Understanding Life.
Exploring Our Changing Planet.
Interdisciplinary science connecting living systems, Earth processes, and global sustainability.
Discover LES
Undergraduate Education
Explore our degree pathways and gain hands-on experience in the field, in the lab, and beyond.
Graduate Studies
Join a collaborative, interdisciplinary community tackling critical questions about life and our changing planet.
Research & Faculty
Our faculty work at the intersection of living systems, Earth processes, and global sustainability.
I love that ESS provides so many pathways and research opportunities. You can really immerse yourself in the areas that excite you. Everything connects—the concepts, the research, the people.
Thalia Lizarraga · ESS, Class of 2026
I love understanding the foundations of our environment. I want incoming ESS majors to understand, that it's not only about the bigger picture but also the smaller micropicture. Being comfortable in seeing the broad and the focused lens of environmental science will help shape your future path..
Leonardo Aleman Medina · ESS, Class of 2027
These experiences continue to yield lasting returns. I'm grateful for the people and opportunities that defined my time at UC Merced.
Antonio Gonzalez · ESS, Class of 2025
Science Across Connected Systems
Evolution of Life & Earth
How life and Earth systems evolve across time and space.
Interactions
How organisms, environments, and human societies interact.
Flows & Transitions
How matter, energy, and organisms move and transform across systems.
Global Change & Sustainability
Global environmental challenges and strategies for resilience and sustainability.
The Science of Soil
Teamrat Ghezzehei is looking to unlock the famine puzzle by examining why certain shrubs native to Senegal help surrounding plants thrive.
Staying Grounded
Asmeret Berhe and her team examine how soil is impacted by factors such as climate change, erosion, fire and even armed conflict.
Pining for Microbes
Carolin Frank's lab studies conifer endophytes—bacteria or fungi that live inside plants without causing disease.
LES News & Highlights
New Research Examines How Sacred Fir Trees Respond to Heat and Drought
Emily Moran and Yinyue Du study the trees that shelter overwintering monarch butterflies.
School of Natural Sciences Awards
LES Faculty Recognized with School of Natural Sciences Awards
Carolin Frank and Sylvain Masclin are honored for academic program leadership and innovation in undergraduate education.
LES Research Contributes to California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment
Marilia Palumbo’s work on pollination services is part of the state’s climate assessment.
A Surprising Discovery: Young Giant Sequoias Are Producing Cones Earlier Than Expected
Emily Moran and postdoc Diane Huebner found a cone on a three-year-old seedling.
Living on the Edge: Why Bigger Mammals Carry More Fat
Justin Yeakel and colleagues turn to whaling logbooks from 1784 to 1920.
From UC Merced to Hong Kong: Dr. Jonathon Kuntz Begins New Research Appointment
The 2025 QSB Ph.D. is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong.
Visit campus or ask us a question — we’re happy to help.
