Student holding test tubes and examining their content

College of Sciences News

The School of Life Sciences offers programs that meet the needs of students intending to enter the workforce or pursue advanced training in the sciences, medicine, and other professional and technical fields. We provide a well-rounded foundation in natural, physical, and mathematical sciences that can set students up for successful careers and professional programs.

Current Sciences News

A closeup on the sleeve of a red UNLV graduation gown bearing the words "Rebels Forever"
Campus News |

President Chris Heavey recognizes 10 students for their staunch commitment to academic excellence and service to the community.

exterior of Martian surface
Research |

UNLV geochemist Libby Hausrath – a member of NASA's Mars Sample Return Team – and colleagues share stunning new research in the latest issue of the journal Science.

skyline at sunset
Business and Community |

From hosting science field trips to delivering therapy services to rural areas, UNLV enriches the lives of Nevadans. 

UNLV seasonal eggs
Campus News |

A collection of colorful headlines featuring UNLV staff and students.

Kevin McVay in a tree
People |

The assistant director of the Sciences Advising Center wants everyone to know: There's so much more to being an advisor than telling students what classes to take.

slice of brain sitting on desk in lab
Campus News |

The first Neuroscience Research Showcase brings together experts across disciplines to share their work and spark new collaborations.

Sciences In The News

City Cast Las Vegas

Another summer, another Lake Mead update: And this year, it's not looking great. Our snowpack gains this winter were pretty dismal, and the National Weather Service recently even lowered their projections for Lake Powell, whose upstream levels affect Lake Mead's. In light of all this, we're bringing back a conversation that co-host Dayvid Figler had with UNLV hydrology professor David Kreamer. The creation of Lake Mead was not without its costs — so was it worth it? And what happens if we use Lake Mead up?

Conversation

Mars, one of our closest planetary neighbors, has fascinated people for hundreds of years, partly because it is so similar to Earth. It is about the same size, contains similar rocks and minerals, and is not too much farther out from the Sun.

Las Vegas Review Journal

A UNLV-led study has discovered a new molecular path that leads to autism, potentially opening the way for more intervention in the future.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

Researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, have made a significant breakthrough in autism research. The UNLV researchers uncovered a connection to a type of neuromuscular disease called myotonic dystrophy.

Newswise

A recent discovery of a molecular connection between autism and myotonic dystrophy, a type of neuromuscular disease, may provide a breakthrough on how clinicians approach autism spectrum disorder. The new study by an interdisciplinary team of biomedical scientists, published on April 21 in Nature Neuroscience, used myotonic dystrophy as a tool or model to learn more about autism – effectively using one disorder to better understand the other.

Newswise

A recent discovery of a molecular connection between autism and myotonic dystrophy, a type of neuromuscular disease, may provide a breakthrough on how clinicians approach autism spectrum disorder. The new study by an interdisciplinary team of biomedical scientists, published on April 21 in Nature Neuroscience, used myotonic dystrophy as a tool or model to learn more about autism – effectively using one disorder to better understand the other.

Sciences Experts

An expert on hibernation, pupfish, evolution, and cellular biology.
Carrie Tyler is a marine conservation paleobiologist.
Brian Hedlund in an expert in microbial ecology at high temperatures, biofuels and genomics. 
An expert in geology, paleoecology, paleontology, and the history of geology.
An expert in conservation biology, phylogeography, and ecology.  
An expert in ecology, fire management, and U.S. National Parks.

Recent Sciences Accomplishments

Assistant professor Jingchun Chen and undergraduate students Melika Cummings, Tyrell Pratt, Alice Lee, Eunjae Lee, Jennifer Zheng, Faria Tavacoli (all Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine) presented at the 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), a premier academic event that celebrates undergraduate achievements across…
Congratulations to the UNLV racquetball team who competed in Corporate Challenge on Thursday, April 10. They won 1st overall and 10 points for UNLV. Competitors were Adam Koebke (Mathematics) who won gold in men's singles, Venki Muthukumar (Electrical Engineering) and Sai Parsa (Computer Science) who won gold in men's doubles, and Erica Marti…
Łukasz Sznajder (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Krzysztof Sobczak from the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland have been awarded a grant through the “Initiative of Excellence - Research University” program, funded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. This grant will support…
Manisha Gun (Chemistry and Biochemistry) has been awarded the RNA Society Research Presentation Fellowship to support her presentation on RNA misprocessing in myotonic dystrophy at the 2025 RNA Society Meeting.
Kingsley Ukandu Rachidi Salako (Mathematical Sciences) presented part of his joint work with advisor Rachidi Salako. The paper, titled “New Spatial Patterns of Endemic Equilibria Set in SIS Epidemic Model: Effects of Susceptible Population Moment,” was presented at the AMS Sectional Meeting hosted by the University of Kansas in Lawrence.…
Radiochemistry professor Frederic Poineau (Chemistry) was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering. The article titled, Uranium fluoride micromaterials: a new frontier in nuclear engineering, explores recent advancements in the synthesis and application of uranium fluoride micromaterials, emphasizing their…