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Our past has been remarkable, and we know our future is brighter still.

 

UC Merced Chancellor, Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz

Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz assumed his role as UC Merced’s fourth chancellor on July 1, 2020, coming to UC from the University of Houston-Downtown, where he served as president since 2017. Having achieved his Bachelor's in Psychology at UC Santa Barbara and his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at UCLA, Muñoz’s move to UC Merced is a return to his California upbringing and academic roots. 

During his first year as chancellor, Muñoz has set the university's course for the next decade with an ambitious strategic plan that focuses on growth, impact and equity and justice. Muñoz was named the recipient of the 2020 Cesar Estrada Chavez Award from the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity for leadership on workers' rights and humanitarian issues, and in December 2020, Muñoz was appointed to the California Strategic Growth Council and currently serves with his wife, Dr. Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz, as a council member for the Yosemite Conservancy.

chancellor munoz headshot

Chancellor's Priorities

Writing and Remarks

February 5, 2026

Sustaining Our Momentum: Strategic Investments in Research, Student Success, and Our Campus Community

  Dear Campus Community, In November, Provost Dumont and Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Schnier shared our Financial Stabilization Plan, a multi-... Read More

January 20, 2026

A New Year of Collective Strength and Shared Purpose

Dear Campus Community, Welcome back, and happy new year. As we begin 2026 together, I have found myself returning repeatedly to one word that feels especially resonant for... Read More

News

UC Merced artists in residence Ruben Aguilera Sanchez, Frank Ayala and Abel Corchado
February 5, 2026

Three Merced painters, united in friendship and in their steadfast determination not to compromise their creative values, are serving as UC Merced’s first locally based artists-in-residence. The...

February 4, 2026

UC Merced has been recognized on Newsweek’s inaugural America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026 list, a national ranking designed to spotlight institutions that support, advance and elevate women across...

Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang
February 2, 2026

Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang has spent much of his career studying how life keeps time. His work on the circadian clock of cyanobacteria — tiny, ancient organisms that share the planet with us...

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