Campus & Community

Center for Neuroscience Names Marie Burns New Director

Vision neuroscientist Marie E. Burns has been appointed the sixth director of the Center for Neuroscience (CNS), effective July 1, 2025, after serving as interim director for the past year.

A professor with joint appointments in the departments of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, and Cell Biology and Human Anatomy in the School of Medicine, Burns brings more than 20 years’ leadership experience to the role.

Mark Winey to Conclude Tenure as Dean of UC Davis College of Biological Sciences

After a decade of leadership marked by growth in research, student success and interdisciplinary advances, Mark Winey will step down as dean of the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences in 2026. A national search for his successor will begin this fall.

Winey, the college’s longest-serving dean, said he was first drawn to UC Davis by its uniquely expansive and collaborative biology community—and by the opportunity to serve on a broader scale.

From the Dean: It's That Time of Year

Though there is much turmoil in the higher education landscape—and though it will continue, and may even worsen—one thing remains the same: commencement is a joyful time.

And it’s that time of year. Students are in their caps and gowns, families are here and the stage is set. This year, UC Davis commencements will see approximately 8,000 students complete their undergraduate journeys.

From the Dean: Thinkers, Leaders and Innovators

Spring began just two months ago, and already here in Davis it’s starting to feel like summer. There’s just about a month of the quarter left, during which our students will be preparing for final exams and then, for many, commencement. There’s still much to do between then and now, but the excitement of graduation season is already being felt in our classrooms, labs and across campus.

Inaugural “Under the Microscope” Spotlights UC Davis Cancer Researchers

Researchers in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) are driving breakthroughs in one of the thorniest problems in science: understanding and combating cancer. 

On April 29, the first webinar in a new series called “Under the Microscope” will offer the public an inside look at their innovative research, which is changing our understanding of breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer. 

From the Dean: Inspiration and Hope

Spring quarter just started, and the trees outside Green Hall are in bloom. There’s pollen in the air (and on the cars — a quintessentially Davis occurrence) and our students are back. It’s always a welcome and comforting sight to see our CBS Aggies on their bikes and scooters, in the classroom and lab, and studying in our lobby. It helps us remember that things continue to move forward.

CBS Department and Graduate Group Faculty Among the 2024-25 UC Davis Chancellor's Fellows

Meet the eight faculty members who comprise the newest class of Chancellor’s Fellows, given to early career academics doing exemplary work in their fields. One of the new fellows, Kassandra Ori-McKenney, is a an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and four others are affiliated with the college's interdisciplinary graduate groups.