The American Geosciences Institute, or AGI, recently announced that paleontologist Sandra J. Carlson, a Professor Emerita in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, has been named the 2026 recipient of the William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI. This award is given in recognition of exceptional and beneficial long-term service to the AGI.

The Regeneration Research Program is designed to help faculty fill gaps created by the current constrained funding environment. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on proposed needs and budget justification.

For her innovative research in Indigenous studies and on the politics of knowledge, de la Cadena was recently elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. 

Chemistry graduate student Cocoro Nagasaka works at the interface of environmental and energy sciences. And now he’s continuing his research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, or LLNL, through the prestigious U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research program.

Monique Borgerhoff Mulder has been recognized again with the 2026 Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award, which exemplifies tremendous contributions of emeriti to the continued excellence of the University of California system.  

Currently chaired by Professor of Science and Technology Studies Finn Brunton, the college's Research Support Committee is charged with the decision-making behind the college’s internal awards/grants. In addition to the Dean’s Faculty Fellowships, they’re responsible for the L&S Unites Initiative, Incentives for Large Grants Initiative and the new Regeneration Program Grants.

The Academic Senate and Federation have announced their top awards, comprising 15 academics across various disciplines throughout the university. The awards cite the impact these academics have had on their fields, on UC Davis students and on the broader community through public service.

The Excellence in Teaching for Global Learning Award recognizes UC Davis instructors of the Academic Senate or Academic Federation who go above and beyond in designing and teaching UC Davis global learning programs. This year’s recipients are Ozcan Gulacar (Academic Senate), and Marc Ishisaka-Nolfi (Academic Federation).

Four faculty from the College of Letters and Science are among the 2025-26 Chancellor’s Fellows, a recognition that is given each year to early career academics doing exemplary work. Recipients carry the title for five years and are awarded $25,000 in unrestricted philanthropic support for research or other scholarly work.

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Carlito Lebrilla is among the 185 academic and institutional inventors newly elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors and celebrates success in translating research into products and services.