In 2024-25, the College of Letters and Science welcomes a remarkable cohort of new faculty. Among them are scientists, artists, writers and scholars. They bring an impressive array of achievements, including prestigious doctoral degrees, postdoctoral fellowships and faculty appointments from across the country.
These new colleagues strengthen the foundation — and future — of excellence in the College in many ways. They will contribute to the growing recognition of research and teaching in the College. Their diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences represent a rich tapestry of perspectives that strengthen our collective efforts as scholars and educators. For students, they will be important role models and mentors, preparing them for a life of impact without boundaries.
#UCDLiberalArts #OurUCDavis

Maria Eckstein
Assistant Professor
Psychology
Ph.D. UC Berkeley

Charlie Hankin
Assistant Professor
Spanish and Portugese
Ph.D. Princeton University

Tina Law
Assistant Professor
Sociology
Ph.D. Northwestern University

Maurice Rafael Magaña
Associate Professor
Chicano/a Studies
Ph.D. University of Oregon

Jonathan Park
Assistant Professor
Psychology
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University

Dogyoon Song
Assistant Professor
Statistics
Ph.D. MIT

Bianca Vicuña
Assistant Professor
Political Science
Ph.D. UC Los Angeles

Zekun Zhang
Assistant Professor
History
Ph.D. Yale University

Abinand Gopal
Assistant Professor
Mathematics
Ph.D. Oxford University

Julietta Hua
Professor
Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies
P.h.D. UC San Diego

Laurel Lawyer
Associate Professor
Linguistics
Ph.D. UC Davis

Valeria Mutc
Assistant Professor
Russian
Ph.D. Yale University

Fidencio Fifield-Perez
Assistant Professor
Art Studio
M.F.A University of Iowa

Lilia Soto
Associate Professor
Chicana/o Studies
Ph.D. UC Berkeley

Dulce Wilkinson Westberg
Assistant Professor
Psychology
Ph.D. UC Riverside

Ruaridh Forbes
Assistant Professor
Chemistry
Ph.D. University College London

Qijia Jiang
Assistant Professor
Statistics
Ph.D. Stanford University

Lewis Lawyer
Assistant Professor
Indigenous Studies
Ph.D. UC Davis

Cindy Ok
Assistant Professor
English
Ph.D UC Los Angeles

Tye Rush
Assistant Professor
Political Science
Ph.D. UC Los Angeles

Valerie Taing
Assistant Professor
Sociology
Ph.D. University of Michigan

Melissa Zhang
Assistant Professor
Mathematics
Ph.D. Boston College

Bianca Hand
Assistant Professor
Classics
Ph.D. John Hopkins University

Hyunwoo Jung
Assistant Professor
Anthropology
Ph.D. SUNY Buffalo

Stephanie Lumsden
Assistant Professor
Native American Studies
Ph.D. UC Los Angeles

Brittani Orona
Assistant Professor
Native American Studies
Ph.D. UC Davis

Christoph Schlom
Assistant Professor
Economics
Ph.D. University of Chicago

Rachana Vajjhala
Assistant Professor
Music
Ph.D. UC Berkeley

Renwen Zhang
Assistant Professor
Communication
Ph.D. Northwestern University