.“What we’ve built is essentially a light-powered interface that speaks in electrical and mechanical pulses, the same language as the heart, without any of the drawbacks of rigid electrodes, such as tissue damage or contamination risk over long-term use,” says study co-author Herdeline “Digs” Ardoña, UC Irvine assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineChemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202603/09/2026Southern California is confronting a coastal conundrum: There is too little sand at several of the region's beaches, and there is too much sediment clogging inland flood prevention infrastructure. Experts are seeking an efficient and economical way move sand from one place to the other.Brett Sanders, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering and leader of the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration, is guiding graduate students through a process of investigating the efficacy of using trains to move sediment that has been accumulating in inland flood infrastructure to eroded beaches, where it is needed. Sanders says, “Students will study disruptions to existing rail functions, cost issues and environmental concerns. They are going to get a list of constraints and ask the question: Is cost-effective rail transport of sediment a myth or a reality? I think we can answer that question in a few months when the students are finished with their study.” UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202603/02/2026The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has named two University of California, Irvine faculty members as 2026 Sloan Research Fellows. Herdeline Ann “Digs” Ardoña, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Seunghyun Sim, assistant professor of chemistry, are among 126 early-career researchers to be recognized by the foundation this year.Herdeline Ann “Digs” Ardoña (left), assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Seunghyun Sim, assistant professor of chemistry, are among 126 early-career scientists to be named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202603/05/2026UCI Engineering Plaza was bustling with students and faculty during the 2026 E-Week hosted by the Engineering Student Council (ESC) last week. “E-Week is an annual celebration that takes place during National Engineers Week,” said Marilyn Nguyen, a biomedical engineering student and ESC board member.UCI Samueli School of Engineering Interim Dean Faryar Jabbari and Associate Professor David Copp serve pancakes at the Dean's Breakfast.Undergraduate Students202603/03/2026Julia McWilliams is a mechanical engineering senior who was the president of the UC Irvine Society of Women Engineers (SWE) which won Best Mentorship Award of the UCI engineering clubs last year. She is project manager for Anteater Baja Racing and was a standards engineering intern at Southern California Edison.UCI mechanical engineering senior Julia McWilliams202603/30/2026The entire first floor of the UC Irvine Student Center buzzed with excitement at the Samueli School of Engineering's Annual Design Review on Friday, March 13. Over one thousand attendees and over 230 student team projects spanned across eight rooms.More than 230 student teams presented senior design projects at the Samueli School of Engineering 2026 Annual Design Review.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202603/12/2026Fei Xia, UC Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, has been selected as a Scialog Fellow by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA). She is one of 50 Scialog Fellows -- outstanding early to mid-career researchers from U.S. academic institutions – who are part of an initiative to develop innovative ideas through research, dialogue and collaboration. Fei XiaElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202603/26/2026The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society, has selected seven University of California, Irvine researchers – working in disciplines as diverse as chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, neurobiology, and physics – as fellows. “Congratulations to the seven UC Irvine researchers named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this year,” said Hal Stern, UC Irvine provost and executive vice chancellor.UC Irvine’s new AAAS Fellows are (clockwise from top left) Payam Heydari, Chancellor’s Professor and Henry Samueli Faculty Excellence Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Amir AghaKouchak, Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering; Ann Marie Carlton, professor and vice chair of chemistry; Andrew Lankford, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of physics and astronomy; Michael Yassa, professor of neurobiology and behavior and James L. McGaugh Chair in the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory; Elizabeth Jarvo, Chancellor’s Professor of chemistry; and Geoffrey Abbott, professor and interim chair of physiology and biophysics. UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202603/23/2026Electrical engineering and computer sciences Associate Professor Zhou Li and doctoral student Danyu Sun won a best paper award at the 2026 Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium last month in San Diego. They were one of 10 teams recognized.Zhou Li (left) and Danyu Sun earn Best Paper Award.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202605/20/2026The 2026 Engineering and ICS Alumni Hall of Fame at the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa combined beautiful weather and an art-filled venue with a celebration of alumni success. Three engineering and three information and computer sciences outstanding alumni were inducted this year for making a significant impact in their profession, or in other ways bringing distinction to their alma mater.The 2026 Engineering and ICS Alumni Hall of Fame inductees are, from left, Hakan Hacigumus, Deborah Dubrow, David Hilbert, Ramin Mousavi, Afshin Mohebbi and Jonathan Posner.AlumniElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202605/30/2026“I used to be a really quiet person,” said UCI mechanical and aerospace engineering senior Sunny Lin. “I couldn't even order food by myself because I was nervous.”Mechanical and aerospace engineering senior Sunny Lin in front of Engineering Hall at UC Irvine.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.Undergraduate Students202605/13/2026Renewable electrolytic hydrogen produced by using electricity drawn from wind and solar sources delivers its greatest societal value when applied to steelmaking, transoceanic shipping and long-haul heavy-duty trucking, according to University of California, Irvine researchers. Their findings, published recently in the journal Joule, quantify the social costs and benefits of clean energy transitions across major industrial and transportation sectors.