A total of 20 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from the University of California, Davis, have been named the 2023-2024 fellows in the Professors for the Future (PFTF) program. It is the largest cohort of PFTF fellows the professional development program has accepted since it began more than 30 years ago.

Leadership with the program said they were pleased to accept more graduate students and postdoctoral scholars into the competitive fellowship this year because of how effective the program has proven to be over the decades in developing the fellows’ leadership skills.

"A primary goal of PFTF is to demystify careers in academia and diversify the professoriate," said Ellen Hartigan-O’Connor, associate dean for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and director of PFTF. "Being able to accept a greater number of diverse candidates into the program, we will not only help provide important professional development opportunities to those students, but they will also enrich the program as well with their perspectives on the graduate student experience."

Founded in the 1992-93 academic year, Professors for the Future is a competitive fellowship program housed within GradPathways Institute for Professional Development—an important unit within Graduate Studies.

PFTF’s goal is to prepare participants to face the future challenges of graduate education, postdoctoral training and the academy. During the year-long fellowship graduate students and postdoctoral scholars participate in monthly seminars, an annual retreat and a course on teaching pedagogy. Fellows also receive a stipend in recognition of their selection to this highly competitive program.

A key component of the program is the academic service project that each fellow undertakes. The ideas for these projects originate from the graduate students and postdoctoral scholars themselves based on their graduate student experiences. This year’s projects range from tips on mentorship and job hunting, to empowering for marginalized scholars and coaching on how to protect one’s time during graduate school.

Here are the 2023-24 PFTF fellows and their proposed projects:

Catelyn Bridges
Ph.D. student, Horticulture and Agronomy
“Podcast for Academic Job Preparation and Transition Support for People of Color”

Ben Fong
Ph.D. student, Comparative Literature
“The Bridge Graduate Student Teaching and Mentoring Workshop Series”

Arabo Avanes
Ph.D. student, Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
“Navigating Opportunities for Participating in Academic Labs”

Josh Garcia
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
“Composing a Compelling Academic Portfolio”

Alice Dien
Ph.D. student, Biological Systems Engineering
“Breaking Barriers: Empowering Marginalized Scholars”

Amelia Brie Bennett
Ph.D. student, Microbiology Graduate Group, Pharmacology Department
“Diverse Ideas”

Audrey Boochever
Ph.D. student, School Organization and Education Policy
“Cairn: The UC Davis Guide to Navigating Invisible Illnesses in Graduate School”

Doreen Joseph
Ph.D. student, Computer Science
“Facilitating Community Building for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars”

Chelsea Kelland
Ph.D. student, Graduate Group in Immunology
“Meditation in Motion”

Alyson Kim
Ph.D. student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
“Introducing Environmental Justice and Service-learning in Engineering Education”

Sophia Minnillo
Ph.D. student, Linguistics
“Bridging the Gap”

Raymond Sukhdeo
Ph.D. student, Atmospheric Science
“Improving Communication to Diverse Student Populations for Greater Academic Success”

Brooke Wickman
Ph.D. student, Nutritional Biology
“Selecting Service Systematically: It's Your Time, Take Steps to Protect It”

Saskia Mesquida Pesci
Ph.D. student, Plant Pathology
“Reaching Out”

Emily Searl
Ph.D. student, Sociology
“The Undergraduate Senior Thesis Mentoring Program”

Paige Kouba
Ph.D. student, Ecology
“Examining the Exam”

Sophie Orr
Ph.D. student, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group
“Mentor Internet Toolbox”

Tamara Christiani
Ph.D. student, Integrative Genetics and Genomics
“Aggie Graduate Welcome Community Dinner”

Andrew Curtright
Postdoctoral Scholar, Land, Air and Water Resources
“Research Shorts”

Rebecca Wilson
Ph.D. student, Neuroscience Graduate Group
“Developing a Seminar Worth Remembering”