Alumni Spotlights

Since its founding in 1962, over 35,000 students — and counting! — have graduated from the UC Davis College of Engineering. Our alumni have pursued careers in a wide variety of technical fields in industry, public service and academia, occupying positions of leadership and making a global difference.

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Alumni Spotlights

Our alumni have become pioneers in their respective fields with achievements that have been far-reaching. Here are some outstanding examples of how our graduates are changing the world:

Kim Budil with long, dark hair, standing outdoors and smiling widely.

Kim Budil, UC Davis Alum and LLNL Director, Elected to National Academy of Engineering

by Breanna Bishop, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and College of Engineering Communications
February 17, 2026

The election recognizes the efforts of Kim Budil, M.S. '88, Ph.D. '94, to advance nuclear deterrence through technical contributions, as well as her outstanding leadership of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab and advice to the United States government.

A computer simulation of macroscopic atoms.

New Code Connects Microscopic Insights to the Macroscopic World

by Ashley Piccone, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and College of Engineering Communications
February 13, 2026

Recent alum Tim Linke leveraged ties between UC Davis and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to conduct his computational research and develop a new framework that couples atom-scale simulations with code that describes the macroscopic world, all within a single simulation.

A smartphone displays a program tracking hands moving small colorful blocks.

A Smartphone App Could Change How Stroke Recovery is Measured

by Jessica Heath
February 10, 2026

What if a smartphone could see what the human eye misses? A new UC Davis-designed app uses machine learning to track subtle hand movements during stroke rehabilitation, giving clinicians more specific data to assess recovery and tailor patient care.

people at the student startup center grand opening

Creating Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs: A Look Inside the UC Davis Student Startup Center

by Adrianna Owens
December 08, 2025

The Student Startup Center in the UC Davis College of Engineering helps students turn ideas into companies through hands-on courses, daily programming and collaborative maker spaces. Open to all majors, the center focuses on real-world experience to help students engineer solutions to critical problems.

Investing in the Next Generation of Changemakers

by John Wasson ’84, Chair and CEO of ICF
December 08, 2025

UC Davis alum and industry leader John Wasson reflects on how his chemical engineering degree prepared him to solve some of the world’s most complex challenges and highlights the value of supporting engineering education and research at UC Davis to help the next generation tackle the biggest issues of tomorrow.  