Research at UCSB
Index:
The Office of Research
Open a new browser window http://research.ucsb.edu
to see the Ofice of Research web site.
The Office of Research has primary responsibility for
UCSB Organized Research Units, contracts and grants, and research development.
The Office of Research coordinates the development and submission of sponsored
project proposals, negotiates and accepts contract and grant awards, and
provides patent development assistance. The Office of Research also oversees
the Conflict of Interest Committee, the Committee on the Rights of Human
Subjects, the Animal Care and Use Committee, the Committee on Ethics in
Research, and the Advisory Committee on the Repatriation of Human Remains
and Cultural Items. For more information on the Office of Research, please
visit our web site at http://research.ucsb.edu.
National Research
Centers
UC Santa Barbara is home to a number of national research
centers. All centers offer specialized research opportunities and a multidisciplinary
environment for study at the under- graduate, graduate, and postdoctoral
levels.
Center
for Quantized Electronic Structures (QUEST)
QUEST, one of the first of the National Science Foundation
Science and Technology Centers to be established in 1989, has as its focus
a frontier field in microelectronics: the formation and study of "quantum
structures." Quantum structures generally have sizes sufficiently small
that novel electronic, optical and magnetic behavior emerges, which in
turn can provide the basis for entirely new device technologies. QUEST
integrates the research efforts of a multidisciplinary faculty from the
departments of chemistry, chemical engineering, electrical and computer
engineering, physics and materials. The work of QUEST spans the full range
of growth and synthesis of quantum structures, characterization of their
basic properties, and utilization of quantum structures in novel device
schemes. World-class laboratory facilities support this research, including
unique crystal growth and materials synthesis capabilities, a 3,500 square-foot
clean room with a Class 100 lithographic capability, and state-of-the-art
fabrication processes, laboratories for low temperature, optical, high
speed and magnetic measurements. QUEST researchers also have access to
sophisticated surface science labs, and make use of the Free Electron Laser
at UCSB.
QUEST also seeks to integrate research with education,
supporting a broad range of educational programs that span K-12, undergraduates,
graduate students, and science teachers. QUEST workshops and Visiting Lecturer
programs focus the broad, international scope of research in quantum structures
onto the UCSB campus.
Institute
for Theoretical Physics
The National Science Foundation's Institute for Theoretical
Physics, initiated in 1979 on the UCSB campus, brings together physicists
from all over the world to collaborate on cross-disciplinary problems.
Areas of study include elementary particles and nuclei, condensed-matter
physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. Approximately 50 researchers are
in residence at the institute at any given time. One of the major centers
of theoretical physics in the world, the institute is housed in its own
unique building near the east entrance to the campus. Telephone: (805)
893-4111.
Materials
Research Laboratory (MRL)
The Materials Research Laboratory at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, was established in September, 1992 and currently involves
35 faculty from eight departments and 52 research students and postdocs.
A new 14,000 square foot MRL building houses our central facilities, seminar
rooms, research office space and the MRL administration. The scientific
activities of the UCSB-MRL are focused around four interdisciplinary research
groups (IRGs), as outlined below, together with seed projects, central
facilities, an educational outreach program, and a technology outreach
program.
Complex Fluids (IRG 1), Group Leader: Philip Pincus.
IRG1 has its major focus on the creation and control of soft structured
materials whose microstructure can be patterned during processing on various
length scales which vary from nanometers to submacroscopic:
Heat-proof proteins; self-assembly and protein stability.
Multi-vesicular aggregates for artificial tissue.
'Vesosomes' for novel drug delivery systems.
Supported membranes, including soft supports and patterned
surfaces.
Lamellar and functionalized biogels.
Nucleic acid-membrane complexes, including the use of non-viral
vectors.
Solution Synthesis of Inorganics at Molecular and Atomic
Interfaces (IRG 2), Group Leader: Fred Lange. The focus of IRG2 is
on the chemical and physical basis of the low temperature synthesis of
materials from solutions using either molecular or atomic interfaces. The
research aims to understand the basic mechanisms of these processes and
to explore the synthesis of new materials with applications in electro-optics,
catalysis/gas separation, and biotechnology:
The formation of inorganic molecular sieves, e.g., zeolites
and mesoporous solids, around molecular templates including organic bases
and surfactants.
