Grad Slam
Mind-bending research, made simple
UC graduate students spend years on their thesis. Can they explain it in just three minutes?
Congratulations to the winners!
The results are in:
1st place: Tahirah Williams, UC Merced
2nd place: Carla Bassil, UC Berkeley
3rd place: Brandon Courteau, UC San Francisco
People’s choice: Tahirah Williams, UC Merced
2026 Winner
Tahirah Williams
UC Merced
More than slime: When mucus meets the Valley Fever invader
Learn more about Grad Slam on your campus
UC Graduate Research
UC’s 63,477 masters and Ph.D. students are a force for the innovation and new ideas that keep California on the forefront.