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202605/28/2026Natascha Buswell, associate professor of teaching in mechanical and aerospace engineering, was recognized with the Outstanding Teaching Award by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) at the Pacific Southwest Section Conference in April. The ASEE is a nonprofit organization that works to further engineering and technology education by showcasing great merit in research, instruction, public service and practice.Lili Castillo '22 (left) and Professor Natascha Buswell (right) with the respective awards they received from the American Society of Engineering Education.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202605/28/2026A team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Maxim Shcherbakov in the UC Irvine Nhu Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has developed a simple way to change how infrared light moves through an ultrathin crystal – using only heat and pressure. The study, published in ACS Nano, was carried out in collaboration with researchers from UCI's Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.From left are Mashnoon Alam Sakib, Naveed Hussain and Maxim R. Shcherbakov. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202605/19/2026Long-time biomedical engineering professor Dr. Frithjof Ralf Kruggel passed away on May 10, 2026. He was 66 years old.Professor Frithjof KruggelBiomedical Engineering Dept.202605/12/2026Efraín Méndez-Flores, a UC Irvine electrical engineering and computer sciences postdoctoral researcher, was awarded a Best Paper Award along with his collaborators at the IEEE World Engineering Education Conference (EDUNINE 2026) held in Mexico City in March. The paper, titled “Jean Luc: An Animatronic Robot for Challenge-Based Learning and STEAM Outreach,” showcases the redesign of an animatronic robot named Jean Luc, initially created by local theater and story development company Apples and Oranges Arts.Efraín Méndez-FloresElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202605/21/2026UC Irvine students challenged the limits of music through their inventions showcased at the third annual Engineering-Symphonic Orchestra New Instrument Competition (E-SONIC) on Monday. Jars filled with water, XYZ coordinates, dancing gloves and heartbeat-led-percussion were just some of the creative ways students expanded the boundaries of sound with their musical instruments.Biomedical Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202605/28/2026When Eduardo Beltran steps on stage to address his peers at the Samueli School of Engineering 2026 Commencement Ceremony, it will be with a strong sense of pride and wonder at how far his own curiosity has taken him. “A lot of us got here because someone believed in us," says Eduardo Beltran.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202605/14/2026A $1.2 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to the University of California, Irvine is part of a special initiative to support early-career scientists facing uncertainty in federal research funding. In response to these widespread federal reductions, the Keck Foundation launched a one-time bridge funding initiative that increased its annual investment in basic research by more than 50 percent.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202605/06/2026UC Irvine has appointed Bernard Choi as director of Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic, following a comprehensive national search. The appointment marks a new chapter for one of the world’s leading centers for biomedical photonics, laser medicine, and translational optical research.Bernard ChoiBiomedical Engineering Dept.202605/28/2026River deltas are among the most vital, densely populated, and severely threatened landscapes on Earth. An international team of scientists, including many affiliated with UC Irvine, has published a breakthrough study in the journal Science decoding the mathematical rules underlying the structure of delta channel networks and their ability to build land.The study made the April 30, 2026 issue of ScienceCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202605/13/2026University of California, Irvine researchers have invented a wearable, wireless, battery-free, bioelectronic sensor to monitor users' health by analyzing molecular biomarkers in human sweat. The device is called the In-Situ Regeneratable, Environmentally Stable, Multimodal, Wireless, Wearable Molecular Sweat Sensing System, or IREM-W2MS3, and is described in a study published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering.Rahim Esfandyarpour, UC Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, says, “Chronic illnesses and stress-related conditions affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, making early diagnosis and consistent health monitoring essential in reducing disease burden and improving patients’ quality of life. Our IREM-W2MS3 wearable is designed to accomplish the goal of stable, ongoing sweat monitoring and health profiling.” Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202609/02/2026Using a kitchen microwave to synthesize battery materials and teaching a quantum computer to predict the behavior of materials are some of the key breakthroughs that two Ph.D. students at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering have made during their fellowship with the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) this past year. The UCI-LANL-SoCalHub Research Fellowship gives selected students who are working in areas of common interest with the national lab the opportunity to be mentored by a UCI professor and a LANL scientist.UCI Ph.D. students Sofia Pilar Brown and Jared UraGraduate Students202609/04/2026Naomi Chesler on why women display symptoms may be different than those of men when they have heart attacksUCI Biomedical Engineering Professor Naomi CheslerBiomedical Engineering Dept.202609/28/2026The UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering — consistently ranked among the nation's top public engineering programs and home to members of the National Academies of Engineering, Science, and Medicine — welcomes two faculty members to its ranks for the 2025-26 academic year. Yu Otsuki and Blaine Christiansen join the UCI Engineering faculty for the 2026-27 academic year.Biomedical Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202609/28/2026Imagine placing a neuroelectronic — a soft, transparent film with gold conductors — on a child’s brain and using it to cure that child of epilepsy.The neurogrid on a flower.