Home / 2025 / Graduate Students

Graduate Student News

March 27, 2025
Astronomy Ph.D. candidate researching mysteries of sub-Neptune planets wins fellowship
UC Santa Cruz astronomy Ph.D. candidate Sagnick Mukherjee has received one of the most sought-after postdoctoral awards in the field: the prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowship. In its March 27 announcement, the awarding Heising-Simons Foundation named Mukherjee one of eight new fellows, recognizing them as exceptional postdoctoral scientists who deserve support to continue their research in planetary astronomy.
March 27, 2025
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2024 AAAS fellows
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members have been named new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS awarded the lifetime honor to professors David Deamer, Theodore Holman, and Raphael Kudela on March 27.
March 27, 2025
Cynthia Lewis named 2025 Fellow of the American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has named Cynthia Lewis, professor emerita of education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as one of its 2025 AERA Fellows.
March 27, 2025
Porter College's EnCore celebrates student voices and vision
Each year, Porter College hosts EnCore, a culminating exhibition of student projects from Porter 1, the college’s core course. The event features multimedia art and handmade books exploring identity, community, and creative expression. Select works are added to the university’s special collections library.
March 26, 2025
Labor strikes announced for Tuesday, April 1
The University of California has been notified of a one-day systemwide labor strike on Tuesday, April 1 at all UC campuses and medical centers.
March 26, 2025
Artist Talk provides a deep dive into dance as rebellion
Many have seen the newest mural on campus, Danza a la Rebeldía (Dance as Rebellion), but now is the chance to learn more about it. On April 15 alumni muralists Irene Juarez-O’Connell and Victor Cervantes will join John Jota Leaños, a professor of Film and Digital Media and the assistant dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Arts Division, for a discussion about the work.
March 24, 2025
Important updates about UCSC Adobe Creative Cloud software
As a reminder, if you need to use Adobe Creative Cloud software (including Acrobat Pro installed on your device), you must activate your license using your UCSC account and reactivate quarterly.
March 24, 2025
Equity and Equal Protection replacing Bias Response Reporting form
The Office of Equity and Equal Protection (EEP) is now managing all complaints of discrimination or harassment on the basis of protected characteristics for all community members, including students.
March 24, 2025
‘Find Your Path!’ opens doors for successful careers in the arts
Professionals in arts disciplines know there is always a way to make a living doing what you love, and the award-winning faculty and alumni from UC Santa Cruz are here to prove it. Find Your Path!, an annual event hosted by the Arts Division brings together professionals from a variety of fields for a two-day seminar that helps students learn about potential pathways to success.
March 20, 2025
New eye-tracking VR experience, Face Jumping, wins XR Audience Award at SXSW
After debuting at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2025, Face Jumping won the conference’s XR Experience audience award among the 15 creators working at the intersection of technology and immersive art who participated in the XR Experience competition.
March 19, 2025
Long-accepted theory explaining the nature of our universe may need updating, new analysis indicates
The standard model of how the universe works involves the widely accepted theory that dark energy is a fundamental constant of nature that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe. But a new analysis announced today by the international Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration raises the possibility that this theory may need to be updated.
March 18, 2025
New lactation spaces open for nursing mothers on campus
Across the UC Santa Cruz campuses, nursing mothers now have access to 21 lactation rooms where they can express milk and nurse their babies. The spaces on the residential, coastal, Scotts Valley, and Silicon Valley campuses, some new and others renovated, provide a safe, quiet, and relaxing space where they can maintain their lactation goals.
March 17, 2025
Workshop aims to create speech AI for all
To address the poor performance of speech AI systems for this community, a team of researchers is studying and seeking solutions to the technical and design challenges of speech AI, as well as the policies and norms that surround this reinforcement of the existing difficulties associated with variations in speech patterns.
March 14, 2025
Sketch of suspect in sexual battery incidents
In an effort to find the suspect connected with two sexual battery incidents on campus, the UC Santa Cruz Police Department has released a sketch based on witness descriptions.
