The University of California has achieved a new milestone this year, with four faculty members recognized by the Nobel Committee for their contributions in physics, chemistry, and medicine. This marks the first time that four faculty from a single institution have been honored in one year, bringing UC’s total number of Nobel laureates to 75.
The recent Nobel Prizes were awarded to three UC physicists for advancements in quantum computing and to a UC chemist for developing molecular structures capable of extracting water from air. Additionally, an alumnus of both UC San Diego and UCLA was recognized for research that helps prevent the immune system from attacking healthy tissue.
These achievements highlight the university’s broad scientific reach, supported by its ten campuses, three national laboratories, six academic health centers, and statewide programs. According to the university, these resources alone do not explain UC’s consistent presence at the top of national and global rankings for innovation and research impact. Instead, leaders point to California’s culture of ambition and diversity as key factors.
Four Nobel laureates recently addressed the UC Board of Regents about their discoveries and experiences at the university:
“At the University of California, we have the tools to look deep into the universe, and we’ve been able to bring something incredible into focus. We showed the world something that’s impossible to see directly and discovered more questions than answers,” said Andrea M. Ghez, 2020 Nobel laureate in physics and professor at UCLA.
Ghez used twin Keck telescopes—co-owned by UC—to provide evidence confirming a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. She described her team’s work as moving “the notion of a supermassive black hole from a possibility to a certainty.” She added: “That’s what we do at the University of California every day. We ask questions, we explore things that are still shrouded in darkness, and we bring new knowledge and understanding into focus.”
David Julius, 2021 Nobel laureate for physiology or medicine who earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and is now a professor at UCSF, credited his success to collaboration within UC: “UC is a special place where people interact freely. There are other places I could have gone that could have given me more resources. What they couldn’t give me was the intellectual and collegial atmosphere, working with scientists who mentored me to be curious and active in the scientific community and to give back.”
Julius investigated how humans sense heat, cold, and pain using compounds like capsaicin from chili peppers. His research led to identifying proteins on nerve endings responsible for these sensations—a discovery he hopes will lead to new types of nonaddictive pain medications.
John Martinis—a member of this year’s record-setting class—received his undergraduate degree and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley before becoming professor emeritus at UC Santa Barbara. He reflected on learning instrument-building skills from leading physicists during his education: “When I went to UC Berkeley, it was amazing to be taught by the top physicists in the world. And they were all experts in building the instruments that lead to scientific discovery.”
Martinis worked with colleagues Michel Devoret (UC Santa Barbara) and John Clarke (UC Berkeley) on experiments demonstrating quantum effects in macroscopic systems—paving the way for technologies such as quantum computers.
Randy Schekman—2013 Nobel laureate for physiology or medicine—spoke about benefiting from California’s investment in public higher education: “California’s master plan for higher education included the construction of new campuses large enough for the children of all the families of our state to enjoy the nation’s finest educational opportunities. I was a direct beneficiary of that investment.”
Schekman studied protein transport mechanisms using yeast cells at UC Berkeley; his discoveries contributed significantly to biotechnology applications including insulin production.
Since Ernest O. Lawrence received its first Nobel Prize in 1939 for inventing the cyclotron, University of California faculty have continued contributing major advances across disciplines.
The current Nobel laureates are participating in awards celebrations this week in Stockholm.
