Featured Stories

At UC San Diego, people are the point. And our visionary donors are empowering a new generation of scholars to become changemakers, fueling innovative collaborative research, advancing new health care discoveries, and driving our campus’ transformation into a global destination.

Gene Lay Honors his Mentor Shu ChienCenter

Eminent biotechnology innovator and entrepreneur Gene Lay, through the Laygend Foundation, has committed to provide $25 million as an endowment gift to support the University of California San Diego.

Gleiberman Gift Funds Research to Reverse Glaucoma

Researchers may soon be closer to finding ways to reverse the effects of glaucoma, thanks to $20 million in support from Hanna and Mark Gleiberman to establish a new center.

Schmidt Futures Partnership Focuses on AI Use in ScienceCenter

UC San Diego joins nine leading universities across the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Singapore to launch the next frontier of scientific discovery through AI use in postdoctoral research.

Center for Financial Research Established to Protect Investments

$5 million gift from Kenneth and Jennifer Kroner will expand the UC San Diego center connecting asset owners with academics to work together on vital questions that impact big and small investors around the globe

Nonconventional From the Start: A Look Back at the Campaign

The success of the Campaign for UC San Diego has been integral to the unprecedented transformation of our university. As a place known for taking risks, pushing boundaries and daring to dream, our most cherished tradition is challenging convention. With private support, we are boldly striving to make the world a better place and continuing the nontradition.

It’s Triton Time: Be a Part of the Action During Homecoming

Sport your blue and gold and join in the action by taking part in a full schedule of events October 17-23 that will include all your old favorites — plus some exciting new surprises. From lively athletic matches and the return of the Triton 5K to the Triton Tailgate and debut of the Epstein Family Amphitheater, the weeklong celebration is back and better than ever.

$150 Million Gift from Denny Sanford Takes Stem Cell Research to New Heights

Noted businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford has committed $150 million in new funding to expand and, in some ways, quite literally launch stem cell research and regenerative medicine at University of California San Diego into new spaces and endeavors.

Miles for Merak Step Challenge Gains Traction

The event has raised $100,000 for GIST cancer research in two years, with a goal to match that number during the 2022 challenge October 1–7. Moores Cancer Center nurse Maura Caffrey receives a 2022 Excellence in Stewardship Award for launching the effort in partnership with the family of Merak Melikian Hatounian.

Future Center at UC San Diego Health to be Named in Honor of Barbara Parker, MD

The Barbara Parker, MD, Breast Center and Price Philanthropies Courtyard were established with a $10 million gift from Price Philanthropies to support the UC San Diego Hillcrest Redevelopment Project

Local Philanthropists Leo and Emma Zuckerman Support Revitalization of Emergency Department at UC San Diego Health

When local residents Leo and Emma Zuckerman had need for emergency medical care in late 2021, they were grateful to be able to rely on the nearby Gary and Mary West Emergency Department, located within Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health.

UC San Diego Receives $1.3M from W. M. Keck Foundation to Study Origins of Dementia

UC San Diego researchers have received a $1.3 million grant from the Keck Foundation for a project that could help scientists to better understand the role that misfolded tau proteins play in causing neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, which they hope may lead to more effective drug therapies.

Illumina Supports Enhanced Genomics-Enabled Discovery and Training Programs at UC San Diego

Illumina provided researchers at the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine at Scripps Institute of Oceanography with new scientific equipment to build automation-enabled training programs and donated $973,000 for additional lab materials.

Changing the World Through Philanthropy: UC San Diego Raises $3.05 Billion as Campaign for UC San Diego Concludes

The funds have spurred a significant campus transformation, increased access with scholarships and fellowships for the next generation of leaders and expanded the university’s positive global impact.

University Becomes Nation’s Youngest to Reach $3 Billion in Fundraising Campaign

The Campaign for UC San Diego exceeded its initial $2 billion goal by $1 billion, fueling work to uncover solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges from Alzheimer’s disease to homelessness.

Two Gifts Establish Large-Scale Resource on Homelessness

The region’s first large-scale, university-based research and data hub focused exclusively on homelessness has launched thanks to campus friends Phyllis and Dan Epstein and Hanna and Mark Gleiberman. Each couple donated $1 million to establish the Homelessness Hub at UC San Diego.

RIMAC Arena Named LionTree Arena in Honor of Gift

In recognition of a $5 million scholarship gift from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank founded by alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff ’95, RIMAC Arena will be named LionTree Arena. The gift is the largest ever to UC San Diego Athletics to support scholarships for scholar-athletes.

New Downtown Hub Park & Market Opens to the Public

Made possible with philanthropic support from Malin Burnham and David and Claire Guggenheim, the new downtown center promises to be a cultural, intellectual and applied research hub.

Goeddel Family Technology Sandbox Named for Alumnus

The donation from David Goeddel ’72 and his wife Alena will support innovation, research and training in the School of Biological Sciences as well as undergraduate scholarships for Triton scholar-athletes.

Kavli Foundation Donates $5M for Brain and Cognition Research

Matching funds from The Kavli Foundation, paired with gifts from generous donors, are driving groundbreaking research taking place in the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind.

Edward Lee ’85 Leads with Care as a u.care Ambassador

Former Alumni Board member Edward Lee ’85 was among more than 200 u.care ambassadors in 2021 whose influence within his social and professional networks resulted in close to $65,000 raised in fewer than two days.

$1.4M Grant to Fight Malaria Awarded to Biology Lab

Ethan Bier, Distinguished Professor of developmental biology at UC San Diego and science director for the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, is part of a team that has been working on next-generation gene drive systems based on CRISPR technology.