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202609/21/2026From watching dolphins in the ocean to building robots and rockets, aspiring scientists and engineers explored STEM through a robust summer of programming led by the Stacey Nicholas Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion (OAI) at UC Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering. This summer marked a significant expansion of OAI’s programming.Students attending the UCI-Crystal Cove Environmental Engineering Summer Institute (EESI) at Crystal Cove State ParkOutreach202609/21/2026UC Irvine researchers are playing a key role in a new $1 million collaborative project aimed at expanding the future energy workforce, an overlooked vulnerability of the nation's electric grid. The project, "Bridging the Canyons: Exploring Workforce Transitions in Power Generation for Energy Resilience," was recently awarded $1 million by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Image of five women posing for a photoElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202609/14/2026Pramod Khargonekar, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will serve as principal investigator on a landmark new five-year cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Directorate to support the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA). The award provides nearly $8 million in projected funding through August 2031, positioning UCI at the forefront of efforts to shape the nation's future engineering research agenda.Headshot of Pramod KhargonekarAI and Data Science202609/22/2026For the 12th year running, the University of California, Irvine has landed among the top 10 public universities in the country, placing eighth in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 list of “Best Colleges” – its highest public-university ranking in over a decade.In the latest U.S. News rankings, UC Irvine also placed 16th in Best Colleges for Veterans and 50th among Most Innovative Schools, underscoring a breadth of strength that extends well beyond a single headline ranking. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineAlumniMobility and CommunicationsOutreachUndergraduate Students202609/15/2026As AI becomes embedded in modern life, the hardware powering it is running up against its physical limits. Meanwhile, its energy consumption is straining energy grids and increasing scrutiny over AI's environmental footprint.Graphic with headshot of UC Irvine researcher Maxim ShcherbakovAI and Data Science202609/28/2026Interim Dean Faryar Jabbari kicked off Welcome Week by welcoming hundreds of new students at Engineering Gateway on Sept. 22. He congratulated them on making it into one of the most competitive and largest classes to date. Interim Dean Faryar Jabbari welcomes students at the Dean's WelcomeBiomedical Engineering Dept.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Environmental SustainabilityMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.Mobility and CommunicationsUndergraduate Students202609/30/2026 UC Irvine’s UAV Forge team placed first in the U.S. for the second year in a row for mission demonstration at the RoboNation Student Unmanned Aerials Systems (SUAS) competition. Eleven members of the team traveled to Tulsa, Okahoma to compete in the SUAS competition from September 14 to 17, where they also placed sixth globally out of 64 teams.The UCI UAV Forge team at the RoboNation Student Unmanned Aerials Systems (SUAS) competitionMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.Robotics and Autonomous SystemsUndergraduate Students202609/16/2026Biomanufacturing helps us create everything from biodegradable plastics to life-saving vaccines, and enzymes are the catalyst for that process. “Think of enzymes as tiny biological machines inside every living cell,” says Han Li, PhD, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering.Two researchers examine an X-ray crystal structure with a graduate studentMaterials and Manufacturing202609/29/2026Faculty, researchers and students from UC Irvine and UCLA gathered Monday, Sept. 21, at the CalIT2 Auditorium on the UCI campus for the first installment of the UCLA-UCI Samueli Engineering Workshop on Trustworthy AI. Students and postdocs presented posters during the UCLA-UCI Samueli Engineering Workshop on Trustworthy AI on Sept. 21 at the CalIT2 Auditorium on the UC Irvine Campus.Mobility and CommunicationsOutreachUndergraduate Students202609/17/2026When there’s a power outage in your neighborhood, the usual response is to fumble around to find a flashlight or matches to light candles. What if you could keep the lights on and power your home merely by connecting your electric vehicle to a wall box in the garage?Woman standing next to car and garageMobility and Communications202609/08/2026Athina Markopoulou is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She is also the director of UCI’s California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), and of the Samueli School of Engineering’s e+Society Institute on AI (ProperAI).Athina MarkopoulouElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202609/24/2026Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Distinguished Professor of civil and environmental engineering and Samueli Endowed Chair in engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has been elected an international fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Distinguished Professor of civil and environmental engineering and Samueli Endowed Chair in engineering at UC Irvine, was elected as an international fellow by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine Steve Zylius / UCICivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Outreach202609/09/2026The brain's ability to form memories and process information depends on proteins that bind to RNA molecules inside neurons. With support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Fangyuan Ding's lab at UC Irvine is developing a new tool to observe these interactions.Fangyuan DingHuman Health202602/24/2025Henry Samueli, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of electrical engineering and computer science and namesake of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, is the recipient of the 2025 IEEE Medal of Honor. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202502/10/2025From left, Kathryn Jones, Amadeu Malats Domenech, Mo Li, Dave Min, Iryna Zenyuk and Wei Geng stand in front of a robotically additively manufactured concrete column being tested for structural performance.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202502/10/2025Biomedical engineering graduate student Christopher Lechuga (left) and UCI Professor Naomi Chesler publish impactful study of methods used to measure heart function.