UC Davis has announced its 15th class of Chancellor’s Fellows — 10 faculty members at the associate professor level who have caught the attention of their colleagues, department chairs and deans, and Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.

The 2014-15 fellows and their fields: Heidi L. Ballard, environmental science education; Maruša Bradač, astrophysics; Graham Coop, evolution and ecology; Amanda E. Guyer, developmental psychology; Tessa M. Hill, marine science; Richard S. Kim, Asian American studies; William D. Ristenpart, chemical engineering; Teresa Eleanor Steele, evolutionary anthropology; Archana Venkatesan, comparative literature and religious studies; and Huaijun Zhou, animal immunology.

Initiated in 2000, the "Chancellor's Fellow" designation is one of the highest and most prestigious faculty honors at UC Davis. The program recognizes rising stars who shine as teachers and campus citizens, and whose scholarly work already puts them at the top of their fields — garnering attention far and wide.

“UC Davis is a world-class university because we have a world-class faculty,” Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said. “The Chancellor’s Fellows are producing groundbreaking research and scholarship that is rivaled only by the vitally important work they do with our students in our classrooms and labs. The fellows truly epitomize UC Davis’ vision and mission, and we are fortunate to have them as part of the Aggie community."

The fellows program, which provides a $25,000 award to each honoree, is funded 100 percent by private donations to the UC Davis Annual Fund and the Davis Chancellor's Club — a giving society for UC Davis supporters who give $1,000 in unrestricted donations to UC Davis annually.

Fellows often use the award money to pursue research ideas that eventually garner additional funding to support their important research. Additionally, the title "Chancellor's Fellow" is theirs to keep for five years.
 
With the new appointments, Katehi and her predecessor, Larry N. Vanderhoef, have named 98 Chancellor’s Fellows. See all of the Chancellor's Fellows since 2000. A reception for the new fellows is planned in the spring.

More about the new College of Biological Sciences fellow, and what their nominator had to say:

Graham Coop, Department of Evolution and Ecology, College of Biological Sciences; and the Center for Population Biology —With an expertise in analyzing large genomic datasets, Coop is taking population genetics to new levels. Dean James E.K. Hildreth cited a referee’s conclusion that Coop had made “one of the major breakthroughs in human genetics over the past few years,” with his study of the mechanisms and evolution of recombination rates and patterns, to determine how genetic diversity is generated in people. Hildreth recognized Coop’s sharing of his expertise with students, post-doctoral associates and other faculty members to advance their research. “Thus, it is clear that he is working to make the climate of UC Davis more collaborative and innovative, and to help our students become more independent, critical problem-solvers.” In short, Hildreth wrote, Coop “epitomizes the ideal early career faculty member who is on a steep trajectory.” Coop started as UC Davis as an assistant professor, 2008-12, and became an associate professor in 2012. He received a Ph.D. from Oxford University, where he studied statistics. He has a master’s in physics from the University of Reading.