CITRIS

We are grateful to Jeppesen Foreflight, our latest CITRIS Aviation Prize sponsor, for its generous support of our student innovators!

Learn more about the 2025–26 Aviation Prize, which challenges University of California student teams to design critical aviation simulations and subsystems: https://citris-uc.org/research/aviation/aviation-prize/

The countdown is on: One week remains for principal investigators to submit CITRIS Seed Funding proposals. ⏳

Receive up to $60K for projects in aerospace/aviation, AI/robotics, climate resilience, digital health. Open to P*s at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz.

Apply by April 22: bit.ly/citris-26seed-funding

On Feb. 26, we marked the launch of our 25th anniversary celebration with CITRIS Day 2026. 🎉

Featuring the theme “Engineering a Future Fit for Humanity,” the event gathered faculty, students, industry partners and supporters to highlight research and partnerships across the University of California's four CITRIS campuses.

Read the full event recap: bit.ly/citris26-citris-day-recap

📷: Saul Bromberger

We are grateful to Monterey Bay DART, our latest CITRIS Aviation Prize sponsor, for its generous support of our student innovators!

Learn more about the 2025–26 Aviation Prize, which challenges University of California student teams design critical aviation simulations and subsystems: https://citris-uc.org/research/aviation/aviation-prize/

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the inaugural Spanos Awards, which recognize exceptional graduate students who are advancing the future of semiconductor technology.

Please join us in congratulating:
— Eren Dogan, UC Santa Cruz (advised by Mathew Guthaus)
— Collin Finnan, UC Berkeley (advised by Tsu-Jae King Liu)
— Inha Kim, UC Berkeley (advised by Ali Javey)
— Pranta Saha, UC Davis (advised by Marina Radulaski)

The award was established in honor of CITRIS Director Emeritus Costas John Spanos, who retired in 2024 after more than 35 years of service to the University of California community.

Read more about the students and their research: bit.ly/citris-26spanos-award-announcement

UC Berkeley College of Computing, Data Science, and Society | Berkeley Engineering | UC Davis College of Engineering | Baskin Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

P*s at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz: Want to submit a competitive proposal for a CITRIS Seed Award?

Register now for the March 16 info session, 11–11:50 a.m.: bit.ly/citris-26seed-funding-info-session

We invite P*s at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz to apply for up to $60K for projects that strengthen University of California connections and drive novel tech applications.

Areas of interest are:
— Aerospace and aviation
— AI, autonomy and robotics
— Digital health
— Sustainability and climate resilience

Proposals are due April 22: bit.ly/citris-26seed-funding

We are thrilled to welcome Zhaodan Kong as associate director of CITRIS at UC Davis, joining campus director Sam King on the leadership team.

"Zhaodan’s focus on using novel research to solve society’s biggest problems and dedication to student mentorship epitomize the spirit of CITRIS," said King.

Read more about Kong's research: bit.ly/citris-26kong-ucdavis

UC Davis College of Engineering | UC Davis

We are grateful to MathWorks, our latest CITRIS Aviation Prize sponsor, for its generous support of our student innovators!

Learn more about the Aviation Prize: https://citris-uc.org/research/aviation/aviation-prize/

Congratulations to the six University of California student teams advancing to the next stage of the CITRIS Aviation Prize!

They will present their proposals to a panel of expert judges later this spring, with more than $6,000 in awards already up for grabs.

Read more about the competition: bit.ly/citris-26aviation-prize-phase1