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202502/24/2025Daniel Kahl credits his successful research endeavors to small, high-impact grants and fellowships. Photo: Steve Zylius, UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202502/12/2025Kyriacos Athanasiou, Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering, left, and Eric Rignot, Distinguished Professor of Earth system science, have been elected new members of the National Academy of Engineering. They are among 128 new U.S.-based NAE members. UC IrvineBiomedical Engineering Dept.202502/12/2025From left, Assistant Professors Hamidreza Aghasi, Sitao Huang and Erdem Sasmaz receive NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202502/24/2025UC Irvine students’ winter-quarter 2024 rocket blasts off from the Mojave Desert testing site. Antoine NguyenMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202502/11/2025Pictured, from left, are Tom Coughlin, past president of IEEE-USA and current IEEE president-elect; Tony Hua Wong, IEEE Region 6 awards and recognition chair; Vincent Vo, internal relations chair for the UCI student branch and next year's IEEE-UCI president; and Kathy Hayashi, IEEE Region 6 director, at the award ceremony in January.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202502/10/2025Dylan Law writing at a normal pace with an early prototype of the Move-D brace.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202504/28/2025Melissa Lepe (right) and her co-adviser Natascha Buswell (left) pose at the American Society of Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Regional Conference, where Lepe was recognized with an Outstanding Graduate Student Award.Graduate StudentsMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202504/24/2025Cassandra NavaHerdeline Ardoña is named to the 2025 Class of PMSE Early Investigators.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Human Health202504/15/2025Biomedical Engineering Dept.202504/10/2025UCI senior scientist Farhad Sadeghi and biomedical engineering junior Kaylee Bear conduct polymer material characterization in the labBiomedical Engineering Dept.202504/02/2025Cassandra NavaTeam members from Project Prometheus, a wildfire detection system, go all in for a group hug after winning a Dean’s Choice Award. Undergraduate Students202504/01/2025“My most memorable moments come from all the time at tournaments, in between the non-stop action of the events," said Velasco. "It's always nice to see everybody, and every tournament is different!”Undergraduate Students202504/16/2025Cassandra NavaJesus Alexis Lopez Ochoa (center) poses with his adviser Pofessor Iryna Zenyuk (left) and Samueli School of Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt (right) at the Latine Excellence and Achievement Awards Dinner, where Ochoa was awarded a Graduate Student Excellence Award. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Graduate Students202504/07/2025Tyler Reese Johnson, a mechanical and aerospace engineering Ph.D. student, stands in front of the Engineering Gateway building where he spends most weekdays conducting research. Graduate StudentsMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202504/10/2025Natalie TsoGurneet Sangha, assistant biomedical engineering professor, at UC IrvineBiomedical Engineering Dept.202504/09/2025UCI biomedical researchers used mass spectroscopy to look at fluid samples from people with early AD to determine how much of a potential drug treatment reached the blood and the brain. Biomedical Engineering Dept.Graduate Students202507/07/2025Natalie TsoThe winning launch of the UCI Rocket Project Solids at the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC)Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202507/02/2025Caroline LuPresident Neha Muvvala stands front and center with the 2024-2025 board members of BMES. Biomedical Engineering Dept.202507/21/2025Yanning ShenElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202507/23/2025Natalie TsoThe UCI Solar Car team with SolEater at the 2025 Formula Sun Grand PrixUndergraduate Students2025Natalie TsoUCI Samueli School of Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt and postdoctoral researcher Efraín Méndez with the RaccoonBot at Crystal Cove State ParkCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Environmental SustainabilityRobotics and Autonomous Systems10/13/2026202607/09/2025Cassandra NavaHerdeline Ardoña Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202507/14/2025Natalie TsoTeamMADE members in front of the home at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)Graduate StudentsUndergraduate Students202507/11/2025“This is the story of a technology that was inspired by work at IBM, was invented and developed at UC Irvine, then got spun off, and now we have instruments on all continents across the world except for Antarctica,” says Kumar Wickramasinghe. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202507/23/2025Outstanding Graduate Student Award winners and runner-ups accompanied by Athina Markopoulou (far left) and SungWoo Nam (far right)Graduate Students202507/21/2025UCI Samueli School of Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt (center) is presented with the 2025 Robotics Outstanding Investigator Award by Professors Reza Moheimani, left, (UT Dallas) and Kyoungchul Kong (KAIST), IFAC Awards Committee chairs.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202507/02/2025Pim Oomen (left) and Xizheng Wang are named Hellman Fellows.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202506/09/2025Mohammad Javad Abdolhosseini Qomi (left), UC Irvine associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and materials science and engineering, is lead principal investigator on the Geophysicist.AI project, while colleagues Eric Mjolsness (center), professor of computer science, and Russ Detwiler (right), associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, are co-principal investigators. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202506/26/2025Digital camera images of the entire body (top left) and dorsal mantle (top right) of a squid show the splotches’ blue, green, yellow, orange and red iridescent (angle-dependent) colors. An individual splotch (bottom, from left) transitions from transparent to red to orange to green at 0, 60, 90 and 120 seconds, respectively, when subjected to chemical and neurophysiological stimuli. Gorodetsky lab / UC IrvineChemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202505/23/2025Dr. Greg Buchert, Makani’s CEO and a former ER pediatrician and healthcare executive presents to investors at Born in CaliforniaBiomedical Engineering Dept.202506/11/2025Natalie TsoUCI Distinguished Professor Emeritus Enrico GrattonBiomedical Engineering Dept.202506/05/2025Gordon Ko in front of UC Irvine’s Engineering HallUndergraduate Students202506/23/2025The Iris Valve, a transcatheter, growth-accommodating pulmonary valve designed for very young children, was developed at UC Irvine and is currently progressing toward FDA clinical approval. Arash KheradvarBiomedical Engineering Dept.202506/17/2025UCI Samueli School Dean Magnus Egerstedt (center) presented 2025 Spring Faculty Awards to (from left) Penghui Cao, Quinton Smith, Maxim Shcherbakov, Amir AghaKouchak, Vasan Venugopalan, Naomi Chesler, Zhongping Chen, Fadi Kurdahi and Hung Cao (not pictured).202506/04/2025The e+Society Institute core team, shown from right to left, are Yasser Shoukry, Zhou Li, Sameer Singh, Alexandra Voloshina, Salma Elmalaki, Aparna Chandramowlishwaran, Athina Markopoulou, Yanning Shen and Hyoukjun Kwon. Strategic partners include James Owen Wetherall (shown far left) and Bill Maurer from Social Sciences, Jesse Colin Jackson from the Arts, and Stuart Matthews and Errol Arkilic from Beall Applied Innovation. