College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences |

29,000

acres and more serve as a real-life laboratory for plant research

36,683

alumni and counting making a difference

Nobel Laureates and 17 National Academies members on the faculty

2025 CNAS Science Lecture Series

Mary L. Droser, Distinguished Professor of Geology
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Reception: 5-6 p.m.
Lecture: 6-7 p.m.
UCR Palm Desert Center

Highlander Day of Service 2025

Join local alumni, students and families and get your hands in the soil at R'Garden! They will be assisting the staff with planting, weeding, mulching, raking or any other work that needs to be done.

February 8, 2025
10am - 12pm

Highlander Family Night

Men's Basketball, Family Exclusive Swag, Giveaways, Games, & More!
February 15, 2025
UC Riverside

Water: Salton Sea at the Crossroads of Change

An assessment of environmental challenges on water quality
at this critical juncture for the Salton Sea.

Speaker: Caroline Hung, PhD Candidate in Biogeochemistry, UCR Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

February 19, 2025, 6-7pm, at the UCR Palm Desert Auditorium

RSVP for this lecture

2025 CNAS Science Lecture Series

Miguel Arratia, Assistant Professor of Physics
Wednesday, March 4, 2025
Reception: 5-6 p.m.
Lecture: 6-7 p.m.
UCR Palm Desert Center

Grad Slam 2025

Semi-Final Rounds
The Semi-Final Showcases will be held the week of March 10, 2025.

Learn More About Grad Slam

Peter Atkinson Named Dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

January 6, 2025

Read the Announcement

Prospective Students

Learn more about what the CNAS experience has to offer

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Student Research Opportunities

Find Research Opportunities for CNAS Students!

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CNAS Learning Communities

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Graduate Student Careen Khachatoorian in the Talbot Lab

Graduate Programs

Opportunities for graduate students abound at CNAS

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CNAS by the Numbers

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Pursuing Advanced Degrees at CNAS

CNAS’ graduate degree programs for M.S. and Ph.D. students

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Career Resources

CNAS Students and Alumni learn more about STEM opportunities

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CNAS marketing materials, Drupal website tutorials, room schedules, and more are available here for students, faculty, and staff. Login required.

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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

January 31, 2025

Meet the new dean of CNAS

Many may be familiar with the new dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, or CNAS. Peter Atkinson, a professor of genetics in the Department of Entomology, has been with UC Riverside for 28 years. Less familiar may be his vision, which emphasizes social mobility, collaboration with other colleges, and CNAS as the premier hub for transformative research in the region.

January 30, 2025

New diagnostic tool will help LIGO hunt gravitational waves

Machine learning tool developed by UCR researchers will help answer fundamental questions about the universe

January 24, 2025

More transparency about So Cal's fire-polluted air

Many phone apps offer general but nonspecific information about airborne particles. To help increase public safety amidst the LA fires, UC Riverside scientists are making new, real-time, advanced air pollutant measurements available to the public.

Katayoon “Katie” Dehesh, UC Riverside distinguished professor and molecular biochemist. (UCR/Stan Lim)

January 15, 2025

Finding the power within

UC Riverside distinguished professor Katayoon “Katie” Dehesh has defied governments, gender expectations, and scientific beliefs.

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.

Explore the UCR Botanic Gardens

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More College News

CNAS Welcome Interim Dean, Peter Atkinson

January 30, 2025

Meet the new dean of CNAS

January 27, 2025

CNAS unveils Science Lecture Series 2025 dates

The UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) is pleased to announce the dates of the 2025 Science Lecture Series, with faculty presentations taking place on February 5, March 4, April 12 and May 3. Since its inception...

January 27, 2025

Susan Wessler Elected VP of the National Academy of Sciences

Susan Wessler, Distinguished Professor and Geneticist in the UC Riverside Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, has been elected to a four-year term as Vice President at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Professor Wessler assumed her duties as Vice...

January 27, 2025

With a Little Bit of Luck: What Mary Droser has Uncovered after a Few Million Years

Mary Droser, Distinguished Professor of Geology in the UC Riverside Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, likes to say that she is the luckiest and most privileged person she knows. To anyone considering her prodigious list of professional accomplishments, the...

