Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Marcus Deloney, Ph.D. '21

"My interests took a path of their own," says Marcus Deloney, reflecting on what inspired his educational and career paths. The UC Davis graduate-turned-research scientist currently invests his time and considerable scientific skills helping others by researching new treatments for chronic illnesses.

Alumni Spotlight: Arnab Sarkar

Arnab Sarkar's father studied civil engineering while working full time as a construction supervisor and it was that dedication and early exposure to the field that inspired Sarkar, Master's of Science in biological and agricultural engineering '01, Ph.D. '04 to one day study engineering and follow in his father’s footsteps. 

Graduate Student Spotlight: Janis Eneida Patiño Higuita

I have always been a curious person, and I enjoy understanding how things work. This curiosity led me to pursue engineering. I love chemistry, and I also enjoy spending time outdoors. Therefore, environmental engineering seemed like the perfect field to combine my passions and skills.

Alumni Spotlight: Tyler Barzee, M.S. '16, Ph.D. '20

Tyler Barzee, M. S. '16, Ph.D. '20, is expanding the possibilities of engineering renewable food and fuel sources. Some of his recent research focuses on the development of edible gourmet mushrooms growing from recycled grains in bourbon distilleries and developing future foods from fungi.  

Building a well in Africa propels alumnus’ path of kindness and generosity

Chidubem Nnaji’s undergraduate project to install a solar-powered well in his village in Nigeria was just the beginning of his life’s calling to serve the public. The 2022 civil and environmental engineering grad is now at UC Berkeley earning his master’s degree in engineering and project management.

Jack Yao '96: From Robotics Gameshow Contestant to CEO

In 1995, Jack Yao ’96 was part of a team of UC Davis students that competed in Robocon — short for robot contest — in Osaka, Japan. The competition, which was nationally televised in Japan, challenged teams to design and build rugby-playing robots to autonomously navigate an obstacle course, place a rugby ball on a tee and kick the ball between goal posts.

Alumni Robert and Carolyn Caligiuri Establish Professor Amiya Mukherjee Memorial Fellowship in Materials Science

Alumni Robert ’73 and Carolyn Caligiuri ’74 have given a $1.27 million endowment to the University of California, Davis, Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UC Davis to establish the Amiya Mukherjee Memorial Fellowship in honor of Robert Caligiuri’s first mentor. The gift will support competitive doctoral students and boost the department's stature.

Eye on the Sky: Sarahi Granados '21

The path from passionate second-grader to James Webb Telescope engineer wasn’t an easy one for Sarahi Granados '21, especially as a first-generation Latina woman in engineering, but she’s incredibly grateful for the education, resources and connections at UC Davis that helped her get there.