WHO WE ARE:
Bold Thinkers and Leaders
OUR VOICES WILL DEFINE THE CENTURY
In 2023, the Princeton Review ranked UC Santa Cruz as the No. 2 public university in the nation for students who want to make an impact on the world. At UC Santa Cruz, we use an innovative approach to seek solutions and give voice to the challenges of our time - leading to transformative change. Our campus is a special place where social and environmental justice are taught and lived. U.S. News & World Report named UC Santa Cruz among the top 10 public universities in the U.S. for excellence in undergraduate teaching (UCSC is the only University of California on the list!)
GLOBALLY RANKED
Top 15 in the WORLD for research impact. (Times Higher Education University World Rankings, 2019) Scholars cite our faculty research at a very high rate.
A GATEWAY TO SILICON VALLEY
Visiting professors from Silicon Valley companies, hackathons, pitch competitions, startup incubators hosted on campus!
ANGELA Y. DAVIS PROFESSOR EMERITA, HISTORY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Legendary civil rights activist, who still works tirelessly to combat all forms of oppression in the U.S. and abroad. Professor Davis is the author of several books, including Women, Race, and Class (1980) and Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003).
CAROL GREIDER DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF MOLECULAR, CELL, AND DEVELOPMENTAL (MCD) BIOLOGY
Greider, a Nobel laureate noted both for her ground-breaking research and her passion for diversity in science, joined our faculty in October 2020. She is well known for having discovered telomerase, the enzyme that maintains telomere length on chromosomes. Greider’s pioneering research led to her sharing the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
ENRICO RAMIREZ-RUIZ PROFESSOR, ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
In addition to a distinguished research career in theoretical astrophysics, Ramirez-Ruiz makes it his life work to nurture and support students with a passion for the stars. He was recently awarded the 2023 Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
HEAR WHAT KIMBERLY ZETO (TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT B.S. AND HISTORY B.A. ‘21 DOUBLE MAJOR) HAS TO SAY ABOUT HER PROFESSORS.
See our Undergraduate Research YouTube playlist to discover many exciting research projects at UC Santa Cruz in the arts, humanities, physical and biological sciences, social sciences, and the Jack Baskin School of Engineering!
HEAR FIRSTHAND FROM A BANANA SLUG
Samantha Moore, politics and philosophy double major, class of 2023, Merrill College
RECENT AND CURRENT UCSC PROJECTS
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute creates advanced technologies and open-source genomics platforms to unravel evolutionary patterns, molecular processes, and the underpinnings of disease. Part of the Institute’s mission is to openly share all they learn, and they employ a number of undergraduates in their wide-ranging labs and projects.
What We’ve Become…
POSITIVE CONTRIBUTORS, LUMINARIES, AND INFLUENCERS
UC Santa Cruz provides an atmosphere of innovation along with the resources to prepare for a successful career. Our graduates have risen into the upper echelons of their fields. And several graduates have launched companies based on their research projects.
Reyna Grande Creative Writing, Film and Video ‘99
Novelist and first-generation transfer student: American Book Award, El Premio Aztlán Literary Award, International Latino Book Award-winner (Across a Hundred Mountains, A Dream Called Home).
Kalwis Lo Politics and Education, ‘11
Director of Policy at Scholarship America, a national scholarship organization
Colin Beighley Electrical Engineering, ‘10, Tau Beta Pi
Co-founder of Swift Navigation, a company that provides precise GPS positioning solutions for applications such as self-driving vehicles. Recently named one of the Forbes “30 Under 30” for his accomplishments at a young age.
Dr. Roshawnna Novellus Business Management Economics, Engineering , ‘01
Entrepreneur and nationally-recognized financial inclusion advocate known as the “Wealthy Yogi,” Founder & CEO of the EnrichHer funding portal.
Nick Fountain Politics, ‘11
Newest cohost of NPR’s Planet Money, started as a producer on the show in 2015, and before that, worked as a producer and director of NPR’s flagship show Morning Edition. Fountain cut his teeth at KUSP, the UCSC campus radio station.
Jonah Christian Film and Digital Media, ‘12
Music producer and composer who’s worked with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne
Ada Recinos Sociology, ‘15
A graduate of UC Santa Cruz’s Everett Program, which gives students tools to pursue social activism, Recinos was sworn in as the youngest council member for the city of Richmond, California, in 2017
Maya Rudolph Art, ‘95
Actress who won two Emmy Awards in 2020 for her portrayal of now-Vice President Kamala Harris on SNL and for the voice of Connie the Hormone Monster on the animated Netflix series Big Mouth