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202506/10/2025Striated/layered shelf cloud in Charlton, Massachusetts, on July 2, 2022. Photo courtesy of Will y theweatherguy473737/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202506/12/2025A Toyota refuels at a True Zero network station.Environmental Sustainability202506/24/2025Natalie TsoThe Panasonic team from left: Preston Wiryadinata, Angelica Miranda Luna, Panasonic Avionics Senior Manager Suni Murata, Team Lead Mitchell Kiner, Grant Orzechowski and Evelyn Yang.Graduate Students202506/11/2025Tibor Juhasz with a femtosecond laser at ViaLase in Aliso Viejo Photo: Steve Zylius/UCIBiomedical Engineering Dept.202506/17/2025Lori BrandtElizabeth M.Y. LeeMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202506/26/2025UC Irvine’s Anteater engineering Class of 2025 celebrate their commencement June 14 at the Bren Events Center.202506/03/2025Olga Movilla Miangolarra ’23 Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202506/17/2025David Kisailus, UC Irvine professor of materials science and engineering, was recently involved in a research project to convert human urine to hydroxyapatite, a valuable biomedical implant material. This, he says, solves an environmental problem while creating a substance that can be the basis of an entirely new and lucrative industrial sector. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202503/16/2026Most people associate epilepsy with seizures, but what many don’t realize is that the abnormal brain activity patterns associated with epilepsy can also negatively impact the brain, affecting memory, communication and learning. As an associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology in the UC Irvine School of Medicine and a board-certified child neurologist at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), Jennifer Gelinas, MD, PhD, understands how epileptic activity can disrupt intellectual development.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202606/23/2025Cassandra NavaQuoc-Viet DangElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202506/09/2025AlumniChemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202501/24/2025Natalie TsoUCI associate professor of teaching in chemical and biomolecular engineering Lily WuChemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202501/15/2024Natalie TsoAna Diaz-Santos at Apple Park in Cupertino, CAMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202401/08/2024Natalie TsoAn engineering student networks at a UCI-sponsored industry event202401/07/2025Pictured, from left, are Asmaa Eldesoukey, Olga Movilla Miangolarra and Tryphon Georgiou.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202501/16/2025Lori BrandtGeorges Belfort ’72 (Ph.D.), ‘69 (M.S.)202501/24/2025Natalie TsoThe Pacific Palisades fireCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202501/28/2025Cassandra NavaEngineers Without Borders students work alongside other volunteers in Tijuana, Mexico to build a house.202501/13/2025Gabriel Herrera as a NASA Johnson Space Center Pathways intern in Houston in 2024Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202501/14/2025Brian BellResearchers at UC Irvine have created a soft, conformable implant that measures neurological signals in patients’ developing brains. Seen here on the wing of a butterfly, this invention uses an organic polymer material that’s more compatible with sensitive living tissues than rigid, silicon-based medical devices. Duncan Wisniewski / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202510/16/2025Scott Samuelsen and William Gary, UC Irvine APEP“This initiative illustrates the importance of collaboration between academia and industry,” said Samueli School of Engineering Professor Scott Samuelsen, project director and APEP founding director. “Real-world deployment of bidirectional charging is essential for gathering the data, and the technical and customer adaptation insights needed to scale V2H deployment across the grid.”Environmental Sustainability202510/08/2025AI-generated rendition of a rotating detonation engine being developed in a scientific laboratory.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202510/09/2025Biomedical engineering researchers Kyriacos Athanasiou and Wendy Liu receive a $3 million NIH grant.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202510/21/2025Mo Li is professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202510/27/2025Natalie TsoUCI professors of mechanical and aerospace engineering Marco Panesi and Kelly StephaniMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202510/06/2025This project not only showcases cutting-edge science it taps into deep evolutionary design. By harnessing refined biological receptors and fusing them to advanced electronics, the engineers at UC Irvine are laying the foundation for a technological leap: giving human-made systems the ability to “smell” the world with unparalleled precision.“The combination of these … technological advances and the result of millions of years of the evolution of olfactory receptor proteins is enabling the goal of single-molecule sensing with specificity towards analytes that differ by as little as one carbon atom,” says Peter Burke (sitting), with graduate student Sangjun Noh. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202510/13/2025Cassandra NavaDiego RossoCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202510/08/2025Cassandra NavaFrom left, Jim Brody, Esther Hessong and Quinton Smith were all recognized at the 2025 Celebration of Teaching event.