Biological processes where genetically synthesized molecular
sheets act as templates for the biomineralization of shells and siliceous
diatoms.
Epitaxial growth of thin films on single crystal templates
under hydrothermal conditions.
Heterogeneous Polymeric Structures (IRG 3), Group
Leader: Fred Wudl. In addition to supporting the highly successful and
on-going effort on conducting polymers, we have diversified into other
heterogeneous polymeric systems of a bicontinuous nature:
Network blends for (1) bulk heterojunction materials, and
(2) polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs).
Heterogeneous block copolymers for biomedical applications.
Mesoporous foams and ceramics from spinodal decompositions.
Hybrid organic-inorganic composites from block copolymer
templating.
Heterogeneous structures with liquid crystal polymers.
Reactive processing, interfacial grafting, and emulsification
in polymer alloys.
Strongly Non-equilibrium Phenomena in Complex Materials
(IRG 4), Group Leader: James Langer. This newest IRG has a strong theoretical
component, but is firmly focused on issues of practical importance in the
materials area that share a common theme of nonlinearity:
Effects of shear on phase separation in multicomponent viscous
fluids.
Fundamental mechanisms of friction.
Phase transitions in reacting polymers.
Dynamics of fracture, including both conventional fracture
and seismic events.
Structural evolution of thin films.
Elasto-hydrodynamic deformations, cavitation and cavitation
damage.
National
Nanofabrication Users Network (Nanotech at UCSB)
Nanotech is the UCSB branch of the National Science Foundation's
National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN). The goal of the NNUN is
to provide a geographically and technologically extensive capability to
facilitate research breakthroughs across a broad spectrum of fields, including
physics, electronics, optoelectronics, biology, and mechanics. Nanotech,
with the resources of a 3500 square-foot clean room, including a Class
100 optical lithography capability, electron beam lithography, and a full
range of fabrication processes, can leverage the fabrication expertise
developed through work at UCSB and make it available to a broader community,
receiving in turn, a large diversity of fabrication challenges and applications.
National
Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
Open a new browser window http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu
to see the NCEAS web site.
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
(NCEAS) was established by the National Science Foundation with additional
support from the State of California and UCSB. The Center sponsors group
activities, sabbatical fellows and postdoctoral associates focusing on
the integration of existing ecological information. NCEAS also is involved
in the development of informatics activities that serve the ecological
community.
The Center provides facilities, services, and high end
computing capabilities to visiting scientists. Recent research topics have
included ecological economics, restoration ecology, variability in community
dynamics, complex population dynamics, new directions for ecosystem science
in the private sector, global changes and terrestrial ecosystems, deep
sea biodiversity, and an analysis of the relationship between productivity
and diversity.
The Center maintains contacts with a variety of campus
entities through collaborative efforts and the involvement of faculty from
several departments. Graduate and undergraduate interns are also supported.
In addition to ecological research, the Center supports
several outreach activities, and is developing programs to involve K-12
education activities. Information about the Center is available at http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu.
Optoelectronics
Technology Center (OTC)
The Optoelectronics Technology Center (OTC) at Santa Barbara
is the lead member of a multi-campus university research consortium-The
Heterogeneous Optoelectronics Technology Center (HOTC)-which was established
in 1997 after a national competition by the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA). HOTC is composed of investigators from UCSB, Cornell, UCSD,
UCLA, USC and UT-Austin who are teamed to provide advanced capabilities
for real-time information access systems. A main aspect of the Center's
charter is to encourage collaboration between academia and U.S. industry
in order to accelerate the realization of practical, manufacturable technologies
in the area of optical interconnects and memory.
As a part of this consortium, OTC at Santa Barbara concentrates
on the formation of advanced vertical-cavity laser and photodetector arrays
as well as their combination with integrated circuits using new heterogeneous
integration technologies. This technology should provide new device and
materials capabilities for the next generation of parallel computer interconnects
and data communications.
Southern
California Earthquake Center
Termed a center without walls, the Southern California Earthquake
Center is a partnership of researchers at several universities who are
studying earthquake risks and hazards in Southern California. Established
by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey, the
center is charged with coordinating the efforts of the various university
research groups to broaden and integrate earthquake-related data gathered
in the last 30 years into a form that will prove accessible and useful
to a wide body of public and private organizations interested in earthquake
safety. In addition to UC Santa Barbara, the other institutions involved
are: the University of Southern California, the California Institute of
Technology, UCLA, UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Columbia
University's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory in New York and the
USGS office in Pasadena.
