2 Engineering Professors Named Hellman Fellows
Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Shirley Ahn and Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Casey De Finnda have been named to the latest class of Hellman Fellows.
The Hellman Fellows program, which is open to faculty members from all UC campuses, is designed to help researchers early in their careers. Each fellow receives a grant ranging from $18,000 to $50,000 to support their research.
Environmental Engineering Casey De Finnda (Mario Rodriguez/UC Davis)
Working to make the world a better place, Ahn and De Finnda are two of nine faculty members from the University of California, Davis, to join the Hellman Society for 2026-27.
Ahn, an expert in investigating biological systems and phenomena on an atomistic scale through simulation, will use the Hellman Fellowship to support her research titled “Targeting Tuberculosis: Structure-Based Drug Discovery for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.”
De Finnda will investigate 3D-printed ceramic spheres as an affordable option for brine management and clean salt production to improve wastewater management and sustainability,
“I always find it uplifting to see the breadth of expertise among our new faculty members and the groundbreaking work they are already conducting,” said Phil Kass, vice provost of Academic Affairs, which administers the Hellman Fellows program at UC Davis. “I am honored that we can help elevate their work further.”