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202510/28/2025UCI Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering Diran ApelianMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202510/31/2025Natalie TsoJosé Hernández, the first migrant farmer-turned-astronaut, speaks to students at the national 2025 MAES Leadership Academy held at UC Irvine.202503/16/2026Quinton Smith was named one of the “top 10 scientists on the cusp of changing the world” by Popular Science in 2023 because of his success at 3D stem cell engineering. His dream? To be able to 3D print organs like the human liver so patients will no longer need transplants.UCI assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering Quinton Smith holds up a chip where his lab grows organoids. (Photo: Natalie Tso/UCI)Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.2026UC Irvine celebrated the successful completion of its Brilliant Future fundraising campaign with a festive event on Oct. 4. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine10/13/2026202610/13/2025Lori BrandtPictured, from left, are Conference General Chair Brahim El Bhiri, Ms. Aboutajdine, daughter of the late Driss Aboutajdine, Ayman Mosallam and Conference Co-Chair Anis Moumen. Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202510/20/2025Natalie TsoThe MAES familia gathers for a group photo at the 2025 MAES Leadership Academy at UC Irvine.202510/02/2025Using fuselage plans, UCI engineering students are building a full-scale replica of the Jenny, a 1917 biplane. Photo: Flying Leathernecks Heritage FoundationMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202510/27/2025The first four episodes of The Lab Beat feature Quinton Smith, David Kisailus, Ronke Olabisi and Diran Apelian.Biomedical Engineering Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202510/15/2025A new artificial colon developed in the laboratory of Rahim Esfandyar-pour, UC Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, can mimic realistic cell behavior during cancer therapy evaluations. “And because our model more closely reproduces human colon biology, it could potentially be used to screen drugs or test treatments in a way that better predicts patient responses than animal models or simple cell cultures,” he says. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202510/15/2025Ronke Olabisi lifts out cells stored in suspended animation at -321 in cryostorage in her UCI lab. (Photo: Natalie Tso/UCI)Biomedical Engineering Dept.202511/03/2025Jai Krishan Hakhu ’79 Ph.D., the former chairman and CEO of HORIBA International Corporation202511/12/2025Lori BrandtAmir AghaKouchakCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202503/16/2026Julia Busiek, UC NewsroomThe University of California has awarded $8 million in multicampus research grants, in partnership with UC-managed national laboratories, to accelerate progress toward a future powered by abundant, stable, zero-carbon fusion energy. The UC Initiative for Fusion Energy provides two grants of $4 million over three years.Experiments in the lab of Professor Farhat Beg at UC San Diego. Professor Beg is co-leading one of two teams of UC researchers awarded $4 million grants to accelerate progress toward a future powered by abundant, stable, zero-carbon fusion energy. Credit: David Baillot / UC San Diego Jacobs School of EngineeringEnvironmental Sustainability202611/18/2025Stacy Copp, UC Irvine associate professor of materials science and engineering, has always been fascinated with light and color. “As a kid, I played with flashlights in the closet and watched rainbows when the sun would set,” she said.Stacy Copp looks at tubes of nanoclusters at her UCI lab. (Photo: Natalie Tso/UCI)Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202511/05/2025UCI National Fuel Cell Research Center Director Iryna Zenyuk began playing chess in national tournaments in Ukraine at age 7 (left). Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202511/05/2025Lori BrandtUCI engineering alumni Theophil (TJ) Oros (left) and Nick Cecchi developed a headgear test method specific to water polo and conducted the first ever study on the efficacy of water polo headgears.AlumniMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.Undergraduate Students2025Natalie TsoUC Irvine assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Christopher Olivares Martinez Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.10/13/2026202611/20/2025Seven UC Irvine undergraduate STEM students attended MESA’s Student Leadership Conference this month in San Francisco for a weekend of networking with industry professionals and leadership training. The MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program guides diverse students from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM education and careers.UCI MESA students who attended the Student Leadership Conference in San Francisco included (top row, from left) Vanessa Salyer, An Bui, Kenzo Fraser and Warren Fekeith; (bottom row, from left) MESA Director Dayana Rivas, Vianny Cuevas, Ruby Flores and Marlen Leyva Arellano.Undergraduate Students202508/21/2025The Airport Fire rages in the Santa Ana Mountains about 20 miles from the UC Irvine campus in September 2024. “The global paradox of decreased burn area and increased human impacts we uncovered … is due largely to an increasing overlap between human settlements and fire-prone landscapes,” says study co-author Amir AghaKouchak, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering. Amir AghaKouchak / UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202508/01/2025Caroline Lu and Leo GarciaThe MESA Summer Camp students from across Southern California pose at UCI Engineering Plaza202508/20/2025Zhongping Chen202508/05/2025Trisha Mendoza, a biomedical engineering graduate student, was awarded a predoctoral research fellowship from the American Epilepsy Society.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202508/19/2025Cassandra NavaFrom left, Allison Tilzey, Azara Boschee and Gil Carpenter receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards.Graduate Students202508/07/2025Natalie TsoThe UCI HyperXite team202508/06/2025“By supplementing the brain’s energy systems with compounds that are already available as dietary supplements, we may have a new path toward treating age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease,” says the study’s lead author, Gregory Brewer (right), UC Irvine adjunct professor of biomedical engineering, shown with collaborator Ricardo Santana, a UC Irvine associate specialist in biomedical engineering. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineBiomedical Engineering Dept.202508/21/2025Leo GarciaMaria Corona of Orange Coast College poses with her personalized rocket.202508/04/2025Natalie TsoUCI Chancellor's Professor of civil and environmental engineering Brett SandersCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202508/07/2025Brian Bell“Chiton teeth … are not only harder and stiffer than human tooth enamel, but also harder than high-carbon steels, stainless steel, and even zirconium oxide and aluminum oxide – advanced engineered ceramics made at high temperatures,” says the study’s co-author, David Kisailus, UC Irvine professor of materials science and engineering, shown here in his laboratory with aquarium tanks inhabited by the marine mollusks. