Welcome to the first edition of the Basic Sciences Quarterly, a new newsletter to keep you updated on research achievements, faculty milestones, and the national standing of our six basic science departments. Our goal is to make this brief, data-rich, and worth your time. As always, we welcome your feedback.
Highlights
All six departments nationally ranked for NIH funding — five basic sciences in the top 20, Public Health Sciences #3 of 48. Combined: $100.7M.
Blue Ridge Rankings
Department NIH funding rankings from the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.
Top-Funded Faculty
Faculty ranked in the national top 10% and top 25% by NIH funding across all departments.
Notable Publications
High-impact research published by our faculty in Q4 2025 and Q1 2026.
Funding & Awards
New grants, career awards, and honors received by our faculty this quarter.
Faculty in the News
Media coverage, interviews, and public engagement by our researchers.
Public Health Sciences — #3 of 48 departments
| Rank | Institution | NIH Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California | $58,224,322 |
| 2 | Northwestern University Chicago | $56,518,063 |
| 3 | UC Davis | $30,816,747 |
| 4 | Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine | $28,380,506 |
| 5 | UC San Francisco | $23,985,158 |
| 6 | Cornell Weill Medical College | $22,296,096 |
| 7 | University of Maryland Baltimore | $20,322,664 |
| 8 | University of Chicago | $19,903,649 |
| 9 | Wake Forest University Hlth Sciences | $19,834,972 |
| 10 | University of Utah | $19,084,049 |
| 11 | Penn State Hershey Medical Center | $19,042,917 |
| 12 | Medical University of South Carolina | $18,522,680 |
| 13 | Michigan State Univ & Henry Ford Health | $16,664,965 |
| 14 | University of Washington Seattle | $15,742,328 |
| 15 | University of Virginia | $15,727,491 |
Medical Microbiology & Immunology — #11 of 94 departments
| Rank | Institution | NIH Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | $38,480,117 |
| 2 | University of Pittsburgh | $34,356,180 |
| 3 | Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine | $26,474,421 |
| 4 | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | $23,227,691 |
| 5 | UT Medical Branch Galveston | $23,177,951 |
| 6 | UNC Chapel Hill | $22,087,857 |
| 7 | Washington University St. Louis | $19,662,209 |
| 8 | Stanford University | $19,586,936 |
| 9 | Dartmouth College | $19,347,355 |
| 10 | University of Washington Seattle | $18,526,156 |
| 11 | UC Davis | $18,059,096 |
| 12 | Harvard Medical School | $18,001,030 |
| 13 | University of Pennsylvania | $17,909,446 |
| 14 | Emory University | $17,849,333 |
| 15 | University of Alabama Birmingham | $17,621,040 |
Cell Biology & Human Anatomy — #12 of 67 departments
| Rank | Institution | NIH Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UMass Med School Worcester | $34,514,129 |
| 2 | UC Irvine | $23,327,439 |
| 3 | Johns Hopkins University | $18,360,094 |
| 4 | Vanderbilt University | $17,402,933 |
| 5 | University of Michigan | $16,159,012 |
| 6 | Boston University | $15,873,715 |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | $15,785,579 |
| 8 | Baylor College of Medicine | $15,673,556 |
| 9 | University of Pittsburgh | $15,644,695 |
| 10 | Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine | $15,525,672 |
| 11 | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | $15,016,246 |
| 12 | UC Davis | $13,250,506 |
| 13 | University of Illinois Chicago | $13,034,366 |
| 14 | Washington University St. Louis | $12,977,557 |
| 15 | Harvard Medical School | $12,905,223 |
Physiology & Membrane Biology — #12 of 74 departments
| Rank | Institution | NIH Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNC Chapel Hill | $25,770,026 |
