
Research

UC Santa Cruz research improves lives and livelihoods—help us safeguard the future of innovation.
Engineers have the power to create new things and the responsibility to use our knowledge for good.
Our faculty and students pursue novel, visionary research that leads to positive societal impact.
R1
Designated Research 1 University
(Carnegie Research Foundation)
60
patents awarded
(2022-24)
$48.6M
in new research funding
(2025)
11
research institutes and centers
(2026)
#16
Santa Cruz/Watsonville top 16 in research output in US
(National Bureau of Economic Research, 2025)
What’s trending
Discovering new insights into human brain development

Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Tal Sharf’s lab used brain organoids to find that early developing human brains are preconfigured with instructions for understanding the world. The discovery has important implications for diagnosing and treating developmental brain disorders.
Bold new solutions to society’s most complex issues
Explore research by impact areas

Undergraduate research
Research opportunities abound for Baskin Engineering students. The world-recognized Genomics Institute provides a hands-on and immersive environment for students interested in genomics. You can join clubs and student groups to explore genomic research and collaborate on projects with your peers. Baskin Engineering is also home to a nationally ranked computer game design major, recognized as one of the top 10 undergraduate programs in the country. Undergraduates work with faculty on innovative projects in areas like cyber-physical systems, security, and artificial intelligence—just a few of the many ways to get involved and make an impact.
Latest research news
Celebrating the Class of 2026
UC Santa Cruz is highlighting some of the amazing students in the Class of 2026. Video vignettes will be published throughout the week.
Students create agentic AI at first UC Santa Cruz hackathon with NVIDIA, ASUS
Dedicated students spent 24 hours hacking, and had the opportunity to use cutting-edge AI hardware brought to UC Santa Cruz for the event.
The frontier of brain science: AI and organoid research takes center stage in Silicon Valley
At a meeting of minds, researchers discussed a platform that could finally reveal the intimate workings of the human brain, and what happens if we succeed.
Additional areas of expertise
Algorithms, logic, & complexity
Bayesian statistics
Communications, signals, & image processing
Database systems
Distributed systems
Mathematical modeling & numerical analysis
Networks
Programming languages
Real-time systems
Systems biology







