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Spotlighting Black Trailblazers Whose Stories Deserve to be Told

February 12, 2026
Black History Month often honors familiar names, leaders whose courage and determination changed the course of a nation. But many others have made groundbreaking contributions that exposed injustice, advanced civil rights, reshaped American culture and revolutionized technology. Their achievements...

Political Science Professor Christopher Ojeda Featured in JHPPL

February 12, 2026
Congrats to Political Science Professor Christopher Ojeda, who was featured in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law for his paper, "Mental Health in Times of Democratic Backsliding: Insights from Trump's Second Term." The United States is currently experiencing...

Political Science Professor Anil Menon Featured in JHPPL

February 12, 2026
Congrats to Political Science Professor Anil Menon and co- authors who were featured in JHPPL for their paper, ""Thoughts and Prayers": The (Non) Effect of Partisan Response to Mass Shootings on Public Opinion." Experts consider gun violence a public health crisis in the...

Political Science Professor Christopher Ojeda Featured in Political Behavior

February 1, 2026
Congrats to Political Science Professor Christopher Ojeda and co-author who were featured in the latest issue of Political Behavior for their article, "The Health-Representation Gap: We Don’t Know Much But What We Know Is Concerning."  There is now evidence that disparities...

Ph.D. Student Awarded Fellowship to Advance Environmental Health and Harmful Algal Bloom Mitigation

December 18, 2025
Public health Ph.D. student Felix Agyemang Opoku has been awarded the UC Global Health Initiative Center for Planetary Health Water and Health Summer Research Fellowship. The research fellowships are designed to provide students with funding to conduct research on water and health. Opoku, who works...

Professor Andrew Shaver Featured in Latest Issue of QJPS

November 26, 2025
Congrats to Political Science Professor Andrew Shaver and researchers who were featured in the latest issue of QJPS, "Civilian Harm, Wartime Informing, and Counterinsurgent Operations".  See the full X thread here!

People Don’t Worry About Losing Jobs to AI, Even When Told It Could Happen Soon

November 18, 2025
As debates rage about artificial intelligence's impact on jobs, new research suggests that even warnings that AI could disrupt workers' employment soon do little to shake their confidence. In a survey-based study, political scientists Anil Menon of UC Merced and Baobao Zhang of Syracuse University...

First-generation Students Shine at UC Merced. This Week Celebrates Them

November 3, 2025
More than six in 10 UC Merced undergraduates are the first in their families to attend a university. The national average for four-year universities is about two in 10. Opening doors to opportunity for first-generation students is infused into UC Merced’s DNA. Young people who had little to no...

Anonymous Online Survey Detection (and Journalist Verification) of Political Violence, Social Unrest, and Human Rights Violations: Results from Bangladesh and Pakistan

November 3, 2025
  Congratulations to UC Merced Political Science Assistant Professor Andrew Shaver and researchers at the Political Violence Lab on their new working paper "Anonymous Online Survey Detection (and Journalist Verification) of Political Violence, Social Unrest, and Human Rights...

Is hateful political rhetoric rising in Merced? Civic leaders answer

October 31, 2025
  “We’ve seen the country become increasingly polarized,” said Christopher Ojeda, associate professor of political science at UC Merced. “Both sides are sort of framing this current political moment as… really high stakes…being on the precipice of...

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