Prospective Students

Greetings from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, also known as CNAS!

We invite you to use this page in the months ahead to get to know us better. From on-campus and virtual events to opportunities to interact with current students, faculty, and staff, you'll find that there's a lot to love about CNAS!

UC Riverside students walking by UCR sign and clocktower

Who We Are

CNAS is home to world-renowned scholars pursuing research that deepens our knowledge of the universe we live in and improves the quality of life for inhabitants of the state, the nation, and the world. Central to this research is educating the students who come to CNAS to learn science, and who leave with an integrated grasp of how they can change the world. CNAS’s 13 departments encompass the life, physical, mathematical, and agricultural sciences. This structure encourages an extraordinary degree of collaboration, reflected in the interdisciplinary research centers and the many cooperatively taught degree programs. Modern science is team based, and CNAS embodies that principle in everything it teaches and practices. Our mission is to transform lives through discovery, communication, translation, application, and preservation of knowledge.

Learn More Prospective Transfers

$97 million

Awarded in Contracts & Grants

6,734

Undergraduate Students

987

Faculty & Staff

947

Graduate Students

40+

Citrus Varieties Created

20+

Research Centers & Institutes

National Academies Members

National Academy of Inventors Members

Entomology Program in the World

Nobel Prize Winners

Hear What Our Students Are Saying About CNAS...

"My favorite CNAS memory is the Learning Community from my first year. I made some amazing friendships that I still carry with me today."

Kamron Sherafat '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

"Aside from the fact that the campus was beautiful, I saw how diverse UCR was. UCR was in touch with all cultures and it made it almost impossible to not find some of your culture on campus. A year later, I have I was able to find my community and make close friendships with people. UCR has become my second home."

Imani Odunze '26

Biology

"Do things that are out of your comfort zone, because that is the only way you are going to learn what you are capable of. Over the summer, I worked as an orientation panelist for prospective CNAS students. By allowing myself to be open to new possibilities and learning along the way, I got to be where I am today, and I want the same for anyone attending UC Riverside."

Jennalyn Resendez '24

Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology

"I participated in UC Riverside’s RISE Summer Bridge to Research Program, where I completed a 10-week (paid) summer internship at UC Riverside studying artificial deep neural network models through a theoretical lens. I made a lot of great friends and learned a lot about the on-campus programs and resources on campus. It made my transition from community college to university smooth and seamless."

Jared Hudnall '24

Physics

"My favorite CNAS class was Dynamic Genome. This was my favorite class because of all the PCR's, bacterial transformations, and research we did on plant kinases! As a biology major, this class really embodied the laboratory part of the major and enhanced the fun that CNAS students encounter throughout their career at UCR."

Samantha Arenas '26

Biology

"My favorite CNAS class was Biochemistry, because it has helped me understand the complex chemical reactions that occur in a wide variety of life forms. One topic I always find interesting is glycolysis, the process through which glucose is partially broken down by cells in enzyme reactions that do not need oxygen. I also enjoyed learning more about photosynthesis on a deeper level because of my interest in plant biology."

Kyrollos Salama '24

Biology

"I am currently involved in Organic Chemistry research. My principal investigator really sparked my passion for the topic, which encouraged me to reach out to get involved in his research."

Saba Najafi '25

Biology

"My favorite CNAS class was Dynamic Genome. This class taught me a lot of fundamental research techniques and gave me the opportunity to do further research and even present at a symposium."

Russel Arevalo '25

Biology

"As someone who lives in the Inland Empire, UCR hits close to home because many of the opportunities and programs this school offers positively affects my local community. UCR's diverse and inclusive campus community greatly appealed to me as the daughter of Hispanic immigrants. Also, the university's commitment to research, innovation, and interdisciplinary studies aligns with my academic goals and aspirations."

Michelle Tellez '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

"I would describe UC Riverside as supportive, welcoming, and inspiring. It has a supportive atmosphere when it comes to the faculty and students. Everyone here wants to see you succeed and do well. UC Riverside is inspiring to me because I get to see the medical students on campus and think to myself, 'That'll be me one day.'"

Briana Baldovinos '24

Neuroscience, Pre-Med

"I really love and enjoy the supportive atmosphere at UCR. I've met so many people who were willing to help in times of need and who were there whenever you needed them. The school also offered so many resources that I didn't know would be available to me."

