Over a dozen graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from the University of California, Davis, have been named the 2021-2022 fellows in the Professors for the Future (PFTF) program.

Professors for the Future is a competitive fellowship program designed to develop the leadership skills of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who have demonstrated their commitment to professionalism, integrity, and academic service.

The year-long program prepares participating to face the future challenges of graduate education, postdoctoral training, and the academy. Professors for the Future is designed to prepare UC Davis doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars for a rapidly changing university environment through monthly seminars, an annual retreat, and courses on teaching pedagogy and ethics and professionalism in higher education. 

Fellows also receive a stipend in recognition of their selection to this highly competitive program.

“We have 15 amazing incoming fellows from a variety of disciplines and we are excited to welcome them to the program,” said Teresa Dillinger, director of the GradPathways Institute for Professional Development and co-director of the Professors for the Future program. “They have proposed a number of innovative projects to support their peers.  Projects range from increasing support for underrepresented and 1st generation graduate students and postdocs to providing practical skills trainings such as communicating research, effective use of Python and LaTeX and more.  We look forward to a productive and enriching year for all involved.”  

The 2021-2022 Professors for the Future fellows are:

• Chloe Brotherton
  Ph.D. Candidate, Linguistics
  Project: “Virtual Community-Building for LGBTQ Graduate Students”
   
• Rachael Coon
  Ph.D. Candidate, Animal Biology
  Project: “Improving Science Communication through Improv Theater”
   
• Rose De Kock
  Ph.D. Candidate, Neuroscience
• Project: “Empowerment And Education For Scholars Against Sexual Harassment In Academia”
   
• Mason del Rosario
  Ph.D. Candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Project: “LaTeX 101: Making Publication-Quality Papers and Professional-Grade Presentations”
   
• Aisha Faruqi
  Ph.D. Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Project: “Addressing the Needs of BIPOC Graduate Students”
   
• Alyssa Griffin
  Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth & Planetary Sciences
  Project: “Now Hiring: Resources and Support for STEM Ph.D.s Seeking Competitive Academic Positions”
   
• Tyler Kline
  Ph.D. Candidate, Linguistics
  Project: “We Are First: Continuing Resource-Building for First-Generation Graduate Students of All Experiences, Backgrounds, and Aspirations”
   
• Alba Ledesma
  Postdoctoral Scholar, Animal Science
  Project: “Inspiring Womxn and Femmes in STEM Symposium”
   
• Kaisen Lin
  Postdoctoral Scholar, Air Quality Research Center
  Project: “Serve as a Peer-Reviewer for Scientific Journals”
   
• Gwyneth Manser
  Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
  Project: “Developing a Community-Engaged and Public Scholarship Toolkit for Graduate Students”
   
• Deniss Martinez
  Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology
  Project: “UndocuGrad Student Toolkit”
   
• Margaret Miller
  Ph.D. Candidate, English
  Project: “How to do Mutual Aid: Best Practices for Graduate Students”
   
• Danielle Stevens
  Ph.D. Candidate, Integrative Genetics and Genomics
  Project: “Simple Steps to Turn Sketches into Digital Communication”
   
• Eric Tymstra
  Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology
  Project: “GRASP: Graduate Resources, Accountability and Structure Partnerships”
   
• Nathan Yoshino
  Ph.D. Candidate, Chemistry
  Project: “Python Bootcamp for Incoming Graduate Students”

For more information about PFTF, visit the Professors for the Future page on the GradPathways Institute website.