Carina Galicia has received the College of Letters & Science Staff Achievement Award for 2024-2025. Read more here. 

Research by IB's Adjunct Assistant Professor Juan Liu on a newly discovered fossil fish is being used to reshape the origin story of freshwater fish evolution. Read more in the Berkeley News article here. 

To combat the disparaging numbers of marginalized students opting out of pursuing STEM careers, a study was conducted by several IB researchers, including Jennifer Imamura, Tamara Mau, Joshua Povich, Timothy Herrlinger, Julianne M. Winters, and other collaborators, to assess how the Faculty Learning Optimizes Student Success (FLOSS) program, might better foster an inclusive learning environment where students can become better equipped for their professional goals. Read the full article here.

Genomic research on the Turkana of northwestern Kenya, led by IB’s Julien Ayrole and Vanderbilt University’s Amanda Lea, in collaboration with Kenyan researchers and the Turkana community, reveals that genetic adaptations developed for surviving extreme desert conditions may predispose individuals from the Turkana community to chronic diseases as the community transitions from pastoralist lifestyles to urban cities. Read the full Berkeley News article here.

The first-ever measurements of ethanol content in fruits available to wild chimpanzees, conducted by Robert Dudley and IB graduate student Aleksey Maro, suggest that these animals may routinely ingest the equivalent of over two standard alcoholic drinks daily. Read the full Berkeley News article here. 

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.

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. 

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.