Excellence in Research | Research UC Berkeley

Excellence in Research | Research UC Berkeley
Excellence in Research
Saul Perlmutter lectures in front of large auditorium full of people.
Excellence in Research
Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter lectures on expanding universe.
Overview
Rankings
Faculty Excellence
Research Funding
Berkeley Lab
Overview
UC Berkeley’s world-class faculty and researchers are changing the way we understand and interact with the world. Consistently ranked among the four top research universities in the world, UC Berkeley is highly rated for the quality and breadth of its research programs and the distinction of its faculty.
Each year, the UC Berkeley campus receives close to a billion dollars in research and other support from external sources and attracts some of the best undergraduate and graduate students in the world. The university has a long legacy of innovations and leaders that have created groundbreaking products, revolutionary companies, and entirely new industries.  The campus plays a critical role in California’s economy. Find out more about our
innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem
and how some of our most innovative researchers address pressing global challenges in
these news articles
and
faculty profiles
2025/26 Research Highlights
optimized for screen readers.
See 2025/26 Research Highlights
UC Berkeley’s Rankings
#1
Public Research University
Top Public University: Time Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes
#5
Global University
2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities - Shanghai Ranking
Graduate Programs Routinely Ranked in the Top 5 Across the Nation
Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, English, Earth Sciences, History, Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Affairs, Social Work, Sociology, and Statistics
Source:
U.S. News & World Report, Graduate School Rankings
Faculty Excellence
Distinguished experts in numerous fields, Berkeley faculty are leading the charge in using research to make profound changes in the way we understand and interact with the world.
Recipients of Prestigious Awards
11
Nobel Laureates
Recipients A.M. Turing Award
Recipient Fields Medal in Mathematics
Winners Pulitzer Prize
National Poet Laureate
Recipients National Medal of Science
25
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators
222
Fellows American Academy of Arts and Sciences
73
Members National Academy of Engineering
27
Awardees Presidential Early Career Award for Scientist and Engineers
40
American Philosophical Society Members
22
Fellows National Academy of Inventors
21
MacArthur Fellows
145
Members National Academy of Sciences
80
Guggenheim Fellows
Nobel Laureates
Omar Yaghi
2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
John Clarke
2025 Nobel Prize in Physics*
David Card
2021 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
Jennifer Doudna
2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Reinhard Genzel
2020 Nobel Prize in Physics*
Eric Betzig
2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Randy Schekman
2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Saul Perlmutter
2011 Nobel Prize in Physics
George Akerlof
2001 Nobel Prize in Economics*
Daniel McFadden
2000 Nobel Prize in Economics*
Yuan T. Lee
1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry*
*Emeritus
Leaders in Government Service
Jennifer M. Granholm
Former Secretary of Energy
Jennifer Granholm served as the Secretary of Energy from 2021 to 2025.  A UC Berkeley alumna and former faculty member, she was Michigan's governor from 2003-2011, and was the Michigan Attorney General from 1998-2002.
Adair Morse
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Capital Access
Adair Morse is a Professor of Finance at the Haas School of Business.  In 2021 she was named to the Biden administration’s Treasury Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Capital Access in the Office of Domestic Finance, and served that role until 2023.
Deirdre Mulligan
Former Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Policy
Deirdre Mulligan is a Professor in the School of Information.  She served as the Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Policy in the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office (NAIIO).
Robert B. Reich
Former Secretary of Labor
Robert B. Reich is a Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. A former Secretary of Labor, Reich has served in three administrations. He is a frequent contributor to national media.
Janet Yellen
Former Secretary of the Treasury
Janet Yellen served as Secretary of the Treasury from 2021-2025, and was Chair of the Federal Reserve between 2014 and 2018. Prior to joining the Federal Reserve, she was a distinguished faculty member in Business Administration and Economics at UC Berkeley.
Faculty Award Recipients in the News
Faculty Award Recipients in the News
April 20, 2026
Two UC Berkeley Faculty Members Win New Horizons Prizes
Two Berkeley professors were honored for their early career contributions.
April 17, 2026
Four UC Berkeley Professors Win Illustrious Guggenheim Fellowships
Two historians, a biologist and a bioengineer will receive a stipend to pursue independent work under “the freest possible conditions.”
April 16, 2026
Tolani Britton Selected for William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program
Berkeley professor is selected for a prestigious research grant.
More
See more Faculty Award News
"101" in 101
Watch UC Berkeley professors and researchers explain the "101" of their field of study in only 101 seconds.
International News
March 26, 2026
Democracy Policy Goes Beyond the Ballot Box
Public policy can help create the sense of belonging that is needed to heal our bruised democracy.
January 15, 2026
Why ‘Basic Science’ Is the Foundation of Innovation
Berkeley dean explains how curiosity-driven research fuels today's technologies.
December 11, 2025
The Housing Crisis, Explained in 101 Seconds
UC Berkeley’s Ben Metcalf breaks down the policies needed to make homes affordable again.
More International News
See more "101 in 101"
Research Funding
Total Awards FY25 = $965 million
Calculated on the basis of project period
In 2024/25 UC Berkeley researchers secured close to one billion dollars in research funding from external sources. Support was driven in part by continued funding from a variety of government sources, with the federal government providing about half and state and other governments 10% of the total. Non-profit partners accounted for 25% in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.
Of the research funding provided by the US government, the largest contributors are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.
UC Berkeley & Berkeley Lab
UC Berkeley has a unique and historic relationship with
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
. Berkeley Lab was founded in 1931 by Ernest Orlando Lawrence, a UC Berkeley physicist who won the 1939 Nobel Prize in physics for his invention of the cyclotron, a circular particle accelerator that opened the door to high-energy physics. When the Lab became a part of the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratory system in the 1950s, the partnership between the two institutions was broadened beyond its initial focus. Today, the relationship continues to thrive. More than 200 UC Berkeley faculty members also hold appointments at the Berkeley Lab. In addition, Berkeley Lab hosts nearly 600 UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students, along with 500 postdoctoral researchers.
The two institutions are partners in a number of large-scale research efforts, including the
Joint BioEnergy Institute
.  More importantly, the partnership provides UC Berkeley faculty, post docs and graduate students ongoing access to cutting-edge technology and opportunities to collaborate with leading researchers. These unique partnerships have led to numerous Nobel prizes and scientific breakthroughs.
To advance their research, UC Berkeley faculty and students have access to Berkeley Lab's five unique National User Facilities, including the:
Advanced Light Source (ALS)
Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
Joint Genome Institute (JGI)
Molecular Foundry
National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
View of UC Berkeley from Berkeley Lab