UCSD excels in the sciences and engineering, aided by a strong local biotechnology
sector. In 1995, the National Research Council ranked UCSD faculty the 10th best in the nation, and ranked numerous programs
among the top ten in the United States in terms of quality: neurosciences (1st), oceanography (1st), biomedical engineering
(2nd), physiology (2nd), pharmacology (3rd), genetics (6th), geosciences (6th), cell and developmental biology (7th),
anthropology (9th), biochemistry and molecular biology (9th), political science (9th), aerospace engineering (10th), and
mechanical engineering (10th). UCSD also counts among its research centers the renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography
and the San Diego Supercomputer
Center.UCSD is an important research center, with annual research
funding totalling over $600 million. The National Science Foundation has ranked UCSD first in the UC system and sixth in the
nation in terms of Federal R&D expenditures. Furthermore, some 200 San Diego companies have been founded by UCSD faculty and
alumni, and over 40% of the people employed in the San Diego biotechnology industry work in UCSD spin-offs. Sixteen UCSD faculty
members have won the Nobel Prize, nine of whom are currently on the faculty. UCSD faculty also include nine MacArthur Fellows and 146 Guggenheim Fellows. UCSD
ranks sixth in the nation in terms of National
Academy of Science membership.