News

The geometry of the game: How a UCSB physicist is helping the Dodgers rethink movement

2025-11-26

Moving beyond traditional stats, Papillon is ushering in "Moneyball 2.0" by using geometric intelligence and neural networks to decode the physics of the World Series champions.

Physics of life: Boris Shraiman awarded Max Delbrück Prize

2025-11-25

Describing theorists as "herders" of ideas, Shraiman's curiosity-driven journey from quantum materials to the life sciences has yielded profound insights into how living matter organizes itself.

In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus Gerald H. Jacobs (1934–2025)

2025-11-24

Gerald H. Jacobs, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UCSB, passed away in Santa Barbara on October 15, 2025, after a year-long illness. Jerry was a renowned scientist, educator, and mentor, dedicating his life to unraveling the complexities of color vision across the animal kingdom and in elucidating the underpinnings of color blindness.

Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative receives transformative investments

2025-11-14

Partnerships with Noyce Trust and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative fuel groundbreaking research and earn a 2025 TIME magazine Best Invention of the Year award.

The Ann S. Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative (Bowers WBHI), headquartered at UC Santa Barbara, is the first large-scale, collaborative effort focused on closing the gender gap in neuroscience. The initiative unites seven University of California campuses, Stanford and Cornell to build the most comprehensive resource ever created for understanding women’s brain health.

Grace Han tapped for Scialog Award, joining collaborative team on sustainable materials

2025-11-13

The new chemistry professor will co-lead a project on sustainable lithium enrichment as part of the Scialog: Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials initiative. 

Grace Han, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara, has been named a 2025 Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award winner for a project aimed at developing new methods for sustainable lithium extraction.

Welcoming the Newest Faculty to the MLPS Division

2025-11-06

The Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences is thrilled to welcome the outstanding new faculty who have joined us. Their expertise spans a wide range of disciplines, from the complexities of volcanic gases to the frontiers of sustainability chemistry and advancements in science education. We invite the campus community to meet the scholars and educators who are shaping the future of research and teaching at UC SantaBarbara.

Pushing the Frontiers of Physics: Three MLPS Faculty Named Moore Investigators

2025-10-30

Sebastian Streichan, David Patterson and Andrea Young each secure $1.3M to pursue high-risk research in living matter, molecular physics and quantum materials, underscoring the world-class caliber of the MLPS Physics Department.

Smart rings and statistical timing: Study unlocks personalized exercise advice for pregnant women

2025-10-24

Professor Annie Qu and former student uncover exercises’ most potent stress-busting window.

For pregnant women experiencing emotional stress, physical activity is most effective at reducing the body's physiological stress, according to a new study co-authored by Professor Annie Qu of UC Santa Barbara's Department of Statistics and Applied Probability and her former student Jenifer Rim at the University of California, Irvine, with collaborators.