In 2025-26 the College of Letters and Science welcomes an extremely talented class of new faculty who are the future of Letters and Science and UC Davis. They are already remarkable in their achievements as scientists, artists, writers and scholars. They join us from prestigious academic programs and fellowships from across the country.
These scholars are role models who will inspire our students to achieve a life of impact without boundaries. Their many backgrounds, cultures and experiences represent a rich tapestry of perspectives that strengthen our collective work as both scholars and educators. They expand our opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations, both within our college and across the UC Davis community. These new colleagues strengthen our foundation — and future — of inclusive excellence.
#UCDLiberalArts #OurUCDavis
Arif Camoglu
Assistant Professor
English
Ph.D. Northwestern University
Imogen Forbes-Macphail
Assistant Professor
English
Ph.D. UC Berkeley
Najwa Mayer
Assistant Professor
Asian American Studies
Ph.D. Yale University
Luis Armando Parra
Assistant Professor
Psychology
Ph.D. UC Davis
Steven Schmidt
Assistant Professor
Theatre and Dance
M.F.A Yale University
Amanda Thomas
Professor and Louise H. Kellogg Endowed Chair
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ph.D. UC Berkeley
Zekun Zhang
Assistant Professor
History
Ph.D. Yale University
Athia Choudhury
Assistant Professor
Asian American Studies
Ph.D University of Southern California
Aamer Ibraheem
Assistant Professor
Anthropology
Ph.D. Columbia University
Brenna Mockler
Assistant Professor
Physics and Astronomy
Ph.D. UC Santa Cruz
William Rayo
Assistant Professor of Teaching
Psychology
Ph.D. Oregon State University
Joshua Shanes
Professor and Emanuel Ringleblum Endowed Chair
Jewish History
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison
Gabriel Tourek
Assistant Professor
Economics
Ph.D. Harvard University
Oscar Fernando Contreras Velasco
Assistant Professor
Sociology
Ph.D. UT El Paso
Anuj Kumar
Assistant Professor
Mathematics
P.h.D. UC Santa Cruz
Ali Musleh
Assistant Professor
Anthroplogy
Ph.D. University of Hawai'i, Manoa
Emily Ruppel
Assistant Professor
Sociology
Ph.D. UC Berkeley
Wenting Song
Assistant Professor
Economics
Ph.D. University of Michigan
Rob Voigt
Assistant Professor
Linguistics
Ph.D Stanford University
Tessa Cookmeyer
Assistant Professor
Physics and Astronomy
Ph.D. UC Berkeley
Stephanie Lumsden
Assistant Professor
Native American Studies
Ph.D. UC LA
Brittani Orona
Assistant Professor
Native American Studies
Ph.D. UC Davis
Tye Rush
Assistant Professor
Political Science
Ph.D. UC Los Angeles
Valerie Taing
Assistant Professor
Sociology
Ph.D. University of Michigan
James Watkins
Professor
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ph.D. UC Berkeley