People
Our faculty have spoken at TED, appeared on Shark Week, and are recognized as leaders in their fields. But what matters most is what they’re discovering—and that you’ll learn from them directly. At a big university, professors like these lecture to hundreds of students. Here, you’ll work beside them.
Faculty Directory
Adeyemi Adebiyi
Studies how mineral dust and smoke aerosols shape air quality and climate. Teaches atmospheric science.
Jackie Atim
UC ANR specialist studying crop responses to abiotic stress. Offers research internship opportunities at the Kearney Field Station.
J. Michael Beman
Studies the microbes in oceans and lakes that control our planet's chemistry. Teaches environmental microbiology.
Gordon Bennett
Uncovers how insects and their symbiotic microbes co-evolve. Teaches ecology.
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
Studies how soil stores carbon and regulates climate. Teaches soil science and biogeochemistry.
Srabani Das
UC ANR specialist. Offers research internship opportunities in her lab and field experiments.
Michael N. Dawson
Tracks evolution in real time in Palau's famous Jellyfish Lake. Teaches marine science.
Melinda Findlater
Teaching professor covering biology courses, including conservation biology.
A. Carolin Frank
Studies the hidden microbiomes of forest trees and plants—how bacteria and fungi help hosts survive drought.
Marilia P. Gaiarsa
Studies species interactions and biodiversity using network theory. Led UC Merced's Bee Campus USA certification.
Joshua Garcia
Studies sustainable agriculture by exploring microbial influences on crops, improving soil health, and developing strategies to support soil biodiversity and farming sustainability. Teaches ecological microbiology.
Teamrat Ghezzehei
Studies the physics of living soils—how water moves and roots grow. Teaches hydrology.
Lauren Hale
Offers research internship opportunities in her lab and field experiments.
Sora Kim
Reads ancient shark teeth to understand how climate shaped ocean life. Teaches isotope ecology.
Claire Lukens
Studies how climate and tectonics shape mountain landscapes. Teaches geology.
Sylvain Masclin
Teaching professor known for student-centered courses in environmental systems and sustainability.
Emily Jane McTavish
Develops computational tools for large-scale evolutionary inference. Teaches evolution.
Emily Moran
Studies how ecological processes shape plant responses to environmental change. Teaches flora of California.
Peggy O'Day
Develops ways to remove contaminants from California's drinking water. Teaches environmental chemistry.
Jennifer Pett-Ridge
Based at LLNL. Studies soil microbiomes and carbon persistence. Research internship opportunities available.
Rebecca Ryals
Works with ranchers and farmers, turning agricultural waste into climate solutions. Teaches agroecology.
Jason Sexton
Studies plant adaptation across deserts and mountains to develop conservation solutions.
Susannah Tringe
Environmental genomics expert focused on microbial communities in wetlands and soil.
Tanja Woyke
Microbial genomics lead specializing in single-cell sequencing and "unculturable" microbes.
Justin Yeakel
Uses math to understand why ecosystems survive—or collapse. Teaches ecology.
Xuan Zhang
Studies atmospheric chemistry, air pollution, and their links to climate and human health.
Emeritus Faculty
Postdoctoral Scholars
Magda Paola Argueta Guzman
Faculty mentor: Marilia Gaiarsa
Baltazar Gonzalez Chavez
Faculty mentor: Marilia Gaiarsa
Carmen Pedraza Marron
Faculty mentor: Michael N. Dawson
Graduate Students
Graduate students advised by LES faculty in the Environmental Systems (ES) and Quantitative & Systems Biology (QSB) graduate programs.
Environmental Systems
Victoria De Leon
Faculty mentors: Rebecca Ryals, Srabani Das
Julia Hernandez
Faculty mentor: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
Fidel Machado Perez
Faculty mentors: Claire Lukens (primary), Michael Beman
Precious Nyabami
Faculty mentor: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
Evelyn Perez-Agredano
Faculty mentor: Rebecca Ryals
Quantitative & Systems Biology
Shayna Bennett
Faculty mentors: A. Carolin Frank, Juris Grasis
Gregory Biddle
Faculty mentor: Gordon Bennett
Lynn Breithaupt
Faculty mentors: Jason Sexton, Marilia Gaiarsa
Jimmy Choi
Faculty mentor: Emily Jane McTavish
Anna Carolina Dias de Almeida
Faculty mentor: Justin Yeakel
Miguel Estrada Caballero
Faculty mentor: Gordon Bennett
Trizthan Jimenes Delgado
Faculty mentor: Marilia Gaiarsa
Hashel Orquiz
Faculty mentor: Michael N. Dawson
Alejandro Ramos Hurtado
Faculty mentor: Matthew Hutchinson
Ambrosio Rivera
Faculty mentor: Michael N. Dawson
Valor Smallwood
Faculty mentor: Jessica Blois
Natalie Van Pelt
Faculty mentor: Marilia Gaiarsa
Visit campus or ask us a question — we’re happy to help.
