NEWSLETTER

UC AlianzaMX Faculty Director Rodolfo Torres Shares Insights on U.S.-Mexico Relations

The University of California and Tec de Monterrey Sign Cooperation Agreement

On May 28, the UC system signed a new cooperation agreement with Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey), one of Mexico’s preeminent institutions of higher education. The agreement was signed at UC Riverside between UCR Chancellor and Executive Sponsor Kim Wilcox and Tec de Monterrey Director of Research Neil Hernández Gress, as part of a ceremony hosted by UC AlianzaMX and including senior leaders and researchers from the UC system and Tec de Monterrey. The cooperation agreement directly supports the establishment of a joint research fund and launch of call for collaborative research proposals that took place in June. For additional details, see the “Calls for Proposals” section of this newsletter. 

Tec de Monterrey Delegation Visits Riverside and Los Angeles

During a visit to California that included signing a new cooperation agreement, Tec de Monterrey joined UC AlianzaMX for campus visits to UCR and UCLA that included meetings with campus leadership to discuss collaboration opportunities in agriculture, environment, innovation, nanotechnology, and transportation. The Tec de Monterrey delegation included Neil Hernández, Director of Research; Ciro Rodríguez, Coordinator of Research in Industrial Transformation and Director of the RAPID 3D Lab; Jorge Welti, Leader of the Food Security & Nutrition Project; and Rubén Ahumada, Director of the Sustainable Development Engineering Program. Meetings at UCR included the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), California Institute of Telecommunications & Information Technology (CALIT2), and Center for Environmental Research & Technology in the College of Engineering (CE-CERT). Meetings at UCLA included the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Institute of the Environment & Sustainability (IoES), Luskin Center for Innovation, and Institute for Transportation Studies (ITS).

First Cohort of Postdoctoral Research Fellows to Undertake Binational Projects

Following the launch of a pilot to fund new opportunities for postdoctoral researchers across the UC system in 2024, UC Alianza MX announced its first cohort of five (5) fellows who will complete the following research projects during two-year fellowships beginning in September 2025:

• Ariel Zúñiga Reyes, UCR Department of Physics & Astronomy: “Physical Sciences Sub-keV sensitive liquid argon time projection chamber with photosensitive dopants”
• Beatriz Cruz López, UCLA Department of History: “Zapotec Cofradías and Community Enterprises in the Valley of Oaxaca”
• Gerardo Urrutia Sánchez, UCSC Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics: “Electromagnetic and Gravitational Wave signals from Gamma-Ray Bursts and Supernovae studied by Numerical Simulations”
• Gustavo Flores Bernal, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry: “Physical Sciences Enantioselective access to chiral alcohols via Fecatalyzed dicarbofunctionalization of silyl enol ethers
• Racine Rangel, UCSC Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology: “Uncovering Adaptation Mechanisms: Building Coastal Aquaculture Resilience to Warming and Thermal Events Along Coastlines”

UC Graduate Students to Pursue Short-Term Research Opportunities in Mexico

UC AlianzaMX announced the results of its annual call for applications for short-term research stays in Mexico by UC graduate students, selecting 18 students for up to three months of funding to complete research projects between September 2025 and August 2026. The cohort includes 16 doctoral students and two master's degree students from eight campuses, including Berkeley (2), Davis (3), Irvine (3), Los Angeles (2), Riverside (1), San Diego (1), Santa Barbara (2) and Santa Cruz (4).

The next call for applications for short-term research stays is scheduled to open in Winter 2026. For additional information and updates, click here.

UC AlianzaMX Presents at California Binational Research Symposium

On May 13, UC AlianzaMX Research Engagement Coordinator Anaid Linares participated in a panel discussion on “Facilitating and Financing Cross-Border Research in the New Geopolitical Climate,” alongside representatives of the San Diego Foundation; Wildcoast, an international NGO focused on coastal & marine conservation; and California Sea Grant, a federal/university partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The symposium was hosted by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education (CICESE), a Mexican public research center based in Ensenada, Baja California.

On June 19, UC AlianzaMX Strategic Initiatives Engagement Coordinator Jail Ixel Cruz participated in a panel discussion on “International Best Practices in the Electromobility Sector and the Road for Mexico," at the Intertraffic Mexico 2025 conference in Mexico City. The panel brought together experts from the public, private, and academic sectors to discuss innovation, supply chains, talent development, and the energy transition, with the aim of strengthening binational collaboration on sustainable mobility. Other panelists included representatives of NANSEN, the largest energy meter manufacturer in Latin America; Qualtrics, a cloud computing company; and the Texas European Chamber of Commerce, which promotes nearshoring in North American regional supply chains.

UCSD Researcher Presents at UN Ocean Conference

Octavio Aburto, Professor of Marine Biology at UC San Diego, presented his pilot project on “Discovering Mexican Seas: Ocean Literacy for Primary and Middle Schools” at the UN Ocean Conference, which took place June 9-13 in Nice, France. Aburto’s project is supported by UC Alianza MX and aims to align Mexico’s public school curriculum with UNESCO global ocean literacy goals as well as to test new textbooks through UNESCO’s Blue Schools network. Click here for additional information.

OPEN NOW: Latino Studies Projects

Deadline to apply: August 29, 2025

UC AlianzaMX is now accepting proposals for Latino Studies Projects that expand understanding of US Latino communities and their connection(s) to Mexico in the context of contemporary US-Mexico relation. Projects may culminate in academic publications, engagement with non-academic stakeholders, and/or creative projects that are recognized as scholarship. Selected projects are eligible for up to USD $150,000 in seed funding over a period of up to 24 months, beginning in February 2026. For more information and to apply, click here.

OPEN NOW: Joint Research Fund with Tec de Monterrey

Deadline to apply: September 15, 2025

UC AlianzaMX is now accepting proposals for collaborative research projects between PIs from the UC system and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey) in three strategically important areas: 1) industrial transformation, competitiveness, and artificial intelligence; 2) climate adaptation, resilience, sustainable development, and sustainable business models; and 3) prosperous communities, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Selected projects are eligible for up to USD $25,000 in funding per year over two years from Alianza MX, with matching funds for research at Tec, beginning in October 2025. For more information and to apply, click here.

PRE-REGISTRATION Climate Ambassadors 25-26

UC AlianzaMX invites undergraduate students to pre-register to be a part of the next generation of Climate Ambassadors. The Climate Ambassadors Initiative brings together a cross-border network of students from California and Mexico to foster collaboration, learning, and professional development. Climate Ambassadors are committed to advancing a bilateral agenda on climate change and climate justice that addresses challenges faced by communities, business, and society on both sides of the border.
Pre-registration is now open. By signing up, interested students will be the first to learn when the official call launches in September 2025.

For more information and to access the pre-registration form, click here.

UC Alianza MX at NAFSA 2025

The UC AlianzaMX Academic Exchange and Continuing Education team took part in NAFSA 2025, held in San Diego, California. The team engaged in meetings with partners from the different UC campuses, as well as with representatives from a range of Mexican higher education institutions. These conversations offered a valuable opportunity to strengthen existing collaborations, share progress on currently mobility efforts, and identify new areas of strategic partnership—reflecting UC AlianzaMX’s ongoing commitment to fostering cross-border initiatives that advance student mobility and binational research.

UCEAP – SUMMER PROGRAM

The UC Education Abroad Program’s Mexico Study Center is hosting 36 students this summer, from June 27 to August 5, 2025, as part of the Contemporary Mexico program.

This five-week program combines classroom instruction with cultural activities and field trips. Students gain an intercultural understanding of Mexican history and culture while improving their Spanish language skills.