Research out of the lab of assistant professor Victor Ortega-Jiménez and collaborators show how wing-like fans on the feet of ripple bugs inspire a novel propulsion system for miniature robots. Read the full Berkeley News article.  

Assistant Professor Cara Brook is one of 22 researchers to be named 2025 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences. Read more here.

Researchers from Professor Michael Yartsev’s lab used wireless recording devices to track neural activity in Egyptian fruit bats, revealing new clues to how our long-term memories are formed. The study, published in Nature, was supported by grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the…

The Department of Energy and the National Academy of Inventors have honored Professor Jay Keasling with their 2025 Innovator of the Year Award, which goes to one DOE employee who has translated research into tangible impacts that have benefited society at large. Keasling is a pioneer in synthetic biology who leads a groundbreaking research program focused on engineering microorganisms to produce advanced biofuels and chemicals.

The Department of Integrative Biology is pleased to welcome Dr. Cara Brook as an Assistant Professor starting July 2025. The Brook lab uses tools derived from field biology, molecular immunology, and epidemiological modeling to study how pathogens persist, transmit, and evolve in both wild animal and human hosts. Learn more about the Brook lab here. 

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Sudmant on receiving tenure and his promotion to Associate Professor of Integrative Biology! The Sudmant lab uses genomics, computational, statistical, and experimental methods to understand aging and genome structure in the context of evolution, adaptation, and cellular diversity. Learn more about the Submant lab here. 

A team led by BioE alumnus Yasuo Yoshikuni genetically modified yeast to create hydroxyapatite, a strong and lightweight material, from the elements present in urine. With lower production costs the material may now be practical for use in wastewater treatment, fertilizer manufacturing, building materials and plastic replacement.

Aluna, a company spun out of an undergraduate capstone project by alumna Charvi Shetty, has been acquired by Huma. Aluna developed an easy and fun remote monitoring system for respiratory diseases, which will now be able to reach patients in Huma's more than 150 U.S. health systems, serving over 500,000 people.

Teaching Assistant Professor Michal Shuldman was selected as one of the instructors for the 2025-2027 Presidential Chair Fellows (PCF) cohort. Awarded by the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), PCF faculty design and implement a research study on undergraduate student-centered teaching and learning. Read more here. 

IB Assistant Professor Tierra Smiley-Evans, Chief Veterinary and Scientific Officer for Gorilla Doctors, recently was part of a team that reintroduced four female critically endangered Grauer's gorillas from their sanctuary back into the wild in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read the full story here.

Professor Phil Messersmith and colleagues have launched HypO2Regen Therapeutics, a startup developing novel, disease-modifying therapeutics for chronic intractable inflammatory diseases, including the first cell-free stem cell treatment that induces true regeneration of damaged tissue. Their first effort takes aim at periodontitis, which affects over 300 million people worldwide.

PhD alumnus Stanley Qi, now a professor at Stanford University, is interviewed about his work developing advanced gene-editing tools to treat life-threatening diseases and slow the onset of neurological aging.

BioE-founded startup Equipad is on a mission to provide free, eco-friendly, accessible menstrual care in innovative roll format in restrooms everywhere. Recent BioE graduates Sanjana Gurram and Bryan Wong, with Master of Development Practice alumna Pooja Patel, have developed the materials and dispenser voted best alumni project at the Collider Cup.

BioE junior Emma Berman has been awarded the Strauss Scholarship, an honor which supports a current Berkeley student pursue a self-initiated public service project. Emma is leading a student-driven community initiative to destigmatize the current social narrative surrounding hearing loss to create a new image for wearable hearing technology. Congratulations!

Congratulations to BioE PhD alumna Monica Kapil, the first woman ever named Alumna of the Year by the SJSU Mechanical Engineering Department!

IB Assistant Professor Victor Ortega Jiménez and a team of researchers have documented how flamingos use their feet, heads and beaks to create a storm of swirling tornados in the water to efficiently trap and then eat their prey. Read more in the Berkeley News article here.