March 12, 2025
Forum captures urgency to use ecosystems now to keep people safe from looming natural disasters
The National Practice Forum on Nature-Based Solutions was held in Irvine on February 4 and 5, and sponsored by UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR). The forum drew over 500 attendees from around the country to discuss how our ecosystems can protect us from natural disasters.
March 12, 2025
Research Corporation for Science Advancement honors Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz has been named a recipient of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s (RCSA) Robert Holland Jr. Award, which honors outstanding contributions to research, leadership, and mentorship in the sciences.
March 11, 2025
Whale waste helps health of oceans by funneling nutrients to the tropics, new study shows
New research shows that whales move nutrients thousands of miles—in their pee and poop—from as far as Alaska to Hawaii, supporting the health of tropical ecosystems and fish. UC Santa Cruz professors Dan Costa and Ari Friedlaender contributed their marine-mammal expertise to the study, which was published on March 10 in the journal Nature Communications.
March 11, 2025
UCOP FAQ about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of California
The UC Office of the President has issued a document providing more detail and a UC-specific compilation of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) containing preliminary guidance and references to relevant federal and state law and University policy.
March 10, 2025
Biologist Erika Zavaleta receives Science Division’s Outstanding Faculty Award
The Science Division has announced that Erika Zavaleta, a professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, has won its 2023-24 Outstanding Faculty Award. The annual prize is the division's highest honor for faculty achievement, recognizing combined excellence in research, teaching, and service.
March 10, 2025
Planned power outage during spring break - March 24–27
In order to address critical infrastructure needs, there will be multiple planned high-voltage electrical shutdowns on the main residential campus during Spring Break.
March 06, 2025
Student-built app slashes weeks off brain mapping to speed up neuroscience research
UC Santa Cruz neuroscientists aiming to better understand how specific brain connectivity contributes to perception, thoughts, and behavior are leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance their study of brain function. By integrating AI, they are streamlining the process of aligning thin slices of mouse brain tissue with a reference atlas, helping to identify key details such as the brain region of origin more efficiently.
March 06, 2025
UCSC Arts Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu to join UCLA
Arts Dean and Distinguished Professor of Film and Digital Media Celine Parreñas Shimizu will become the next dean of the School of Theater, Film, and Television (TFT) at UCLA. She will step down from her position at UC Santa Cruz in June 2025.
March 05, 2025
Explaining how our biological clocks work and how to better regulate our circadian rhythms
As anticipation builds for the longer days that follow this weekend’s switch to daylight savings time, the moment seemed ideal to turn to one of the nation’s leading circadian-rhythms researchers, UC Santa Cruz’s Carrie Partch.
March 05, 2025
AI chatbots perpetuate biases when performing empathy, study finds
A new study explores how GPT-4o, the latest model from OpenAI, evaluates and performs empathy compared to humans, and finds major gaps exist.
March 05, 2025
Timely Warning Crime Bulletin: Burglary
The UCSC Police Department and/or Title IX became aware on March 4, 2025, of three incidents potentially related to a violation of California Penal Code 647.
March 03, 2025
New biology study reveals four novel genes required for male fertility in mice
The pioneering research of UC Santa Cruz’s Upasna Sharma to determine how a father’s life experiences and environment can influence the health and wellbeing of his children moves forward with the recent discovery of four genes required for male fertility and the creation of specific RNA molecules in sperm.
March 03, 2025
Clinical pediatric cancer lab at UC Santa Cruz is cleared to accept and test patient samples
The UC Santa Cruz Colligan Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory has received its CLIA certificate of registration from the California Department of Public Health, which clears the way for it to begin accepting patient samples.
March 03, 2025
New way to activate UCSC Adobe Creative Cloud software
There is a new way to activate UCSC Adobe Creative Cloud accounts.
February 26, 2025
Newest Genome Browser features highlight the power of generative AI and machine learning for biology
The UCSC Genome Browser has added two new datasets that leverage the power of generative AI and machine learning to interpret information about genetic variants and more rapidly assess which ones might be harmful to human health
February 25, 2025
SlugCents offers free tax help to students through April 15
The SlugCents Financial Wellness Program is now offering free tax preparation assistance to students (domestic and international) and others who had income of $67,000 or less in 2024.
