Sam Arcement—Director of Graduate Academic Programs for the College of Biological Sciences, and the program coordinator for the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology (MCIP) Graduate Group—has been honored with the 2024 Outstanding Graduate Program Coordinator Award from the Office of Graduate Studies. This year saw a record number of nominations. “Sam tirelessly ensures that our needs and concerns are heard and addressed,” said one MCIP student, who praised Arcement’s dedication to student advocacy.

Check out the below links for information on voting and other resources:

The American Physiological Society recently named UC Davis Professor Manuel Navedo the 2025 recipient of the Robert M. Berne Distinguished Lectureship. This award is presented annually by the society’s Cardiovascular Section to an established leader in cardiovascular research.

Commitment. Passion. Empathy. These descriptors were just a few of the plaudits the winners of the 2024 Graduate Program Advising and Mentoring Award received in their nomination letters. 

“[This professor’s] mentorship is always the perfect balance of pushing you to your full capacity, while also supporting at a level that fosters independence, creativity and self-ownership.”

“[This professor] combines a deep sense of empathy with a steely commitment to student development.”

The big day has finally arrived! After years of tireless work, it’s time to savor every second of this incredible celebration. We’ve got you covered with our top tips to ensure your graduation day runs smoothly, so you can focus on basking in the glory of your hard-earned achievement. 

Graduate Studies and Graduate Council are thrilled to honor four extraordinary faculty members with the Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Awards. These awards shine a light on the power of mentorship in shaping the academic and professional journeys of UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. 

Each recipient will receive a $1,000 award and a letter of recognition. 

Around 170,000 years ago, the Yellowstone Caldera — a supervolcano — produced a series of small eruptions in frequent pulses lasting roughly 100,000 years. Remnants from those eruptions can be found on the Earth’s surface today as volcanic rock. And those rocks contain critical clues about the interior of the supervolcano. 

Jessica Bolivar, a graduate student in the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (BMCDB) Graduate Group, knows firsthand the difference that one person’s mentorship can make. 

During her time at UC Davis, Bolivar has made it her mission to give back and inspire the next generation of scientists by balancing her research with a slew of community-uplifting and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Graduate Studies is pleased to announce and recognize the postdoctoral scholars who have been awarded a 2024 Postdoctoral Excellence Award.

At the beginning of her UC Davis Grad Slam presentation, Sasha Neil Pimento posed a simple question to audience members. 

“Have you ever walked to a particular room in your house and then wondered: ‘Wait a minute, why did I come in here?’” Pimento asked. 

We're excited to announce that three UC Davis doctoral students – Victor Chimaway Lopez (Native American Studies), Stephen Eyman (Linguistics), and David Morales (History) – have been selected as 2024 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows! The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) launched the program in 2023 with the support of the Mellon Foundation to advance a vision for doctoral education that prioritizes openness to new methods and sources, underrepresented voices and perspectives, and scholarly experimentation.

On Thursday, April 11, Graduate Studies hosted its inaugural Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Exhibition sponsored by the Graduate Alumni Network (GAN). 

Elizabeth Sturdy,  Director of Mentoring and Academic Success Initiatives in Graduate Studies, has been selected as one of six Davis Campus recipients for the inaugural Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Awards for Exceptional University Management and Exceptional University Impact!

As the highest honor a UC Davis staff member can receive, these awards recognize and honor staff members who have demonstrated initiative to create significant positive impact on the UC Davis community in the past 18 months.

We are thrilled to announce Margaret Berrens, a Ph.D. candidate in Physical Chemistry, and Diego Lopez Mateos, a Ph.D. candidate in Biophysics, have been selected as two of the 20 UC President’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Fellows for the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Physics taking place from June 30-July 5, 2024. This prestigious honor comes after a rigorous multi-stage selection process, first at UC Davis, and then by the UC President, who recognized their potential to represent the UC system.

Graduate Studies is thrilled to announce the prize recipients of the April 12 UC Davis Grad Slam competition: