June 16, 2026

Graduating students celebrate a milestone filled with achievement, reflection and community. Scroll to see photos from commencement. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

UC Irvine earns top-50 subject rankings in U.S. News Best Global Universities

UC Irvine continues to strengthen its standing among the world’s leading research institutions, earning top-50 spots in four disciplines – atmospheric sciences, geosciences, education and neuroscience research – in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings released today. The campus was rated 99th globally and 38th nationally among U.S. institutions in the annual assessment, which evaluates 2,250 universities in 100-plus countries based on research performance, reputation and scholarly impact.

Researcher receives NIH grant to study cancer risks

David Richardson, associate dean of research and professor of environmental and occupational health in the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, received a $1.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to investigate the long-term cancer risks associated with low-dose radiation exposure. The five-year award will support research that examines an international cohort of more than 300,000 radiation-monitored workers across France, the United Kingdom and the U.S. “Understanding the health effects of low-dose radiation exposure is increasingly important as medical, occupational and environmental sources of radiation become more common,” said Richardson. “This research will provide critical evidence to inform radiation protection standards and public health policy.” #SpeakUp4Science

Revolutionizing gyroscopes

In this episode of The Lab Beat podcast, host Natalie Tso with the Samueli School of Engineering digs into gyroscopes – key devices that measure orientation and positioning. They’re used in phones, ships, planes and spacecraft to help us stay on course. Most look like a spinning top, but the ones in Andrei Shkel’s lab look like wine glasses. In 2009, the Chancellor’s professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering led a $200 million U.S. Department of Defense national program to miniaturize gyroscopes. He was inspired to make them smaller and more accessible after he saw a $1 million gyroscope used in space satellites.

Anti-Cancer Challenge funds novel research projects

With $1.6 million raised in 2025 by a record 4,600 dedicated participants, donors and supporters, the UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge awarded grants to 35 pilot projects and early phase clinical trials at the kickoff of its 10th anniversary event. The new and diverse range of cancer research projects will take place at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and its pediatric cancer affiliate, Rady Children’s Health. That brings the total of investigator-initiated projects to 190 since 2017, when Orange County’s premier community fundraising event was founded. “It has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish with the funds raised by the participants,” said Dr. Richard A. Van Etten, director of the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the event’s founder (above). Register to ride, run or walk in this year’s event on Oct. 10.

UC NEWS

UCTV: Landmarks – Aldrich Park

In this video, UCTV gives an aerial tour of the UC Irvine campus.

#IamUCI

Backstage, from UC Irvine to Broadway

Even before completing her M.F.A. in stage management in the Department of Drama, Jo McEvoy ’26 has earned a Broadway credit. She recently worked as a production assistant on the Broadway debut of The Fear of 13, which stars Oscar winner Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson. She collaborated with carpenters and electricians to get the show up and running and gained new insights into production management. “There is a level of flexibility and adaptability that UC Irvine teaches, making us not just equipped to deal with what comes up, but able to make the best of it,” said McEvoy. “We’ve gained all these skills and foundational knowledge now, and I feel like I'm coming out of the program a lot sharper, more decisive and confident.”

UC Irvine spring 2026 commencement

(photos by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UC Irvine community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.

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