2025 Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Award Recipients
Graduate Studies and Graduate Council are thrilled to honor two extraordinary faculty members with this year's 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. Additionally, an allocation of $10,000 in Wakeham Mentoring Fellowship funds is available to each recipient to be distributed among their students as professional development stipends, including support for travel to professional conferences.
Meet the 2025 Recipients and Read About Their Impact
Jason DeJong, Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
“He deeply impacts not only our academic growth but our professional and personal development as well. His dedication to personalized and lifelong mentorship prepares us for transitions within and beyond academia, setting an outstanding example of what it means to be a mentor."
“From him, I have learned how to guide and motivate students, lead projects, and communicate effectively. Jason is not only a great advisor and leader but also a mentor, friend, and generous person.”
“Professor DeJong was an exceptional mentor who played a pivotal role in shaping my skills as a writer, supervisor, and researcher… His ability to motivate and inspire others was truly remarkable... Jason not only equipped me with practical skills but also instilled in me the confidence to take on new challenges and grow professionally"
Bettina Ng’weno, Associate Professor
Department of African American and African Studies
"Bettina Ng’weno is a force, as a human, a scholar, and a mentor. In the mere months that I have known Bettina, I have been met with constant warmth and acceptance. Not only can she make you laugh as you tackle some of the most complicated texts and concepts that I have come across as a scholar, or make a room full of exhausted graduate students excited about the challenges that come with the pursuit of research, but she also is relentless in her push for our success."
"Bettina fosters spaces of creativity and ingenuity, as well as inclusion and safety. She forges meaningful interdisciplinary connections, leveraging her expansive knowledge of diverse fields and departments at UC Davis to build support networks among students bonded by her tutelage."
"I never experienced a professor who explores such a variety of topics with such a level of intellectual depth as Professor Ng’weno, all whilemaking me feel so excited about the exploration."
Honorable Mentions
Graduate Studies and Graduate Council would like to extend special recognition to the following faculty for their outstanding contributions to mentorship:
- Kupiri Ackerman, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing
- Frederic Chedin, Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Professor, Department of Plant Sciences
Mentoring Initiatives at UC Davis
Mentorship remains a cornerstone of Graduate Studies’ strategic initiatives. We are dedicated to fostering a vibrant culture of mentorship that enhances the success of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and our mentoring initiatives play a pivotal role in achieving this goal.