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202503/12/2025From left, Nick Li, Ruize Tian and Cory Tsan won first place ($300) at E-Week’s Design and Pitch Scramble for their fire-fighting and prevention device, the Flame Shield Sentinel.Undergraduate Students202503/10/2025Lori BrandtElectrical engineering and computer science graduate students Anita Ghandehari (center) and Shingirirai Chakoma (right) accept the Best Paper Award on behalf of their team at the SPIE Photonics West 2025 conference.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202503/26/2025Biomedical engineering graduate student Sara Marmarchinia won the Best Poster Award at the symposium. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202503/11/2025Lori BrandtFrom left, Chang Liu and Mohamad Abedi stand with Henry and Susan Samueli who attended the launch event for the Samueli School's Engineering+ Health Institute. Biomedical Engineering Dept.202503/17/2025Daanish Kulkarni won the People’s Choice Award for his research poster at the 2025 Cellular and Molecular Engineering Special Interest Group conference.Biomedical Engineering Dept.202503/31/2025Lori BrandtTwo biomedical engineering faculty, Christine King and Zoran Nenadic, are inducted as fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Biomedical Engineering Dept.202503/10/2025Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202503/19/2025Cassandra NavaMo Li (left) and Xizheng Wang are recognized by Women in Technology at UCI. Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202503/24/2025From left, Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt stands proudly with the three engineering faculty being recognized, Kyriacos Athanasiou, Yanning Shen and Farzin Zareian, as well as UCI Provost Hal Stern. Biomedical Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202503/11/2025The winning team members left to right: Caitlyn Oda, Sydney Nuckols and Hailey KautzUndergraduate Students202503/17/2025ARCHES is a public-private partnership dedicated to building a sustainable clean hydrogen hub for California and beyond202512/02/2025Cassandra NavaKarnig Boyadjian was only a year old when his dad bought him his first car — a small, radio control (RC) model. Though Boyadjian wouldn't use the toy until years later, it unknowingly symbolized his career interest in engineering.Karnig Boyadjian serves as Engineering Student Council president for the 2025-2026 school year. Undergraduate Students202512/16/2025Seven engineering students traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, last month for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AlChE) Annual Student Conference’s ChemE Cube competition. The ChemE Cube is an international, annual student competition sponsored by ExxonMobil where students make a project to solve an environmental issue in a cubic foot cube.UCI ChemE Cube students who attended the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Student Conference in Boston included (from left to right) Hailey Kautz, Angel Huante, Jillyan Canaveral, Zachary Arvin Wong, Caleb Chung and Rishabh Rakesh. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Undergraduate Students202512/11/2025The National Academy of Inventors has chosen two University of California, Irvine researchers to its class of 2025 fellows. Biomedical engineer Tibor Juhasz and computer scientist Marios Papaefthymiou are among 185 new NAI fellows elected this year.Marios Papaefthymiou (left), professor of computer science and the Ted and Janice Smith Family Foundation Dean of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, and Tibor Juhasz, professor of biomedical engineering and ophthalmology & visual sciences, have been named 2025 fellows by the National Academy of Inventors. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineBiomedical Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202512/17/2025UC Irvine electrical engineering and computer science professor Mohammad Al Faruque has been named a 2026 IEEE Fellow in recognition of his outstanding research achievements. The fellow designation is awarded by the IEEE board of directors to no more than one-tenth of one percent of the organization’s voting membership – those considered to have extraordinary records of accomplishment.Mohammad Al Faruque has been named a 2026 IEEE Fellow in recognition of his outstanding research achievements. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202503/16/2026UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor Amir AghaKouchak, and Distinguished Professors Xiaoqing Pan and A. Lee Swindlehurst have been named Highly Cited Researchers by the Clarivate Web of Science. The award honors professors who have published papers that rank in the top 1% by citation in their field, demonstrating significant influence and leadership in their field.From left: UCI Chancellor’s Professor Amir AghaKouchak, Distinguished Professors Xiaoqing Pan and A. Lee SwindlehurstCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Materials Science & Engineering Dept.202612/17/2025The University of California, Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering has received a significant philanthropic pledge from technology entrepreneur Hoang Nhu, CEO and founder of NousLogic Telehealth, and his sister Thuc Trinh Thi Nhu, M.D. ’93, co-founder with Hoang of Eye-AI Inc., to support the highest priorities of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The gift will establish the Nhu Family Endowed Fund, a permanent source of flexible support for the department.The naming gift also comes at a pivotal time for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, which has significantly risen in national rankings over the past decade. From left: Henry Samueli, Hoang Nhu and Dean Magnus Egerstedt. