Awards & Laurels

Distinguished Professor Walter Leal Receives Academic Senate's 2024 Faculty Research Award

Distinguished Professor Walter Leal has made history as the first UC Davis faculty member to be honored by the Academic Senate with all three of its awards, which celebrate outstanding teaching, public service and research.

In 2020, the Academic Senate awarded Leal the Distinguished Teaching Award for undergraduate teaching, and in 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award. Known internationally for his groundbreaking work in insect olfaction and chemical ecology, Leal's achievements have now earned him the 2024 Faculty Distinguished Research Award.

Celina Juliano Named 2023-24 Chancellor's Fellow

Celina Juliano, an associate professor of molecular and cellular biology who studies the regenerative capabilities of Hydra vulgaris, a small, freshwater relative of the jellyfish, has been named a UC Davis Chancellor's Fellow. This year's fellows are experts in everything from linguistics to law, from the economics of climate change to the reliability of software. These nine faculty members — eight associate professors and one professor — are UC Davis’ newest class of Chancellor’s Fellows, a title given to early career academics doing exemplary work.

Maize Researcher Wins Prestigious $100K National Academy of Science Prize

Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra, a professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded the prestigious National Academy of Science Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences for 2024. Ross-Ibarra was awarded the prize in recognition of his “pioneering studies on the evolutionary genetics of maize, a key crop species for global food production.”

UC Davis Exceeds $1 Billion in Research Awards for 2nd Year

The University of California, Davis, exceeded $1 billion in new external research awards in the fiscal year 2022-23 following the record set the previous year. The funding, which totaled $1.006 billion, will enable scientific discoveries and new technologies through research addressing a wide range of needs in human and animal health, digital systems, the environment and more.  

CBS Graduate Group Staff, Faculty Recognized for Exceptional Service and Mentorship

Faculty and staff in the college’s eight graduate groups were well-represented among this year’s recipients of mentorship and service awards by Graduate Studies, which presents awards annually to members of the graduate community who have made impactful and far-reaching differences in their programs, and in the experiences of their students.

Outstanding Graduate Program Coordinator

Alyssa Parsons
Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Development Biology graduate group coordinator

Distinguished Ichthyologist Peter Wainwright Receives Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Wainwright, a Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, has been honored with the 2023 Joseph S. Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in Ichthyology. Conferred by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), the award recognizes exceptional contributions to the realm of fish biology and aquatic ecosystems.

Wainwright received the award in honor of a distinguished career marked by groundbreaking research, transformative education and dedicated service to his field.

Dean’s Mentorship Awards Recognize Outstanding Graduate Student Mentors

Mentorship in the life sciences plays a crucial role. One generation helps the next, and together new discoveries are made, techniques are developed and skills are honed, by both mentor and mentee.

The CBS Dean’s Mentorship Awards, which are made possible through donations to the college’s Annual Fund, recognize exceptional graduate students who have mentored undergraduate students in the lab and classroom. This year’s recipients were honored at a college award ceremony on Saturday, June 3.

CBS Annual Faculty Awards Recognize Excellence in Teaching, Research

Each year, the College of Biological Sciences recognizes outstanding members of its faculty for significant efforts in the classroom and laboratory.

This year, Bruce Draper, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology who studies how germline stem cells are regulated and function in vertebrates, and Laci Gerhart, an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Evolution and Ecology who teaches the ever-popular “Wild Davis” course, were recognized by their peers for their contributions to the college.

CBS Year-End Awards Celebrate Undergraduate Achievement

The college’s top graduating seniors were honored for their achievements at an award ceremony on Saturday, June 3. The event included both college and campus awards.

With promising futures ahead for each, the students took to the mic upon receiving their awards to share their post-graduation plans, including remaining at UC Davis for graduate school, attending medical school and continued volunteer and community service efforts.

CBS Students Receive First, Third Place at 2023 Lang Prize

Earlier this month, the UC Davis Library announced the 2023 winners of the library’s Lang Prize! Now in its seventh year, the Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research recognizes students who make exceptional use of library resources and services — such as primary source materials and special collections, online databases and journal articles, interlibrary loan services, or consulting with a librarian.

Two CBS Plant Biologists Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Three professors from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are among 120 new members and 23 international members announced by the academy May 2. Members are elected in recognition of their contributions to original research. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve.