Still the best: UCSB voted Santa Barbara’s No. 1 place to work

October 17, 2025

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From the lab to the lagoon, UC Santa Barbara’s mix of ocean views, teamwork and innovation has once again made it Santa Barbara County’s Best Place to Work in the Santa Barbara Independent’s annual readers poll. It’s the ninth straight year the campus has claimed the honor.

“UC Santa Barbara is a community of dedicated people who strive to make a difference through education, research, and service,” Chancellor Dennis Assanis told the Independent. “We are proud to contribute to and enrich the greater Santa Barbara community and California through our discoveries, creative endeavors, business startups, arts programming, and educational outreach. It is a tribute to our staff and faculty that the campus has been recognized as the best place to work for nine years running.”

The Santa Barbara Zoo was named runner-up.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

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Two men in blue suits looking at a paper that one is signing

Photo Credit

Jeff Liang

ParalympicsGB Chief Executive Officer David Clarke, left, and UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Dennis Assanis, right, sign the contract that will bring the PGB delegation to UCSB in 2028 to prepare for the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.