Linlin Liu '24

Statistics

"I am currently working on a project which studies efficient CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated
genome modification of the glassy‐winged sharpshooter Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar). Glassy-winged sharpshooters(GWSS) cause diseases like Pierce's Disease in grapes and other plants it infests. This poses a significant threat to California's grape and wine industry, so we use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to help target genetic mutations in GWSS, advancing genetic control methods for these species as well as others."

Shiraz Mogul '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

"I love to hang out at the Highlander Union Building (HUB), grab some coffee, and do my assignments there. It's a really lively place because there's always music playing from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf through the loudspeakers. Everyone's always walking in that area so I tend to run into friends too!"

Sakshi Nitke '25

Data Science

"UCR has a very diverse and welcoming community which made me feel very welcomed and represented. UCR also has a lot of programs that I was interested in being apart of that would connect me to the school and surrounding community. There is a strong support system through other students, faculty, and programs such as the Health Professions Advising Center."

Anastasia Farronan '24

Neuroscience & Biology

"My favorite spot on campus is the UCR Botanic Gardens, because it is so peaceful and the hiking trails are fun!"

Madeleine Haddad '24

Mathematics & Environmental Science

"My favorite class had to be Functional Anatomy of Vertebrates. The lectures and labs for this class were always so engaging and the highlight of each week. During my lab sections, I felt like a scientist with the dissections I performed on all sorts of vertebrates. From studying a turtle one week and a small shark the next, I always felt challenged and ready to learn something new."

Patricia B. Sanchez '24

Biology

"My favorite place to hang out on campus are the meeting rooms in the Student Success Center. They have big whiteboards, perfect for drawing amino acids or playing hangman with friends!"

Sana Saifullah '25

Biology

"My favorite CNAS memory is the Learning Community from my first year. I made some amazing friendships that I still carry with me today."

Kamron Sherafat '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

Imani Odunze '26

Biology

Jennalyn Resendez '24

Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology

Jared Hudnall '24

Physics

Samantha Arenas '26

Biology

Kyrollos Salama '24

Biology

"I am currently involved in Organic Chemistry research. My principal investigator really sparked my passion for the topic, which encouraged me to reach out to get involved in his research."

Saba Najafi '25

Biology

"My favorite CNAS class was Dynamic Genome. This class taught me a lot of fundamental research techniques and gave me the opportunity to do further research and even present at a symposium."

Russel Arevalo '25

Biology

Michelle Tellez '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

Briana Baldovinos '24

Neuroscience, Pre-Med

Linlin Liu '24

Statistics

Shiraz Mogul '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

Sakshi Nitke '25

Data Science

Anastasia Farronan '24

Neuroscience & Biology

"My favorite spot on campus is the UCR Botanic Gardens, because it is so peaceful and the hiking trails are fun!"

Madeleine Haddad '24

Mathematics & Environmental Science

Patricia B. Sanchez '24

Biology

"My favorite place to hang out on campus are the meeting rooms in the Student Success Center. They have big whiteboards, perfect for drawing amino acids or playing hangman with friends!"

Sana Saifullah '25

Biology

"My favorite CNAS memory is the Learning Community from my first year. I made some amazing friendships that I still carry with me today."

Kamron Sherafat '26

Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

CNAS Majors

CNAS undergraduates have access to 17 majors within 13 departments, with a total of 29 academic options or tracks. In addition to their coursework, more than half of CNAS undergraduates participate in research during their time at the College.

Maybe you're excited about exploring the world for yourself. Perhaps you're interested in CNAS because of the advantage it gives you for a career in one of the medical or health professions. Maybe you love math and science but aren't sure what direction in which to go, or you've already chose your major, but want to have some other experiences, too. No matter which description fits you best, the CNAS Advantage is for you!

Biochemistry

Biology

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology

Chemistry

Data Science

Earth and Planetary Sciences

Entomology

Environmental Sciences

Geology

Geophysics

Mathematics

Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary School

Microbiology

Neuroscience

Physics

Plant Biology

Statistics

CNAS Research

Click below to learn about just some of the fascinating research happening at CNAS today!

Eco-Friendly Termite Control

Would You Eat Bugs?