Organized Research
Units
Organized research units (ORUs) provide unusual opportunities
for students and faculty to do basic and applied research in a variety
of disciplines. The following ORUs operate outside of the established academic
teaching departments at UCSB.
Note: Neither courses of instruction nor degree programs
are offered through the organized research units. Additional information
about the units is available from the Office of Research, Cheadle Hall
3227. Telephone: (805) 893-4188.
Center for Chicano
Studies
The Center for Chicano Studies supports and conducts interdisciplinary
basic and applied research on the history, culture, and socioeconomic status
of Chicanos/Latinos in the United States. Researchers from the social and
behavioral sciences, humanities, and education engage a wide range of contemporary
and historical social issues including identifying key barriers to employment,
recovering systems of cultural production, examining community empowerment,
analyzing immigration and settlement, oral traditions and legal disclosure.
Each year the Center sponsors faculty work groups, collaborative research
projects, lectures, symposium and publications that reflect this set of
concerns.
Developing research initiatives that strengthen the recruitment
and retention of faculty, graduate students and undergraduates involved
in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies are priorities. The Center, along with
the Department of Chicano Studies, supports the unique and prestigious
Luis Leal Endowed Chair in Chicano Studies. In addition, each year the
Center recruits and supports a Visiting Research Scholar involved in cutting-edge
research in Chicana/o Studies. Moreover, the Undergraduate Student Internship
Program enhances the research skills of undergraduates interested in Chicana/o
and Latina/o Studies by providing stipends to work on faculty projects.
As the only organized research unit devoted to the study
of Chicana/o and Latina/o populations, the Center is a resource to local
community agencies, community leaders, state and national entities as well
as to the local campus community. Thus, public service forms an integral
part of the Center's educational mission.
Institute
for Computational Earth Systems Science (ICESS)
The Institute for Computational Earth System Science (ICESS)
provides an environment in which Earth system scientists can closely collaborate
and perform computations not possible in many other research facilities.
Our focus is on research and research education in Earth system science,
with an emphasis on processes governing the interactions of radiation and
Earth.
Advances during the past decade in computer and satellite
technology, and our ability to model complex systems, have opened unprecedented
opportunities to increase understanding of the Earth as an integrated system.
ICESS is on the leading edge of Earth system science research and related
computer technology. We are uniquely positioned to utilize the extensive
satellite capabilities that are coming on-line from a variety of agencies
and organizations over the next decade. Currently there are few research/instructional
units in the country, or indeed the world, with comparable research programs
in computational Earth system science.
Our field of research spans the globe and provides unique
research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students. ICESS
facilities consist of state-of-the-art computing resources, an optical
calibration laboratory, an electronics laboratory, a satellite receiver
dish, a Seaspace TeraScan data acquisition and image processing system,
a Bausch & Lomb UV Radiometer with access to nationwide UV data, comprehensive
climate radiation data, and a variety of unique field equipment. The satellite
receiver is used for the real-time acquisition of satellite data. This
capability, in concert with our advanced networking facilities, makes current
and historical satellite imagery electronically accessible at UCSB for
both research and instruction.
As an Organized Research Unit our mission is to provide:
a distributed, interdisciplinary computer environment for the promotion
and support of research and research education in Earth system science;
an interdisciplinary environment and computer-related services that enhance
the excellence and competitive advantage of UCSB global change research;
a center of excellence to provide visibility and aid in the attraction
of top faculty and students to UCSB; and efficiently-run business operations
and administration that support research.
Institute for
Crustal Studies
The purpose of the Institute for Crustal Studies is to increase
the understanding of the earth's crust and lithosphere, including the portions
below the sea floor. New technical approaches to issues involving the earth's
crust are being explored through collaborative research projects between
the university, government, and industry. The research agenda of Crustal
Studies includes tectonics, crustal structure and materials, earthquakes,
and hazardous waste disposal. The research activities of the institute
include faculty and students from the departments of biological sciences,
engineering, geography, geological sciences, mathematics, and physics,
and the environmental studies program.