| 2 | University of Michigan | $21,909,748 |
| 3 | University of Virginia | $19,878,261 |
| 4 | Columbia University | $18,646,045 |
| 5 | University of Southern California | $17,619,192 |
| 6 | Ohio State University | $16,753,555 |
| 7 | Northwestern University | $16,027,688 |
| 8 | Baylor College of Medicine | $14,961,497 |
| 9 | Johns Hopkins University | $14,013,435 |
| 10 | University of South Florida | $13,474,732 |
| 11 | UC Irvine | $13,303,397 |
| 12 | UC Davis | $13,234,362 |
| 13 | University of Oklahoma HSC | $12,037,825 |
| 14 | Penn State Hershey | $11,883,223 |
| 15 | University of Iowa | $11,510,984 |
Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine — #17 of 95 departments
| Rank | Institution | NIH Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tufts University | $29,447,461 |
| 2 | UT Southwestern Dallas | $28,523,473 |
| 3 | UNC Chapel Hill | $20,516,875 |
| 4 | University of Minnesota | $20,151,766 |
| 5 | UCSF | $19,098,657 |
| 6 | Columbia University | $18,871,078 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | $18,854,856 |
| 8 | Yale University | $18,195,059 |
| 9 | University of Utah | $17,868,071 |
| 10 | Brown University | $16,679,411 |
| 11 | Vanderbilt University | $16,242,404 |
| 12 | Thomas Jefferson University | $16,222,693 |
| 13 | UCLA | $15,790,556 |
| 14 | UT San Antonio | $15,678,030 |
| 15 | University of Pennsylvania | $14,888,538 |
| 16 | University of Florida | $14,801,535 |
| 17 | UC Davis | $13,652,940 |
Pharmacology — #19 of 79 departments
| Rank | Institution | NIH Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine | $29,353,138 |
| 2 | University of Pittsburgh | $25,228,185 |
| 3 | UC San Diego | $24,307,289 |
| 4 | University of Colorado Denver | $22,584,558 |
| 5 | University of Kentucky | $21,943,987 |
| 6 | Vanderbilt University | $18,652,568 |
| 7 | University of Arizona | $18,367,736 |
| 8 | Duke University | $17,910,749 |
| 9 | Yale University | $16,894,520 |
| 10 | University of Illinois Chicago | $16,614,528 |
| 11 | UNC Chapel Hill | $16,138,065 |
| 12 | Cornell Weill Medical College | $14,997,861 |
| 13 | Northwestern University | $14,847,528 |
| 14 | Emory University | $14,579,414 |
| 15 | University of Maryland Baltimore | $14,550,582 |
| 16 | University of Florida | $14,316,649 |
| 17 | UT San Antonio | $12,563,296 |
| 18 | Rutgers University | $11,879,184 |
| 19 | UC Davis | $11,681,401 |
| Rank | Faculty | Department | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 / 48 depts | Rachel Whitmer | Public Health Sciences | $13,398,111 | Top 1% |
| #4 / 1,113 | Dennis Hartigan-O'Connor | Med. Microbiology | $6,123,593 | Top 1% |
| #13 / 757 | Melissa Bauman | Physiology | $3,105,492 | Top 2% |
| #49 / 903 | Manuel Navedo | Pharmacology | $2,088,357 | Top 5% |
| #56 / 1,113 | Andreas Bäumler | Med. Microbiology | $2,730,706 | Top 5% |
| #58 / 1,144 | Megan Dennis | Biochemistry | $2,075,532 | Top 5% |
| #68 / 1,144 | Yuanpei Li | Biochemistry | $1,942,291 | Top 6% |
| #64 / 757 | Karl Murray | Physiology | $1,525,546 | Top 8% |
| #84 / 903 | Donald Bers | Pharmacology | $1,467,398 | Top 9% |
| #89 / 903 | Johannes Hell | Pharmacology | $1,424,593 | Top 10% |
| Rank | Faculty | Department | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 / 48 depts | Rachel Whitmer | Public Health Sciences | $13,398,111 | Top 1% |
| #4 / 1,113 | Dennis Hartigan-O'Connor | Med. Microbiology | $6,123,593 | Top 1% |
| #13 / 757 | Melissa Bauman | Physiology | $3,105,492 | Top 2% |
| #12 / 48 depts | Peter James | Public Health Sciences | $5,164,012 | Top 4% |
| #49 / 903 | Manuel Navedo | Pharmacology | $2,088,357 | Top 5% |
| #56 / 1,113 | Andreas Bäumler | Med. Microbiology | $2,730,706 | Top 5% |
| #58 / 1,144 | Megan Dennis | Biochemistry | $2,075,532 | Top 5% |
