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Campus transformation continues with multidisciplinary research space and proposal for new campus district

Campus transformation continues with multidisciplinary research space and proposal for new campus district

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When Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla arrived at UC San Diego, he engaged more than 10,000 campus and community members to define a shared vision for a physical, cultural and intellectual transformation of the university. In the years that followed, innovative new spaces for research, patient care, education, the arts and residential living have helped enhance the student experience, enrich the community and foster research and innovation.

“Our first strategic plan was created as a framework for all decisions, driven by a deep commitment to students, groundbreaking research, public service and world-class health care,” Khosla said. “The remarkable progress and unprecedented achievements we have achieved as a community over the past decade inspire a renewed focus on these and additional priorities that will ensure the continuation and acceleration of innovative academic and research excellence at this world-class university.”

To capitalize on the momentum, guide the campus into the next decade, and maintain focus on priorities that support our continued growth as a public university, UC San Diego challenged itself to renew its strategic plan, informed and shaped by input from the university community and key external partners. Key projects that exemplify this mission were discussed by the University of California Board of Regents at their July meeting.

Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building

The UC Regents have approved plans for a new Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building to meet the growing demand for modern teaching and research space across a broad range of disciplines with UC San Diego Health Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences, furthering the university’s research and public service mission.

“The Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building will help solidify UC San Diego’s position as a leading research institution in neurobiology,” said John M. Carethers, MD, vice chancellor for health sciences at UC San Diego. “Notably, this is the first building on campus to connect health sciences research with other disciplines on campus, fostering unprecedented collaboration across units. This will not only enhance our research capabilities, but also enrich our educational programs, fostering a truly integrated approach to health sciences research.”

The Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building, located west of the Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, will provide research and education space focused on the intersection of neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation, immunology and infectious diseases, using advanced technologies to accelerate discovery in academia and industry.

“This exciting new space will enable our researchers to more quickly translate fundamental biological discoveries into improvements in human health and provide our students with a space designed for interdisciplinary education at the critical intersection of biology, machine learning and advanced instrumentation in preparation for an increasingly important range of careers,” said School of Biological Sciences Dean Kit Pogliano.

The design would create science neighborhoods comprised of cross-organizational collaborative faculty, with the research labs designed to maximize flexibility and functionality to respond to changes in programs and research, and the teaching labs designed to integrate experimentation, instrumentation, and computational analysis. The project is designed to meet, at a minimum, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification level of Gold. Construction is expected to begin on the site—currently a parking lot and service road—in fall 2024 and be completed in 2027.

Activating a vibrant campus

As part of the university’s strategy to increase access for students, faculty and the region, UC San Diego also presented the UC Regents with a proposal and request for preliminary funding plans for the development of the Pepper Canyon East District on a 50-acre site adjacent to the UC San Diego Blue Line central campus station.

The primary driver of the Pepper Canyon East District is to continue the vibrant transformation and activation of the campus, with spaces to celebrate, reflect, and innovate. The overall development plan currently calls for the following amenities, to be built in multiple phases:

  • Housing for up to 6,000 students (5,000 net new beds) in apartments
  • Residential support services, including study areas and communal meeting spaces
  • Food/shopping facilities
  • Campus hotel and conference centre (up to 300 keys)
  • Student-oriented recreation and entertainment
  • Outdoor spaces for formal and informal gatherings
  • Recreational fields, programmable open space and parking
  • Pedestrian, bicycle and car connections to existing housing, medical centers, academic and research institutions, as well as regional transportation projects to serve the campus