Cultivating Minds, Seeding Change
Message From Vice Provost and Dean Jean-Pierre Delplanque
Thank you for supporting our graduate education community as we celebrate 100 years of research, innovation, and progress!
This year marks an extraordinary milestone: 100 years of graduate education in Davis. What began with 12 graduate students studying agriculture in the fall of 1925, graduate education in Davis has grown into a dynamic force of nearly 7,000 graduate and professional students and more than 1,000 postdoctoral scholars working across every discipline.
UC Davis graduate programs rank top in the nation and world. We are #2 in the world for veterinary science, #2 nationally for ecology and evolutionary biology, #3 nationally for biological and agricultural engineering, #9 nationally for developmental psychology, #14 nationally for earth sciences, #15 nationally for fine arts, and the list goes on. Our diverse community of scholars have challenged us all to think bigger and act bolder while building a culture of belonging and success through mentorship and professional development.
As we honor this historic moment and look to the future, we will continue to cultivate the best learning experience for students and scholars in their pursuit of knowledge and discovery. What will the next 100 years of graduate education look like at UC Davis? How can we keep growing, changing, and rising to meet new and unforeseen challenges? One thing is certain: the spirit that’s carried us this far — ambition, persistence, curiosity, empathy — will carry us forward into even greater heights where the work that happens here will continue to shape the world.
— Vice Provost and Dean Jean-Pierre Delplanque
100th Anniversary News
Celebrating Our Centennial With "My 100"
What does a century of graduate education, scholarship, and impact look like? It looks like the work that each of you — our current and former graduate students — are doing right now! Get a behind-the-scenes look at their research as our graduate students tell their story and highlight their impact by giving their "My 100."
Emily Thatcher
Emily Christine Thatcher is pursuing her Ph.D. in Nursing Science Healthcare Leadership and currently researching the relationship between the timing naloxone is administered with a patient's chance of survival.
Mike Wang
Mike Wang is a UC Davis MD - Ph.D. student who studies psychedelics and depressive disorders. His goal is to make a little dent in the world where cutting edge discovery actually meets the patients who need it quickly and safely.
Yufei Qian
Pursuing her Ph.D. in Horticulture and Agronomy, Yufei Qian, is dedicated to contributing to global food security and empowering women in STEM fields through impactful research and collaboration by utilizing the first indoor vertical farm at UC Davis.
Denise Yamhure Ramirez
Fifth year Ph.D. candidate Denise Yamhure Ramirez shares her "My 100" and her journey as an international student that led to her currently studying the relationship between the brain and behavior in an orchid bee.
Jennifer Cribbs, Ph.D. '21
Jennifer Cribbs and an intrepid crew of undergraduate students and volunteers traverse the mountains of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park collecting tree cores to deepen understanding of tree growth and defense patterns across large climate gradients.
Amirali Ataee
Amirali Ataee is pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Science where he focuses on using AI to improve transportation safety and sustainability.
Jeffrey Hill, M.S. '79
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hill, USAF (Ret) shares his "My 100" attending UC Davis as a graduate student while being active in the Air Force and coming back to campus 45 years later to walk during Commencement.
Christina Thomas
Christina Dawa Kustmana Thomas (Numu, Newe, Hopi) is a Ph.D. candidate aiming to amplify Numu ways of doing music history - privileging Numu knowledges, languages, and performance - to Indigenize music studies curriculum.
Michelle Fu
A first-year Masters students, Michelle Fu is studying biomedical engineering at UC Davis in Dr. Stephen George's lab. Originally a a visual arts major as an undergrad, Michelle shares her "My 100" through a Ted-Ed inspired animation she created.
Building the Future of Graduate Education
The Power of Research
Explore the Graduate Alumni Network
About Walker Hall
Dedicated as the Agricultural Engineering Building in November 1928, the over 90-year-old Walker Hall is one of the oldest buildings at UC Davis. It had been vacant since 2011, but is now bustling with student life again after a complete renovation focused around creating a home for the graduate and postdoctoral scholar community at UC Davis. Additionally, the south promenade provides access to the building’s wings, which have been turned into three general-use classrooms that can seat nearly 400 students collectively. Walker Hall is also listed within the UC Davis Library's Historical Information about UC Davis Campus Buildings.
