The University of California (UC) has made history, with five faculty members and alumni winning the 2025 Nobel Prizes in medicine, physics, and chemistry -- the highest number awarded in a single year to the faculty and alumni of any university.
Frederick Ramsdell, an alumnus of the San Diego and Los Angeles campuses, was among a trio of scientists winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Oct. 6 for identifying immune cells that prevent the body from attacking itself, research that has transformed understanding of autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes and lupus.
The following day, Professor John Clarke of UC Berkeley, together with professors Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis from the Santa Barbara campus, received the Nobel Prize in Physics for experiments that advanced the development of today's most powerful quantum computers.
"To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life," Clarke said in a phone call with the Nobel committee that was broadcast live, as cited by the San Francisco Chronicle.
He added that it "had not occurred to us in any way" that their work -- paving the way for modern quantum computers -- would be worthy of the honor.
On Oct. 8, UC Berkeley's Professor Omar Yaghi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with two other scientists for inventing metal-organic frameworks, materials capable of capturing carbon dioxide, storing hydrogen, and even harvesting clean drinking water from desert air.
"There is nothing like this, it's an astonishment," Yaghi said of receiving the prize, calling it "a feeling you don't have often."
These awards bring UC's total to 75 Nobel Prizes since 1934.
James B. Milliken, UC president, said the awards are not only "great honors" but also serve as "tangible evidence" of the dedication and contributions of the university's faculty and students, as quoted on the university's website.
Founded in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 40 students, UC has grown into one of the largest public university systems in the U.S., comprising 10 campuses, more than 295,000 students, and over 265,000 faculty and staff.