| #68 / 1,144 | Yuanpei Li | Biochemistry | $1,942,291 | Top 6% |
| #64 / 757 | Karl Murray | Physiology | $1,525,546 | Top 8% |
| #84 / 903 | Donald Bers | Pharmacology | $1,467,398 | Top 9% |
| #89 / 903 | Johannes Hell | Pharmacology | $1,424,593 | Top 10% |
| #28 / 48 depts | Irva Hertz-Picciotto | Public Health Sciences | $3,196,760 | Top 10% |
| #29 / 48 depts | Rebecca Schmidt | Public Health Sciences | $3,164,224 | Top 10% |
| #80 / 757 | Rose Dixon | Physiology | $1,351,274 | Top 11% |
| #97 / 903 | Yang Xiang | Pharmacology | $1,351,665 | Top 11% |
| #133 / 1,144 | Aiming Yu | Biochemistry | $1,259,458 | Top 12% |
| #37 / 48 depts | Diana Miglioretti | Public Health Sciences | $2,604,217 | Top 13% |
| #124 / 903 | Eleonora Grandi | Pharmacology | $1,205,429 | Top 14% |
| #141 / 903 | Ye Chen-Izu | Pharmacology | $1,109,772 | Top 16% |
| #150 / 757 | Mark Huising | Physiology | $969,823 | Top 20% |
| #241 / 1,144 | David Olson | Biochemistry | $857,601 | Top 21% |
| #200 / 903 | Yale Goldman | Pharmacology | $881,853 | Top 22% |
| National PI Rank | Faculty | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| #58 / 1,144 | Megan Dennis | $2,075,532 | Top 5% |
| #68 / 1,144 | Yuanpei Li | $1,942,291 | Top 6% |
| #133 / 1,144 | Aiming Yu | $1,259,458 | Top 12% |
| #241 / 1,144 | David Olson | $857,601 | Top 21% |
| National PI Rank | Faculty | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| No faculty in Top 25% nationally in this cycle. Cell Biology PIs are ranked among 673 investigators nationwide. | |||
| National PI Rank | Faculty | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| #4 / 1,113 | Dennis Hartigan-O'Connor | $6,123,593 | Top 1% |
| #56 / 1,113 | Andreas Bäumler | $2,730,706 | Top 5% |
| National PI Rank | Faculty | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| #49 / 903 | Manuel Navedo | $2,088,357 | Top 5% |
| #84 / 903 | Donald Bers | $1,467,398 | Top 9% |
| #89 / 903 | Johannes Hell | $1,424,593 | Top 10% |
| #97 / 903 | Yang Xiang | $1,351,665 | Top 11% |
| #124 / 903 | Eleonora Grandi | $1,205,429 | Top 14% |
| #141 / 903 | Ye Chen-Izu | $1,109,772 | Top 16% |
| #200 / 903 | Yale Goldman | $881,853 | Top 22% |
| National PI Rank | Faculty | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| #13 / 757 | Melissa Bauman | $3,105,492 | Top 2% |
| #64 / 757 | Karl Murray | $1,525,546 | Top 8% |
| #80 / 757 | Rose Dixon | $1,351,274 | Top 11% |
| #150 / 757 | Mark Huising | $969,823 | Top 20% |
| National PI Rank | Faculty | NIH Funding | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 / 48 depts | Rachel Whitmer | $13,398,111 | Top 1% |
| #12 / 48 depts | Peter James | $5,164,012 | Top 4% |
| #28 / 48 depts | Irva Hertz-Picciotto | $3,196,760 | Top 10% |
| #29 / 48 depts | Rebecca Schmidt | $3,164,224 | Top 10% |
| #37 / 48 depts | Diana Miglioretti | $2,604,217 | Top 13% |
Rankings among PIs in their respective disciplines at U.S. medical schools. Source: Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research 2025.
Oriented cell divisions induce basal progenitors and regulate neural expansion across tissues and species
Boulan B, Lacomme M, Benadjal A, Krueger M, Currie K, La Torre A, Chédotal A, Cayouette M. This study reveals how oriented cell divisions drive neural progenitor expansion across multiple tissues and species, with implications for understanding brain development.
Structural basis for the subtype-selectivity of KCa2.2 channel activators
Nam YW, Ramanishka A, Xu Y, Yasuda RMH, Nasburg JA, Im D, Cui M, Chandy KG, Wulff H, Zhang M. Reveals the structural mechanisms underlying subtype-selective activation of KCa2.2 potassium channels, advancing the development of targeted therapeutics for neurological and cardiovascular disease.
