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College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

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Hands-On Experience. World-Renowned Scientists.

Research Excellence
29,000
acres and more serve as a real-life laboratory for plant research
36,683
alumni and counting making a difference
2
Nobel Laureates and 18 National Academies members on the faculty
CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson
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Fall 2026 Welcome Message from Dean Peter Atkinson
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CNAS Homecoming Ring Toss Booth
CNAS Homecoming 2026
Celebrate the Sciences: CNAS Science Day at UCR Homecoming
Saturday, November 7, 2026
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Student Success Center (SSC) 329
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Opportunities for graduate students abound at CNAS
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Pursuing Advanced Degrees at CNAS
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I chose UCR due to the collaborative atmosphere, countless research opportunities, and student support programs ...
Joel, biochemistry major
I am motivated by my desire to understand life ... and to educate the next generation of scientists ...
Xuemei Chen, Distinguished Professor of Plant Cell and Molecular Biology
A large part of the UCR community is the support you receive from both your peers and professors.
Oscar, biochemistry major

CNAS Science News

Trilobites gathering underwater
September 29, 2026
How ocean chemistry helped life keep breathing
Scientists have helped solve a longstanding mystery about how Earth remained habitable after oxygen first accumulated in its atmosphere more than 2 billion years ago. 
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Opiuchi 70
September 29, 2026
An Earth-like planet with two suns?
A nearby star system with two suns could potentially support an Earth-sized planet in a region where liquid water could exist, according to a new paper examining the dynamics of the system.
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Enceladus
September 28, 2026
Saturn’s moon offers clues in search for extraterrestrial life
With a global ocean of liquid water below a thick crust of ice, Saturn’s moon Enceladus is one of the most promising places to search for life beyond Earth. A new study suggests the moon itself may aid in that search by making some ocean compounds easier for future spacecraft to detect. 
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Queen cell creator
September 24, 2026
Machine learning helps identify chemicals that repel honey bees from pesticides
UC Riverside study offers new hope for pollinator protection
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View Latest Science News Stories

A Message from Dean Peter Atkinson

On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students from the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside, I welcome you to our college and campus.

 

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More College News

Jim Baird at Turfgrass Field Day

Growing Better Grass With Less Water

Across a patchwork of green research plots at UC Riverside, thousands of experimental grasses are being put to the test. Some are subjected to weeks without irrigation. Others are evaluated for disease resistance, winter color, heat tolerance or their ability...
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Celebration of Life for Jodie Holt at the Botanic Gardens

A Life in Full Bloom: Remembering Jodie Holt

On a September morning at the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens, family, friends, former students and colleagues gathered to celebrate the life of Jodie Holt in a place that had become one of the great passions of her life. They came...
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CNAS New Student Welcome at the Physics Courtyard

CNAS Welcome Week brings new students together

For hundreds of new students arriving at UC Riverside this fall, their introduction to the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) began with a simple message: You are part of a community, with people and opportunities ready to help...
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CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson

Fall 2026 Welcome from CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson

Dear CNAS Community, Welcome to a new academic year at UC Riverside’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences. There is always a special energy across CNAS at the start of fall quarter, and we have already seen it throughout Welcome...
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College News Archive
Dr. Barry C. Barish
Dr. Barry C. Barish
2017 NOBEL PRIZE WINNER IN PHYSICS
Meet the Faculty
Dr. Richard R. Schrock
Dr. Richard R. Schrock
2005 NOBEL PRIZE WINNER IN CHEMISTRY
UCR ALUMNUS
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Start your #UCRScience journey today
Start your #UCRScience journey today
Learn more about being a CNAS graduate and undergraduate student

Inside UCR

Daniel Petras and Mingxun Wang
September 21, 2026
Two UCR researchers named to Analytical Scientist’s Top 40 Under 40
Daniel Petras and Mingxun Wang recognized for innovative research and emerging leadership
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Mikeal Roose, UC Regents Innovation Awards winner
September 18, 2026
Tango researcher receives UC Regents award
UC Riverside citrus researcher Mikeal Roose is among 23 honorees across the University of California campuses to receive UC Regents Innovation Awards, the UC announced this week. Roose is credited with co-developing the seedless Tango mandarin.
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Axel Busch Castro
September 03, 2026
Prestigious fellowship helps plant scientist’s career bloom
Undergraduate grows research skills at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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Fabian Klenner and his Raman Spectrometer
August 21, 2026
New instruments put UCR at cutting edge of search for life beyond Earth
Is there life beyond Earth?
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More CNAS News on Inside UCR
looking through a digital microscope, Dr. Manuela Martins-Green
Give to the College
Donor support has a direct impact on CNAS students, empowering them to delve into research, stay curious, and prepares them to fill the gaps in the job market as research-minded scientists.
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CNAS in the Media

Venus may have once had a moon that eventually crashed into the planet, study suggests

PEOPLE - Venus may be moonless today, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it always was. A new study suggests that if Venus once had a moon, the planet’s unusually slow rotation could have eventually pulled the celestial body back toward...
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Rich US neighborhoods are more likely to burn in wildfires, study reveals

SCIENCE ALERT - Wildfires that ravage developed areas of the US tend to hit a particular kind of neighborhood: suburban, owner-occupied, and relatively well-off, new research has found. Wildfires in the US aren't just a problem for communities near remote...
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Did Venus 'swallow' its own moon?

BBC - Scientists have come up with a surprising new theory about one of our neighbouring planets - and it involves a missing moon. They think Venus may once have had one, but that it slowly moved closer to the...
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Scientists say if Venus ever had a moon like ours, it was doomed

MASHABLE - Venus' sluggish spin may be the key to why it doesn't have a moon — anymore, at least, new research says. The study, led by University of California, Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane, appears in The Astrophysical Journal. Kane's...
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CNAS Blog

2026 NRS intern Claudina Evans giving her research presentation.

Desert tortoise research opens a path to graduate school

Before spending her summer studying desert tortoises in the Coachella Valley, Claudina Evans had a question she needed to answer about herself. Could she really do this? Evans, a biology student at Cal Poly Pomona, knew she was interested in...
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UCR bell tower

Finding Confidence, Community, and a Future in Medicine: Meet Lily Maya

For Lily Maya, choosing UC Riverside was years in the making. She first remembers visiting UCR during a middle school field trip, when the campus left a lasting impression on her. Later, while researching colleges in high school, she was...
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Bell tower with the Native American Garden in the foreground

Finding Direction Through Community at UC Riverside: Meet James Riggs

When James Riggs arrived at UC Riverside as a biology major, he knew he wanted a career in healthcare—but he wasn't yet sure what that would look like. Four years later, he graduated with a clear path forward, shaped by...
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UCR Bell Tower with students walking

Finding Community Through Science, Dance and Mentorship: Meet Allison Matthews

For Allison Matthews, graduating from the University of California, Riverside marks both an ending and a continuation. A biology major with a minor in feminist studies, Allison will remain at UCR to pursue her master's degree through the university's Cell...
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