February 24, 2025
Commitment to the UC Santa Cruz community
I write today acknowledging the uncertainty and anxiety that many members of our community are experiencing from the federal actions over these past weeks. I share these feelings and I want to reaffirm our commitment to our mission.
February 21, 2025
Phillip Crews honored with inaugural ASP Mentorship Award
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Phillip Crews has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) Phillip Crews Mentorship Award.
February 21, 2025
Notice of Campus Comment Period: UC Risk Transfer and Insurance Requirements
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on revisions to the policy on Risk Transfer and Insurance Requirements (BFB-63).
February 21, 2025
UC Santa Cruz students and SUBA partner to bring East Salinas businesses online
In East Salinas, where family-owned businesses are the backbone of the community, a collaboration is helping them build an online presence and reach more customers. Crown College’s GetVirtual program at UC Santa Cruz and the Salinas United Business Association (SUBA) have joined forces, with students leading the way.
February 21, 2025
Several labor strikes announced for Feb. 26-28
We anticipate the strikes will have noticeable impacts to the services provided by campus dining, transit, and health services.
February 18, 2025
Search launches for Vice Provost of Academic Affairs
UC Santa Cruz is launching an internal search for the next Vice Provost of Academic Affairs (VPAA).
February 18, 2025
Campus shares second quarter financial summary, revenue generation ideas, and budget committee framework
To keep the campus community informed about efforts to bring the core funds budget into balance, UC Santa Cruz has released a quarterly financial summary, revenue generation recommendations, and the framework used to determine the multiyear reduction plan.
February 13, 2025
Foraging seals enable scientists to measure fish abundance across the vast Pacific Ocean
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz marine biologist Roxanne Beltran to be published as the February 14 cover story for Science concludes that seals can essentially act as “smart sensors” for monitoring fish populations in the ocean’s eerily dim “twilight zone.”
February 13, 2025
New study documents California coyotes eating harbor seal pups
A paper published on February 12 in the journal Ecology details how the researchers used motion-triggered cameras placed at MacKerricher State Beach on California's North Coast during harbor seal pupping season in the spring of 2023 and 2024.
February 12, 2025
Economically, culturally important marine species vulnerable to changing climate, new study shows
Dungeness crab, Pacific herring, and red abalone are among the marine species most vulnerable to the changing climate's effect on California's coastal waters, a new study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers finds.
February 11, 2025
NIH awards Kellogg Lab nearly $3 million to continue research on molecular mechanisms that control cell growth, size
Doug Kellogg, professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded $2.95 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study control of cell growth and size in normal cells—and how it goes wrong in cancer.
February 11, 2025
UC Santa Cruz sets fossil-free date
The University of California, Santa Cruz has announced it will reduce fossil fuel emission by 90% by 2045. The date was set based on recommendations from the Decarbonization and Electrification (D&E) team.
February 11, 2025
UC Santa Cruz celebrates Teaching Week 2025 with Symposium, AI Discussion, and Distinguished Teaching Award Lecture
UC Santa Cruz will host Teaching Week 2025 from Feb. 24 to Feb. 28, celebrating innovative and equity-minded teaching practices across campus.
February 06, 2025
New UC website on federal policies
The rapid shift in federal policy and priorities is creating uncertainty for UC Santa Cruz, our UC system and universities across the country.
February 04, 2025
UC Santa Cruz scientists slither into the history books with first complete genome of a banana slug
Not only is the banana slug the endearing mascot for UC Santa Cruz — making the project fitting for campus researchers — but the slugs’ unique slime was a particularly challenging undertaking for UCSC’s experts in genomics.
February 04, 2025
Second annual Slow Fashion Week, Feb. 10-14
Slow Fashion Week is a new tradition for the Student Sustainability Advisor team in the Sustainability Office. Started last year by Student Sustainability Advisor Khalilah Hamid, Slow Fashion week encourages reducing clothing waste and taking a step back from the fast fashion industry among the student community.