College News Archive

Dr. Barry C. Barish

2017 NOBEL PRIZE WINNER IN PHYSICS

Meet the Faculty

Dr. Richard R. Schrock

2005 NOBEL PRIZE WINNER IN CHEMISTRY
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Inside UCR

February 03, 2025

Trailblazing UCR Geneticist Becomes National Academy of Sciences VP

Sue Wessler recognized for scientific excellence and collaborative spirit

January 30, 2025

Meet the new dean of CNAS

Peter Atkinson, genetics professor in the Dept. of Entomology

Sean Preins and Peter Carney with prototype

January 29, 2025

UCR team tests novel detector technology at particle collider

Seven UCR students designed, built, and ran their own experiment

January 15, 2025

ACS funding supports research with photocatalytic applications

Physicist Andrew Joe has received a Doctoral New Investigator grant

More "Inside UCR" CNAS News

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

January 29, 2025

How scientists rushed to make L.A.’s actual air quality available on your phone

FAST COMPANY - As fires burned tens of thousands of acres across Los Angeles County, officials were warning residents that the air was a “toxic soup” of pollution—fueled by the fact that not only vegetation but cars, buildings, homes, and...

January 26, 2025

The good, bad and ugly truths about LA tumbleweeds and their role in fires

LAIST.COM - It was Jan. 11 — the first Saturday after the two huge L.A. fires broke out. The city was thick with haze and smoke; ash was twirling in the air, and somehow, despite it all, our myth-making sunset...

January 22, 2025

Choe Reviews Drywood Termite Geographical Hotspots, Latest Research Findings

PEST CONTROL TECHNOLOGY - At PestWorld in Denver, Colo., Dong-Hwan Choe , professor, department of entomology, University of California Riverside, presented on "Wild Wild Western Drywood Termites,” reviewing geographical hotspots for drywood termites, biology of termites and research updates and...

January 19, 2025

Dark Matter Helped Solve This Milky Way Mystery

MSN - One of the most extensively studied stellar streams within the galactic halo of the Milky Way is the GD-1 stellar stream. It is known for its long, thin structure and distinctive features. It exhibits spur and gap features...

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CNAS Blog

August 27, 2024

Riverside City College students explore research through RISE

When asked how she's enjoying UC Riverside's Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program this summer, Riverside City College student Kat McVeigh doesn't hold back. "It's been a great experience!" she says. "Being in an actual lab [and] getting to...

August 05, 2024

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS

Like many students before him, Nicolas Sanchez '24 has learned that finding the proper outlet can circumvent the pressure of a tough academic course load. For Nicolas, who graduated from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences with...

July 11, 2024

Doubling down: Assal and Sadaf Sadighian on the long journey from Iran to UC Riverside...and what lies in the future

To say that twin sisters Assal and Sadaf Sadighian are used to long commutes would be an understatement. The twins, who will graduate next spring with Biology degrees, live “a very short drive” away from campus, and will readily tell...

July 11, 2024

For recent CNAS graduate Briana Baldovinos '24, UCR was a whole new dance

For the past year and a half, Briana Baldovinos has worked at the “Happiest Place on Earth”...Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, where she dances in the Main Street Parade. Before enrolling at UC Riverside, she used to dance ballet, jazz and...

College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

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Undergraduate
Students

Graduate
Students

CNAS Science News

A Message from Dean Peter Atkinson

More College News

Meet the new dean of CNAS

CNAS unveils Science Lecture Series 2025 dates

Susan Wessler Elected VP of the National Academy of Sciences

With a Little Bit of Luck: What Mary Droser has Uncovered after a Few Million Years

CNAS Events

Inside UCR

CNAS in the Media

How scientists rushed to make L.A.’s actual air quality available on your phone

The good, bad and ugly truths about LA tumbleweeds and their role in fires

Choe Reviews Drywood Termite Geographical Hotspots, Latest Research Findings

Dark Matter Helped Solve This Milky Way Mystery

Subscribe to the CNAS Newsletter

CNAS Blog

Riverside City College students explore research through RISE

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS

Doubling down: Assal and Sadaf Sadighian on the long journey from Iran to UC Riverside...and what lies in the future

For recent CNAS graduate Briana Baldovinos '24, UCR was a whole new dance

CNAS Undergraduate Advising