No Limits
The impact of Trustee Susan ’70 and Bruce ‘68,‘71 Worster
When UC Santa Barbara physics professors John Martinis and Michel Devoret won the Nobel Prize in 2025, pride swept the community. The moment was personal for UC Santa Barbara Foundation Trustee Susan Worster ’70 and her husband, Bruce ‘68,‘71.
Martinis joined UC Santa Barbara in 2004 and for many years held the Susan and Bruce Worster Chair in Experimental Physics. This endowed chair reflects the Worsters’ longstanding commitment, a legacy they have strengthened through a creative estate plan that designates the ultimate distribution of a portion of their family foundation to the university.
“It was gratifying when John Martinis won the Nobel Prize, because the initial professorship we endowed was used to recruit him to UC Santa Barbara. There is a lot of pride there,” said Bruce.
This pride stretches back to 1967, when the Worsters’ UC Santa Barbara story began.
“We met just when I had been admitted and accepted a teaching assistantship in the Department of Physics. I moved here, and the phone bills got too high, so she followed. We were married in January of my first year,” said Bruce.
While Bruce finished his Ph.D., Susan earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental biology. The Worsters relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Susan spent her early career in clinical laboratories. Bruce transitioned into industrial research and development.
“Education has always been an important value for us. Early on, we contributed what we could afford to UC Santa Barbara, and that’s how we stayed connected,” said Susan.
Over time, the Worsters’ philanthropic and volunteer commitments to UCSB grew significantly. In 2000, Susan joined the UC Santa Barbara Foundation Board of Trustees and Bruce joined the Department of Physics Advisory Board. After creating the Susan and Bruce Worster Chair in Experimental Physics, the couple endowed the deanship for the Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences. The Worsters also serve on the Division of Science Dean’s Cabinet.
“Becoming the Susan and Bruce Worster Dean of Science was especially meaningful to me, and I felt a deep sense of honor and responsibility in carrying forward a legacy shaped by Susan and Bruce’s enduring commitment to UC Santa Barbara. Their generosity has helped sustain and strengthen our scientific community by expanding student research and mentorship, supporting faculty scholarship and preparing the next generation of scientists. That kind of long-term partnership makes it possible to think beyond the immediate moment and imagine what more is possible.
The endowed deanship provides the flexibility to respond to emerging needs and make strategic investments in promising ideas, exceptional people and shared resources that move discovery forward. I am incredibly grateful to Susan and Bruce for their belief in our community and for the extraordinary legacy they are creating,” said Shelly Gable, Susan and Bruce Worster Dean of Science.
The Worsters’ legacy gifts through their IRAs and their family foundation will continue their decades of support for undergraduate scholars.
“Susan came up with the idea of funding undergraduate summer research programs in the Departments of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and Physics. We created a new model that’s been replicated many times, and we’re proud that it’s still going on today,” said Bruce.
Through 10-week Worster Summer Research Fellowships, undergraduate students are paired with graduate student mentors for collaborative research in the physical and biological sciences. Participants present their findings at the annual Worster Symposium.
Over her 26 years of board service, Susan served as board secretary, co-chaired the Bay Area Regional Campaign Committee, and volunteered on many other councils. In 2019, she received the UCSB Alumni Association’s Graver Alumni Service Award in recognition of her lifelong dedication.
After Bruce retired as vice president at JDS-Uniphase Corporation, the Worsters donated a portion of their stock options to a private foundation that formed the basis of their annual giving. Their support will continue to provide opportunities for scientific inquiry and undergraduate student mentorship. They look to a future of abundant growth for the university.
“There are no limits for UC Santa Barbara,” said Susan.
Published October 2026
Education has always been an important value for us. Early on, we contributed what we could afford to UC Santa Barbara, and that’s how we stayed connected.
Susan Worster ’70, pictured with Bruce Worster