Meet the Nobel Laureates

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dark Matter in a Minute

The Luna UCR Avocado

The Baers and the Bees

A Kangaroo Rat's Tale

Climate Change Fighters

Frances Sladek Healthy Eating For A Happier Life

Healthy Eating, Happier Life

UCR Pre-Health Advising

The UCR pre-health advising program is dedicated to providing information, advising, and support for students who aspire to graduate/professional programs in the health professions and wish to enhance their academic and extracurricular preparation. Professional staff and peer mentors are available to guide students as they plan their pre-health professions coursework, health-related experiences, service work, and research in preparation for applying to programs.

In January 2025, the Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC) became the Pre-Professional Advising Center (PPAC), and will offer pre-law professions counseling in addition to pre-health advising to UCR students.

Introducing HPAC

Meet the Pre-Health Advisors

Chatting with an HPAC Ambassador

HPAC Ambassador Q&A

Getting to Know UCR - Season #2

We asked current CNAS Students some random icebreaker questions. Tune in to the Season #2 of the series (also available @UCRCNAS) to hear what they had to say!

Evan Kent
Biochemistry

Sadaf Sadighian
Biology

Assal Sadighian
Biology

Patricia Sanchez
Biology

Madeleine Haddad
Mathematics

Jennalyn Resendez
Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology

Briana Baldovinos
Neuroscience

Imani Odunze
Biology

Watch Season #1 Now

Featured Faculty Video:
Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Assistant Professor & Plant Geneticist

Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Assistant Professor and Plant Geneticist in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, discusses his lab, how crops respond to environmental challenges, and the importance of mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Learn More About CNAS Faculty Research!

Check out the videos below to learn more about what CNAS faculty are working on in their laboratories...

Robert Allen
Full Professor of Climatology

Peter Atkinson
CNAS Dean

Barry Barish
Nobel Laureate
Distinguished Professor of Physics

Dong-Hwan Choe
Cooperative Extension (CE) Specialist &
Professor of Entomology

Chris Clark
Associate Professor of Biology

Lucy Delaney
Assistant Professor of Teaching, Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology

Adler Dillman
Professor of Parasitology & Nematology

Stephanie Dingwall
CNAS Divisional Dean of Academic Student Affairs

Ahmed El-Moghazy
Assistant Professor of Food Safety

Thomas Eulgem
Professor & Plant Cell Biologist

Analisa Flores
Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Statistics

Gareth Funning
Professor of Seismology

Abhijit Ghosh
Professor of Geophysics

Andrew Gray
Associate Professor of Watershed Hydrology

John Heraty
Professor of Entomology

Stephen Kane
Professor of Planetary Astrophysics

Morris Maduro
CNAS Divisional Dean of Life Sciences

Dawn Nagel
Associate Professor of Genetics & Genomics

Daniel Petras
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

Crystal Reynaga
Assistant Professor, Department of Evolution,
Ecology and Organismal Biology

Elizabeth Rowen
Assistant Professor of Entomology

Elia Scudiero
Associate Professor of Precision Agriculture & Agronomy

Tim Su
Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Flip Tanedo
Associate Professor of Physics

Take Your Seat Next To Scotty!

Our mascot, Scotty Highlander, can't wait to see you become a CNAS student...and neither can we!

An education at UC Riverside is more than attending class. It's joining a community where diversity equals vitality. Where support and empowerment lifts spirits and propels ideas forward. Here, you won't just answer problems. You'll be part of global solutions!

Ranked in the top 15 for best universities in the nation - and first for social mobility - UC Riverside has created a new model for what a great public research university can help you achieve!

APPLY NOW

Experience UC Riverside

Courtesy of our friends at The College Tour! Click "The College Tour" below to watch the whole episode, or select snippets of the UC Riverside experience!

The College Tour

The City of Riverside

The Transfer Experience

World Class Faculty

Research Opportunities

Academic Success & Support

Events & Activities

Student Recreation Center

Global Impact

Finding Community

Social Mobility

Ask Admissions

to the CNAS YouTube Channel

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May 08, 2025

UC Riverside Neuroscience Major, Sreenidhi Surineni, Named 2025 Goldwater Scholar

Sreenidhi Surineni, a neuroscience major with a minor in philosophy in UC Riverside’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), has been named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar with the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, one of...