Computational single-neuron mechanisms of visual object coding in the human temporal lobe
Cao R, Zhang J, Zheng J, Wang Y, Brunner P, Willie JT, Wang S. Uncovers how individual neurons in the human temporal lobe encode visual objects, providing insight into the neural basis of perception and recognition.
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities
James P, et al. Living in urban areas with a higher percentage of trees is associated with a 4% decrease in cardiovascular disease risk, while grass and other greenery show no comparable benefit — with implications for urban planning and public health policy.
Deleterious coding variation associated with autism is shared across ancestries
Natividad Avila M, Jung S, Satterstrom FK, … Hertz-Picciotto I, … Schmidt R, … Buxbaum JD. The Genomics of Autism in Latin American Ancestries (GALA) Consortium presents the largest sequencing study of autism in Latin American individuals (n>15,000), identifying 35 genome-wide significant autism-associated genes and demonstrating that the biology of autism is consistent across populations.
Prenatal exposure to wildfire-related PM2.5 and autism spectrum disorder in children born in California 2001–2019
O’Sharkey K, … Goodrich AJ, Conlon KC, Nuño M, Bennett DH, … Schmidt RJ. Analysis of 8.6 million California births finds that high-intensity wildfire smoke during pregnancy increases ASD risk by up to 50%, particularly in low-background-pollution and rural settings — underscoring the need for targeted policies as wildfire frequency rises.
Intelectin-2 is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial lectin
Dugan AE, Syangtan D, Nonnecke EB, Chorghade RS, Peiffer AL, Yao JJ, et al. Identifies intelectin-2 as a potent antimicrobial lectin with broad-spectrum activity, expanding our understanding of innate immune defense at mucosal surfaces.
Q1 2026 NIH Awards · Jan – Mar 2026 · ★ = brand-new award · Click a department to expand
| Faculty | Code | Agency | Project Title | Award ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Li, Yuanpei | R01 | NIBIB | Two-way Magnetic Resonance Tuning Nanoprobe Enhanced Subtraction Imaging for Precision Diagnosis of Brain Metastasis | $530,488 |
| Tassone, Flora | R01 | NINDS | Trajectories and Markers of Neurodegeneration in Carriers of the Fragile X Premutation | $1,016,779 |
| Faculty | Code | Agency | Project Title | Award ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schumann, Cynthia | R01 | NIMH | Brain Aging Across the Lifespan in Neurodevelopmental Disorders | $803,128 |
| Simo, Sergi ★ NEW | R01 | NINDS | Regulation of Phosphoinositide Metabolism and Calcium Dynamics in the Neocortex | $414,509 |
| Tarantal, Alice | R01 | NICHD | Impact of Maternal Inflammation and Cell Trafficking on Fetal Immune Ontogeny | $678,065 |
| Faculty | Code | Agency | Project Title | Award ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bäumler, Andreas | R37 | NIAID | Salmonella–Host Interactions | $619,850 |
| Dandekar, Satya | R37 | NIAID | "Corral and Kill" Strategy for HIV Eradication Using MSC in an SIV Model | $778,962 |
| Faculty | Code | Agency | Project Title | Award ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bers, Donald | R01 | NHLBI | Calmodulin and Regulation of Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor and CaMKII | $677,685 |
| Hell, Johannes | R01 | NINDS | Postsynaptic Signaling by Norepinephrine and cAMP | $431,633 |
| Navedo, Manuel | R01 | NHLBI | Mechanisms of VSM Dysfunction in Diabetes and HFpEF | $660,765 |
| Faculty | Code | Agency | Project Title | Award ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dixon, Rose Ellen | R01 | NIA | Molecular Choreography and Trafficking in the Aging Myocardium | $740,899 |
| Gomes, Aldrin | T32 | NIGMS | Initiative for Maximizing Student Development at the University of California, Davis | $832,529 |
| Faculty | Code | Agency | Project Title | Award ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilango, Sindana | R00 | NIA | The Contribution of Air Pollution to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias | $248,999 |
| Schmidt, Rebecca | R24 | NIEHS | BUILDS MARBLES: Biorepository Upkeep and Infrastructure for Longitudinal Data Sharing for MARBLES | $400,221 |
Source: NIH Reporter API v2 · Award notice dates Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026. ★ = brand-new award; all others are renewals or continuations.
