What makes UC a scientific powerhouse? Ask a Nobel laureate
December 22, 2025 •
UC faculty have been awarded 75 Nobel prizes, a record few institutions can match. UCLA astronomer Andrea Ghez and three of her fellow UC laureates described why their world-changing discoveries could only have happened at the University of California. (Credit: Sally Ride Science / UC San Diego)
In October, the Nobel Committee recognized three UC physicists for their decades of progress in quantum computing and a UC chemist whose new molecular architecture can wring water out of thin air. The committee also recognized an alum of both UC San Diego and UCLA whose work is helping prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissues.
A few weeks ago, four of UC’s Nobel laureates spoke to the UC Board of Regents about what they discovered here, why it matters, and why their world-changing work could only have happened at the University of California.