February 03, 2025
New research and art installation demonstrate the viability of using fog as a water source
In a state known for its droughts, where the southern half recently experienced devastating fires, understanding California’s natural water sources is more important than ever. Three University of California, Santa Cruz professors have teamed up to create a multipart scientific and artistic research study, Art+Fog as a collective,
February 03, 2025
Resources for undocumented members of our campus community
We write today to reaffirm our support and care for undocumented members of the UC Santa Cruz community.
January 31, 2025
New grant funds effort to uncover therapeutic targets for neuropsychiatric disorders
A $10.3 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state’s stem cell agency, will fund a multi-UC effort to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders.
January 31, 2025
Explorer society honors Roxanne Beltran for advancing scientific field research, education equity
Roxanne Beltran, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is among 50 people from around the world being honored this year for “doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration.”
January 30, 2025
Innovative techniques aim for climate-safe restoration of Ms. Blue
A new project is underway to give Ms. Blue another life, this time enabling her to teach the community about the power of climate-safe innovation
January 30, 2025
The Institute of Arts and Science curates two revolutionary exhibitions
The Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS) is starting the new year with two imaginative and heartfelt exhibitions exploring liberation and justice. EDELO and Our Bedrock, both of which run from Jan. 31 – April 20
January 29, 2025
Climate change reshuffles species like a deck of cards, new study finds
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz ecology and evolutionary biologist Malin Pinsky finds that temperature changes due to climate change have a doubly detrimental impact: Not only do they destabilize animal populations, but the impacts accelerate as temperatures change more rapidly.
January 28, 2025
UC Santa Cruz AgTech Alliance launches to support interdisciplinary collaboration
Building on the long history of innovation in agriculture at the campus, the AgTech Alliance will support research, education, events, and workforce development related to advancing agricultural technology in order to create more formalized opportunities for collaboration within the university and beyond.
January 28, 2025
Decarbonization & Electrification Town Hall #4
The Decarbonization & Electrification Initiative will hold its fourth town hall gathering on February 10, 2025.
January 27, 2025
UC Santa Cruz Innovation Catalyst Grant program propels research into real-world solutions
UC Santa Cruz has announced the Innovation Catalyst Grant proof-of-concept program awardees, showcasing the campus’s commitment to fostering transformative research with significant societal benefits.
January 24, 2025
Long read sequencing reveals more genetic information while cutting time and cost of rare disease diagnoses
A new study shows that long-read sequencing has the potential to improve the rate of diagnosis while reducing the time to diagnosis from years to days — in a single test and at a much lower cost.
January 23, 2025
Professor Patty Gallagher reimagines Comedy of Errors in a new era
Shakespeare is coming to the University of California, Santa Cruz. The upcoming February performances of Comedy of Errors at the Theater Arts eXperimental Theater embody comedy and heartfelt performances.
January 21, 2025
Students make winning videos about importance of federal support for science research
Impactful scientific discovery isn't possible without funding to support the research, and three UC Santa Cruz students have created short videos that took top prizes in a national competition held by the Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research.
January 21, 2025
Five student projects funded through the 2024-25 CITRIS Tech for Social Good Program
The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Santa Cruz has selected five student projects for funding through the 2024-25 CITRIS Tech for Social Good Program.
January 21, 2025
John Jota Leaños selected as new Interim Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division
The University of California, Santa Cruz brought on a new Interim Assistant Dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Arts Division. John Jota Leaños, a professor of Film and Digital Media (FDM) and Guggenheim Fellow, is a Mexican/Italian-American and Chumash-award winning interdisciplinary artist, documentarian, animator, and social art practitioner whose work engages the intersections of history, memory, and power through a social justice lens.
January 21, 2025
Breaking records and feeding hope, once again!
UCSC community has broken our own record of generosity in this year's Second Harvest Holiday Food & Fund Drive - for the fourth year in a row!