| Faculty | Department | Category | Recognition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendy Campana | Cell Biology & Human Anatomy | Leadership | Appointed Department Chair, Cell Biology & Human Anatomy | Dec 2025 |
| Megan Dennis | Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine | SOM Award | Research Rock Star Award (Basic Sciences) — for landmark research including leadership in the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium. Also named 2025-26 Chancellor’s Fellow | Oct–Nov 2025 |
| Qizhi Gong | Cell Biology & Human Anatomy | SOM Award | Research Rock Star Award — for research on olfactory-brain barrier dysfunction in COVID-19 | Oct 2025 |
| Janine LaSalle | Medical Microbiology & Immunology | National Honor | Elected AAAS Fellow — for pioneering research on gene × environment epigenetics in neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder | Mar 2026 |
| Manuel Navedo | Pharmacology | SOM Award | SOM Research Award (Established Career) — recognizing exceptional contributions to biomedical research | Jun 2025 |
| David J. Segal | Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine | National Honor | Elected AAAS Fellow — for distinguished contributions to molecular and translational genetics, including pioneering work on zinc finger, TALE, and CRISPR gene editors for neurological conditions | Mar 2026 |
| David J. Segal | Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine | Leadership | Appointed Department Chair, Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine | Feb 2026 |
| Heike Wulff | Pharmacology | SOM Award | Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Award for Excellence in Teaching Basic Sciences Faculty | Jun 2025 |
Sources: AAAS, UC Davis Health News, SOM Research Celebration, department announcements. Items from Oct 2025 – Mar 2026 included to cover the full reporting window.
Gut Microbiome Imbalance Found to Worsen Chronic Kidney Disease
Andreas Bäumler and colleagues published findings in Science showing how an imbalanced gut microbiome drives a destructive feedback loop in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidney impairment raises colonic nitrate levels, which turbocharges E. coli production of indoxyl sulfate — a toxin that further damages the kidneys. The team identified an investigational iNOS-blocking drug that may break the cycle. The study was covered by UC Davis Health, Medical Xpress, Newswise, and Mirage News.
Trees — Not Grass — Linked to Lower Heart Disease Risk in Cities
Peter James led a multi-institutional study using deep learning to analyze over 350 million street-view images, finding that urban tree canopy is associated with a 4% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, while grass coverage was associated with a 6% increase. The research — based on nearly 89,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study — generated wide press attention and prompted calls to prioritize tree planting in urban planning policy.
Whitmer Co-Leads NIA Funding Webinar for AD/ADRD Researchers
Rachel Whitmer, Co-Director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, led the "Launch Your AD/ADRD Research with NIA Funding" webinar on February 26, 2026, alongside Co-Director Charles DeCarli, M.D. Whitmer also co-authored two papers during the quarter: a study on dementia incidence after age 90 in a multiracial cohort (Alzheimer's & Dementia, Jan 2026) and a study on parental education, midlife hypertension, and late-life cognitive disparities (Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, Feb 2026).
Prenatal Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Autism Risk
Irva Hertz-Picciotto and team published research in ACS Environmental Science & Technology assessing the effects of wildfire PM₂.₅ on autism in a Southern California pregnancy cohort — the first study to examine chronic neurodevelopmental effects of wildfire particulate matter. Findings show that autism risk was significantly associated with increased wildfire-exposed days during the third trimester.
Olson Featured on STAT's Readout Loud on Non-Hallucinogenic Neuroplastogens
David Olson, Director of the UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics and co-founder of Delix Therapeutics, appeared on STAT's Readout Loud podcast to discuss DLX-001 — a non-hallucinogenic neuroplastogen in development for major depressive disorder. He also appeared on the University of Chicago Big Brains podcast discussing the broader science of neuroplastogens as a new class of mental health treatment.
La Torre Presents at Center for Vision Science Annual Symposium
Anna La Torre was an invited speaker at the UC Davis Center for Vision Science Annual Symposium (January 9, 2026, Sacramento). Her lab's research on retinal neurogenesis and foveal development was a featured highlight. La Torre's work was simultaneously published in Science Advances (Feb 2026), extending findings beyond the retina to broader neural development across tissues and species.