Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
At UC Berkeley, the annual awarding of Nobel Prizes is a thrilling time, if only because we are almost always involved. This year was no exception. We could not be prouder that two alums and two former faculty members are among this year’s winners who, in the words of Alfred Nobel, “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.” Visit nobels.berkeley.edu to explore Berkeley’s prize-winning legacy over the decades.
- David Baker Ph.D. ’89 (Nobel Prize in Chemistry) — A biochemist who worked as a Ph.D. student with professor and fellow Nobel laureate Randy Schekman, Baker shares the prize “for computational protein design.” His research group, as this article explains, has produced proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials, and tiny sensors.
- Gary Ruvkun ’73 (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine) — A geneticist, Ruvkin shares the prize “for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.” This new class of tiny RNA molecules play a crucial role in gene regulation and are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.
- James Robinson (Prize in Economic Sciences) — An economist and political scientist at Berkeley from 1999 to 2004, Robinson co-won the award for research on why some nations are rich and others poor. By examining the political and economic systems introduced by European colonizers, he and his fellow laureates have demonstrated a relationship between institutions and prosperity.
- John Hopfield (Nobel Prize in Physics) — A physics faculty member from 1961–64 and now a biophysicist, Hopfield shares the prize “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” He created a structure that can store and reconstruct information.
Knowing that a fellow alum or former professor won a Nobel is undeniably cool, but it also points to something much larger: According to the Times Higher Education’s 2025 World University Rankings, UC Berkeley is once again the No. 1 public university in the United States. It also moved up to No. 8 among all of the world’s universities. This year’s rankings evaluated more than 2,000 universities on five criteria: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.
With these exciting achievements, what better time to show off your Cal pride than by attending Homecoming this weekend? While online registration is closed, and some events are sold out, you can still enjoy lectures, special tours, spirit events, and more. Register on-site at Homecoming Headquarters. Let’s come together to celebrate all that we are and can be.
Go Bears!
Chancellor Rich Lyons
Chancellor’s Choice
Event: The Future of American Democracy — Take a critical look at the issues that have led us to this year’s tumultuous election and the future of American democracy. Hear from Janet Napolitano, former secretary of homeland security under Obama (2009–13); Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under Clinton (1993–97); Maria Echaveste, former assistant to the president and deputy White House chief of staff under Clinton (1998–2001); and Angela Glover Blackwell, chief vision officer for the Goldman School of Public Policy’s new Democracy Policy Initiative. Get tickets for Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7–8:30 p.m., at Zellerbach Hall.
Exhibition: “Making Their Mark” — Opening at BAMPFA on Oct. 27, “Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection” features phenomenal works spanning almost eight decades by both emerging and historically significant women artists, including many Bay Area artists. The widely acclaimed exhibition focuses on innovative large-scale, vibrant paintings and sculptures, as well as exquisite examples of textiles and ceramics. Check the schedule for show details and special events.