January 17, 2025
Hubble Telescope images combined into giant mosaic of neighboring Andromeda Galaxy
Astronomers are celebrating the completion of a 2.5-billion-pixel panoramic picture of the entire Andromeda Galaxy. The team includes several UC Santa Cruz researchers who made significant contributions to the enormous photomosaic that combines some 600 snapshots taken by the Hubble Space Telescope over more than a decade and 1,000 orbits.
January 17, 2025
American Astronomical Society honors four UC Santa Cruz affiliates at national meeting
At this week's AAS national meeting, the society named UC Observatories Director Bruce Macintosh and two alumni, Laura Lopez and Mark Phillips, among the 24 new fellows chosen for 2025.
January 17, 2025
Embedding equity in the financial sector
UC Santa Cruz alumna Alina I’vette Fernandez has built a career helping America’s largest banks operationalize their values and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Her work helps C-suite leaders understand the implications of their decisions for both employees and the communities they serve.
January 17, 2025
New exhibition explores Afrofuturism through a look at the past
The newest exhibition at the Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery explores African history and Afrofuturism through the art of current PhD candidate Aaron Samuel Mulenga. Ukupupuka: An Exploration of Transcendence integrates Mulenga’s doctoral dissertation research on World War I porters called TengaTenga with the concept of the Afronaut to explore concepts of mobility, transcendence and divinity.
January 16, 2025
Annual notice on employees responsible for reporting discrimination, sexual violence, or sexual harassment
UC Santa Cruz strives to create and sustain an equitable environment for students, staff, and faculty.
January 15, 2025
Coral-reef restoration can be cost-effective for saving lives, money
A new study co-led by the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) at UC Santa Cruz shows coral reef restoration in Florida and Puerto Rico could save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and economic interruption each year.
January 15, 2025
2024 Outstanding Staff Award honoree seeks to lift campus educators as leaders driving equitable change
Kendra Dority, director of graduate student and postdoc professional development at the Teaching and Learning Center, has been awarded the 2024 Outstanding Staff Award. "I am proud to be part of a team that is so dedicated to supporting the teaching community at UC Santa Cruz,”
January 14, 2025
Stay informed and prepared for emergencies
The UC Santa Cruz Office of Emergency Management (OEM) regularly engages with our local and statewide partners to ensure we are aware and prepared for emergencies that may impact our community. To help us reach you quickly during emergencies, please take a moment to verify that your CruzID contact information is up-to-date. This ensures that you’ll receive important campus messages across your devices.
January 14, 2025
CIDER to train 45 new commercial drone pilots during Winter and Spring Quarters
The CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) is starting its fourth year of training new drone pilots through the CIDER Pilot Training Program.
January 14, 2025
Rick Flores named Executive Director of Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Rick Flores has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Arboretum & Botanic Garden at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
January 14, 2025
Multiyear framework to balance core-funds budget
The campus Budget Advisory Committee (BAC), formed in February 2024, has provided a multiyear framework for closing our structural budget gap that already incorporates the 7.95% state budget reduction for FY 2025–26.
January 10, 2025
Supporting those affected by the Los Angeles-area wildfires
Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the horrific wildfires that continue to burn in and around Los Angeles.
January 08, 2025
Basketball great, mental health champion to headline MLK Convocation
WNBA Hall of Famer Chamique Holdsclaw, an Olympic gold medalist and mental health advocate, will address the 41st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation on January 30.
January 08, 2025
Researchers to develop technology for improving berry monitoring, harvesting, shipment
To investigate innovative methods to support the berry growing and harvesting process, UC Santa Cruz Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ricardo Sanfelice is launching a new agricultural technology project.
January 06, 2025
Enhancing street safety for the UC Santa Cruz community
UC Santa Cruz is committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. To enhance safety, the campus is implementing a variety of new initiatives on campus roads.
January 06, 2025
Complete survey for CPEVC development assessment
In accordance with University policy (Regents Policy 7702), I have appointed a confidential committee to conduct the five-year leadership development assessment of Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor (CP/EVC) Lori Kletzer, an office that she has held since June 1, 2020.