Institute
for Polymers and Organic Solids
The Institute for Polymers and Organic Solids is an interdisciplinary
effort on the frontier between physics, chemistry, and polymer science.
It draws upon expertise from these fields to conduct fundamental research
on a new class of materials: conjugated organic polymers with delocalized
electronic conductivity, anisotropic linear and nonlinear optical properties,
and novel electrochemical properties. To succeed in better understanding
these novel materials, the institute has capabilities in experimental physics,
synthetic chemistry, and polymer processing and characterization. The institute
has become an international focal point for research in this field, with
visitors from all over the world. Recent accomplishments of the Institute
include important contributions to the chemistry of the fullerenes, the
development of efficient light emitting diodes made from conducting polymers,
and the demonstration of a unique structure-property relation that leads
to high performance nonlinear optical properties of semiconducting polymers.
A current focus is directed toward semiconducting polymers as materials
for "plastic" lasers.
Institute
for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER)
The Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research
(ISBER) conducts interdisciplinary basic and policy research, and offers
research development support, on a wide spectrum of problems. ISBER provides
an active program of research development in the social sciences and related
areas. Investigators are from the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities
and those sciences involved with environmental issues. Areas investigated
range from the globalization of industry, archaeology in the Americas,
how health care data are acquired and used in research, the economics of
criminal justice and the linguistics of almost extinct modern languages,
to the sociology of religion. A number of centers have been established
to focus on specific areas of interest. These include the Center for Global
Studies, Center for Chinese and Inner Asian Studies, Center for Communication
and Social Policy, Health Data Research Facility, Center for Advanced Study
of Individual Differences, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, Center for
the Study of Religion, Center for the Study of Discourse, and the MesoAmerican
Research Center. One of ISBER's principle objectives is to promote research
which is focused on global issues.
Marine Science
Institute (MSI)
The Marine Science Institute (MSI) is the focus of marine
research and program development at UCSB. MSI administers and supports
research projects involving faculty and graduate students from 14 disciplines.
Much of the research activity focuses on the resources of the California
coast, although an increasing amount of effort is being directed toward
an understanding of the world's oceans. Marine activities in the biological,
physical, and geological sciences presently predominate, but there is increasing
involvement of researchers from other disciplines, including chemical oceanography.
Neuroscience
Research Institute (NRI)
Open a new browser window http://lifesci.ucsb.edu/nriweb/index.html
to see the NRI web page.
The Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI) is concerned
with understanding the cellular and molecular principles underlying function
of the nervous system. Its primary purpose is to further basic research
of an interdisciplinary nature in cellular and molecular neuroscience.
Areas of emphasis include research on vision, neurotrophic molecules and
their receptors, the physiology and molecular organization of ion channels,
neural development, the response of the central nervous system to injury,
neurodegeneration and associated disorders, regenerative capacity of the
nervous system, synaptic transmission, and neuropharmacology. The academic
disciplines involved include cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry,
physiology, genetics, developmental biology, biopsychology, biophysics,
and bioengineering. Two centers have been established within the NRI to
focus specific problems : the Center for the Study of Age-related Macular
Degeneration, and the Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders. For more
information on the NRI or its centers, visit our web site at http://lifesci.ucsb.edu/nriweb/index.html.
Quantum
Institute
Open a new browser window http://www.qi.ucsb.edu
to see the Quantum Institute web site.
The Quantum Institute is an interdisciplinary research
unit that facilitates research in the fundamental properties of complex
systems-systems as diverse as superfluid helium, liquid crystals, magnetic
nanostructures and semiconductor superlattice and quantum wells. The Institute
embraces the Center for Terahertz Science and Technology (CTST) and the
Center for Nonlinear Sciences (CNLS). CTST offers opportunities for research
in the biological, chemical, physical, and material sciences, using the
unique properties of the UCSB free-electron lasers. CNLS promotes interactions
between researchers who share common interest in nonlinear problems and
supports undergraduate and graduate education in the nonlinear sciences.
For more information on the Quantum Institute please visit its web site
at http://www.qi.ucsb.edu.
Multicampus Research
Units
Institute
for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (INPAC)
Open a new browser window http://cfpa.berkeley.edu/inpac/home.html
to see the INPAC web site.
The Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics and
Cosmology promotes greater understanding of the origin and structure of
the universe and the basic interactions which govern it, through experimental,
observational, and theoretical research. Members of the institute are from
UC Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San
Diego, and Santa Cruz, and all three UC-run Department of Energy Laboratories.
The aim of the institute is to promote collaboration on basic research
in the area of intersection among nuclear and particle astrophysics and
cosmology. For more information on INPAC, please visit the web site at
http://cfpa.berkeley.edu/inpac/home.html.
UC
Linguistic Minority Research Institute (LMRI)
The UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute (LMRI) is a
Multicampus Research Unit of the University of California headquartered
at UC Santa Barbara. The Institute involves faculty and projects at all
nine UC campuses. The LMRI was established to conduct research on the education
of language minority students in the K-12 education sector with the long-range
goal of improving these students' access to college. An emphasis is placed
on collaborative research with schools and school systems. The major activities
of the LMRI include sponsoring research projects; collaborating with schools
and educational agencies; conducting annual meetings, research conferences,
institutes and lectures; disseminating information on language minorities
in various ways including a monthly newsletter, book publications, and
an on-line information server with gopher and web services; and sponsoring
professional development activities, which include coordinating a pre-doctoral
fellowship program at four campuses and hosting visiting scholars from
all campuses in the UC system. The Institute is housed in Building 402,
Room 223. Telephone: (805) 893-2250. Facsimile: (805) 893-8673. E-mail:
lmri@lmrinet.ucsb.edu.
Affiliated Units
Center for Black Studies
The Center for Black Studies conducts research on the social,
historical, political, economic, and cultural meanings that have affected
peoples of African heritage throughout the world. The center sponsors a
faculty development program (dissertation fellows); organizes and presents
seminars, lectures, and symposia; and serves as a liaison between the campus
and the Santa Barbara community.
Engineering Research
Centers
For information, see College of Engineering.
Interdisciplinary
Humanities Center
The Interdisciplinary Humanities Center was established in
1987 as part of the University of California's initiative to encourage
humanities education and research in the university curriculum. The center
promotes innovative forms of collaborative research and teaching, including
projects that overlap traditional disciplines. Participants at the center
include UCSB faculty and students, as well as distinguished visiting scholars
from around the world. The Center invites members of the Santa Barbara
community to participate in its conferences and lectures. It also hosts
a monthly symposium in which members of the UCSB public engage in discussion
with distinguished members of the UCSB faculty. The Center is housed on
the sixth floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Telephone:
(805) 893-3907. Facsimile: (805) 893-4336.
Natural Reserve System
The University of California administers 33 natural reserves
throughout the state. The reserves are undisturbed natural areas representative
of the ecological diversity of California. The mission of the Natural Reserve
System is to contribute to the understanding and wise management of the
Earth and its natural systems by supporting university-level teaching,
research, and public service as protected natural areas throughout California.
The UCSB campus has responsibility for six of the areas:
the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, the Coal Oil Point Reserve, the Santa
Cruz Island Reserve, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL),
Valentine Camp, and the Sedgwick Reserve. Available to students and faculty
for teaching and research, the reserves provide outdoor laboratories and
classrooms for field sciences. The six areas are administered by the Marine
Science Institute; inquiries about their use and scheduling may be directed
to the Natural Reserve System office. Telephone: (805) 893-4127. E-mail:
donnam@msi.ucsb.edu.
Undergraduate Research
Faculty in all colleges at UC Santa Barbara encourage students
to work with them on research projects in their area of interest. A variety
of scholarships and fellowships assist students in carrying out their research.
For detailed information, see the appropriate college office.
Materials
Research Laboratory Educational Outreach Program
Under the direction of Dr. Fiona Goodchild, and partly in
cooperation with QUEST, we have developed an extensive and dynamic educational
program that encompasses three main activities: (1) a year-round undergraduate
intern program that supports approximately 20 students, mostly but not
entirely from UCSB and other California institutions; the students participate
in projects with MRL faculty and researchers, (2) a summer intern program
for approximately 10 students and two faculty from Santa Barbara City College,
again involving participation in MRL research programs, and (3) a Science
Partnership for School Innovation, in which approximately 35 high school
science teachers from Santa Barbara County participate in an annual summer
institute and other workshops which integrate research science with school
science courses.
UCSB
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