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202512/02/2025If you visit the UCI Robot Ecology Lab, you’ll see swarm robots being kind to one another and environmental robots modeled after cute animals like the RaccoonBot and SlothBot. These are all the brainchild of Magnus Egerstedt, a top roboticist, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and the dean of the UCI Samueli School of Engineering.UCI engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt (second from right) with his research team at the UCI Robot Ecology LabElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Robotics and Autonomous Systems202512/08/2025An expanded, renovated Stacey Nicholas Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion (OAI) in the Samueli School of Engineering opened last month offering students more space to study, seek resources, connect with tutors and mentors, and find a sense of belonging. Originally opened in 2014, OAI provides a variety of services and programs aimed at advancing UCI’s commitment to inclusive excellence by supporting the recruitment, retention, and graduation of undergraduate and graduate engineering students, while fostering representation, opportunity, and belonging.From left, UCI Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt, OAI Executive Director Analia Rao and UCI Foundation trustee Stacey Nicholas cut the ribbon at the stairway that leads to the renovated Stacey Nicholas Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion.Outreach202512/18/2025The UC Irvine Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is pleased to welcome Yuri Shimane as an assistant professor. Professor Shimane’s research centers around logistics and control problems for space systems, pertinent to New Space applications such as in-orbit servicing, assembly, manufacturing and space situational awareness in Earth orbit, cislunar space and beyond.UCI assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Yuri ShimaneMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202505/13/2025Andrei Shkel is named a UCI Chancellor's Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202505/28/2025Cassandra NavaDerek Dunn-RankinMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202505/28/2025Caroline LuOcean Institute's cohort of students, UCI graduate students Jianlei Wen and Kathryn Jones, OAI Executive Director Analia Rao, and Professor Mo Li at UCI’s Engineering Gateway.202505/27/2025Lori BrandtHerdeline ArdoñaBiomedical Engineering Dept.202505/21/2025Political science student Zachary Lee plays the winning instrument, the Dynamic Ultralight Beam Synth (DUBS), at E-SONIC. (Steve Zylius/UCI)OutreachUndergraduate Students202505/19/2025Brian BellCoached and advised by Alfred Chen (top left), professor of computer science, the winning UC Irvine team comprised (from left) Eric Liu, Andy Gu, Akshay Rohatgi, Dhruv Kandula, Steven Ngo, Jacob Lee, Kristen Chung and Christopher Young. Harrison Lin / UC IrvineElectrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202505/22/2025Devin Johnson’s research focuses on a novel breast cancer imaging probe device that replaces radiation to detect and monitor cancer. Biomedical Engineering Dept.202505/19/2025Deans and Hall of Fame inductees celebrated the 10th annual event at the Beckman Center on May 2, 2025. Pictured from left: Information and Computer Sciences Dean Marios Papaefthymiou, Kenneth M. Anderson, Arezoo Ardekani, Punit Niranjan Shah, Kenneth Grier, Jagannathan Thinakaran, Shelly Peyton and Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202505/06/2025Natalie TsoUCI grad student Jacob Samson (right) presents his solution to attendees of the Resilient Shores reception in San Clemente. (Steve Zylius/UCI)Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202505/01/2025Brian BellUC Irvine researchers have revealed the divergent evolution of slip banding, the process that creates deformation localization in materials under stress. The top row shows the formation of a confined slip band (C-SB) from a conventional Frank-Read source with localized glide on slip plane ABC. The bottom row displays how an extended slip band (E-SB) is generated through source deactivation and dynamic activation of new sources. This triggers partial slip and the formation of planar defects such as twin boundaries (TB), stacking faults (SF) and hexagonal close-packed (hcp) regions, resulting in band thickening along the ABD plane. Penghui Cao and Hangman Chen / UC IrvineMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.202505/05/2025“Our goal is to provide the building blocks – literally – for an efficient and sustainable energy transition,” says Mo Li, UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering as well as materials science and engineering. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202505/13/2025Lori BrandtHan Li’s project team, working together at the NSF Ideas Lab, is pictured from left: James Weltz (Cascade Biocatalysts), Steve Abel (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Han Li (UCI) and Samanvaya Srivastava (UCLA).Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202509/03/2025Natalie TsoDean Magnus Egerstedt signing his name in the ledger of International Honorary Professors in a ceremony held by the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH) in Mexico on August 29, 2025.202509/24/2025Soroosh Sorooshian receives AGU William Bowie Medal.202509/17/2025Brian Bell“Our results also clearly demonstrated that the collective atomic vibrations in crystals undergo atomic-level fluctuations depending on the elements and atomic sites, challenging the traditional model that assumes a uniform distribution of phonon wave functions,” says co-author and UC Irvine Distinguished Professor Xiaoqing Pan, here beside an electron energy-loss spectroscopy instrument in his laboratory. Steve Zylius / UC IrvineMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.202509/23/2025Tom Vasich / UCI CommunicationsUC Irvine was additionally lauded for social mobility, several undergraduate programs and its support of veteran students. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine202509/05/2025UCI Professors Athina Markopoulou and G.P. Li, the new and former directors of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CalIT2)Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.202509/15/2025Amir AghaKouchakCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202509/11/2025Human stem cell-derived heart muscle cells interfaced with the engineered biomolecule (peptide) pairs reported in the paper, fabricated as a film substrate (left) or as line patterns on a hydrogel scaffold (right).Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.202509/24/2025Natalie TsoUC Irvine associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Tirtha BanerjeeCivil & Environmental Engineering Dept.202509/24/2025Tom Vasich/UCI Strategic Communications“For decades, the scattering of light has been a fundamental barrier to seeing deep into living tissue with clarity. Our goal is to break through this barrier,” says principal investigator Zhongping Chen, UC Irvine professor of biomedical engineering. Caroline Yuzefa Lu / Samueli School of EngineeringBiomedical Engineering Dept.2025AI and Data ScienceAlumniBiomedical Engineering Dept.Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Dept.Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept.Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Dept.Environmental SustainabilityGraduate StudentsHuman HealthMaterials Science & Engineering Dept.Materials and ManufacturingMechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.Mobility and CommunicationsOutreachRobotics and Autonomous SystemsSocial EntrepreneurshipUndergraduate Students202620252024