Awards & Laurels

The University of California, Davis, reached a major milestone attracting $1.07 billion in external research funding in the fiscal year 2021-22, up $102.9 million from the previous record set last year. In doing so, UC Davis joins an exclusive group of fewer than 20 public universities in the nation surpassing $1 billion in research funding.

Distinguished Professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and a former chair of the Department of Entomology, was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) at a June ‘22 ceremony in Phoenix, Ariz.  

This year’s graduate student awards emphasize the importance - and success - of mentoring younger scientists, and demonstrate the UC Davis commitment to collaboration, support and partnership that define interdisciplinary science. Graduate student awards support travel, research and professional development opportunities, and are made possible by generous philanthropic contributions to the college.

The Dean’s Mentorship Award recognizes graduate students who have demonstrated excellence in the mentorship of undergraduate students.

Six top graduating seniors were honored for their achievements at a luncheon on Monday, June 6, 2022, in the Green Hall courtyard. College leadership, faculty, friends and family attended the celebration of the students’ individual and collective accomplishments. Each received awards that recognized their research, community service and academic achievements.

With the close of the academic year just around the corner, many in the college are being recognized for the previous year’s accomplishments by campus units. With awards for undergraduate students, as well as postdocs and faculty, CBS was well-represented across campus award and honor ceremonies. The full list of recipients can be found on the respective award websites.

Sharon Strauss, a Distinguished Professor emerita in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, was among the three UC Davis faculty who have been elected as members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are among 120 new members and 30 international members announced by the academy on Tuesday, May 3.

Every year more than 100 billion garments enter the world's landfills, and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average American throws away roughly 81 pounds of clothing material per year. 

In the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject released on April 6, UC Davis ranked 43rd in the world and tied for 19th in the nation in the broad category of the life sciences and medicine. Demonstrating its strength across the disciplines, UC Davis was also ranked globally and nationally in each of the other broad categories: natural sciences, engineering and technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences and management. 

The Academic Senate and the Academic Federation recently announced their annual awards given to members for exceptional research, teaching and mentoring, and public service.

UC Davis graduate and professional degree programs are recognized among the best in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 edition of Best Graduate Schools. The updated rankings were released on Monday, March 28.

Professor Emeritus Kenneth C. Burtis, who served as the dean of the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) from 2006-2011, has been named the 2021-2022 UC Davis Distinguished Emeriti by the UC Davis Emeriti Association.

Burtis was recognized for his essential contributions to the Healthy Davis Together (HDT) program, including extending COVID-19 testing to the city of Davis and the broader Yolo County community.

Earlier this week, UC Davis named a new class of Chancellor’s Fellows — faculty members who will carry the chancellor’s imprimatur for five years in recognition of their outstanding work in academia.

“These 12 newest fellows represent our university at its very best,” Chancellor Gary S. May said. “They are now part of a proud 22-year history for the Chancellor’s Fellows program. These fellows are making advances that help solve complex and critical issues, while also helping our students become critical thinkers and problem-solvers.”

Nine faculty from UC Davis are among 564 newly elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, announced today (Jan. 26). AAAS fellows are scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines ranging from research, teaching and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.

Here are the new fellows from CBS, listed with their AAAS commendations:

In the second year of this program, Chancellor Gary S. May and academic leadership selected five fellows, four from the Academic Senate and one from the Academic Federation. Each fellow has received $5,000 in academic enrichment funds.

There are myriad ways to view the world. Some people view it through the lens of art, others through the lens of anthropology or psychology. But Connie Rojas views the world through the lens of biology.

“Everything around you—the tree outside, how tall it is, the bark—everything makes sense  when viewed through the lens of biology,” said Rojas, who was selected to join UC Davis this year as a 2021-2022 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow. “That type of thinking was very intuitive for me growing up.”