April 15, 2025

Finding Nematodes with Adler Dillman

To say that Adler R. Dillman is fascinated by a particular ubiquitous organism best viewed through a microscope is a bit of an understatement. A Professor of Parasitology & Nematologist as well as the Chair of the Department of Nematology...

March 17, 2025

UCR hosts inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change

The UC Riverside departments of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, Botany and Plant Sciences, and Environmental Sciences hosted the inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change on February 14. The inaugural event was organized in response to the effects of...

UCR undergraduates displaying research awards won

February 24, 2025

UCR undergrads win Best Research Poster awards at California Plant and Soil Conference

Two UC Riverside undergraduates working with faculty mentors at the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) won Best Undergraduate Research Poster awards at the 2025 California Plant and Soil Conference in Visalia, CA. David Ranai, an Electrical Engineering major...

December 02, 2024

The Many Incarnations of Professor Lucy Delaney

Lucy Delaney, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the UC Riverside Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology (EEOB), focuses her work at the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) on improving the teaching and learning of biological...

August 27, 2024

Riverside City College students explore research through RISE

When asked how she's enjoying UC Riverside's Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program this summer, Riverside City College student Kat McVeigh doesn't hold back. "It's been a great experience!" she says. "Being in an actual lab [and] getting to...

August 05, 2024

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS

Like many students before him, Nicolas Sanchez '24 has learned that finding the proper outlet can circumvent the pressure of a tough academic course load. For Nicolas, who graduated from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences with...

July 11, 2024

Doubling down: Assal and Sadaf Sadighian on the long journey from Iran to UC Riverside...and what lies in the future

To say that twin sisters Assal and Sadaf Sadighian are used to long commutes would be an understatement. The twins, who will graduate next spring with Biology degrees, live “a very short drive” away from campus, and will readily tell...

CNAS Blog Post Archive

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College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

Greetings from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, also known as CNAS!

We invite you to use this page in the months ahead to get to know us better. From on-campus and virtual events to opportunities to interact with current students, faculty, and staff, you'll find that there's a lot to love about CNAS!

Who We Are

Hear What Our Students Are Saying About CNAS...

CNAS Majors

CNAS Research

UCR Pre-Health Advising

Getting to Know UCR - Season #2

Featured Faculty Video:
Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Assistant Professor & Plant Geneticist

Learn More About CNAS Faculty Research!

Take Your Seat Next To Scotty!

Experience UC Riverside

UC Riverside Neuroscience Major, Sreenidhi Surineni, Named 2025 Goldwater Scholar

Finding Nematodes with Adler Dillman

UCR hosts inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change

UCR undergrads win Best Research Poster awards at California Plant and Soil Conference

The Many Incarnations of Professor Lucy Delaney

Riverside City College students explore research through RISE

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS

Doubling down: Assal and Sadaf Sadighian on the long journey from Iran to UC Riverside...and what lies in the future

CNAS Undergraduate Advising

COLLEGE OF NATURAL &
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

Greetings from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, also known as CNAS!

We invite you to use this page in the months ahead to get to know us better. From on-campus and virtual events to opportunities to interact with current students, faculty, and staff, you'll find that there's a lot to love about CNAS!

Who We Are

Hear What Our Students Are Saying About CNAS...

CNAS Majors

CNAS Research

UCR Pre-Health Advising

Getting to Know UCR - Season #2

Featured Faculty Video:Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Assistant Professor & Plant Geneticist

Learn More About CNAS Faculty Research!

Take Your Seat Next To Scotty!

Experience UC Riverside

UC Riverside Neuroscience Major, Sreenidhi Surineni, Named 2025 Goldwater Scholar

Finding Nematodes with Adler Dillman

UCR hosts inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change

UCR undergrads win Best Research Poster awards at California Plant and Soil Conference

The Many Incarnations of Professor Lucy Delaney

Riverside City College students explore research through RISE

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS

Doubling down: Assal and Sadaf Sadighian on the long journey from Iran to UC Riverside...and what lies in the future

CNAS Undergraduate Advising

COLLEGE OF NATURAL & AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

Featured Faculty Video:
Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Assistant Professor & Plant Geneticist

COLLEGE OF NATURAL &
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES