“University of California has made academic history after its faculty and alumni secured five Nobel Prizes in just three days, setting a new world record for the most Nobel awards won by a single university system in one year.

The extraordinary run came during the 2025 Nobel Prize announcements across medicine, physics, and chemistry. The achievement included four current UC faculty members, marking the first time in Nobel history that four faculty from one institution were honored in the same year.

Among the winners were alumnus Frederick J. Ramsdell in medicine, physicists John Clarke, John M. Martinis, and Michel Devoret in physics, and chemist Omar Yaghi in chemistry. Their prize-winning research ranged from immune system breakthroughs and quantum computing foundations to advanced materials that can capture pollution and harvest water from dry air.

University leaders hailed the moment as proof of the system’s global research strength and the impact of long-term scientific investment. The latest victories brought UC’s total faculty Nobel tally to 75 prizes since 1934.

Analysts say the record reinforces California’s position as one of the world’s leading innovation hubs, where universities play a central role in shaping medicine, technology, and sustainability.”