Graduate Division Dean's Update: 10/14/25

Dear Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars,

Lately, I have been spending my evenings going to middle school open houses with my daughter. I have discovered that middle school admissions are a little bit like the Hunger Games, a swirl of parents and students, each hoping to find the perfect fit, strategizing their choices, and quietly worrying about what the future holds.

At one of the schools, a phrase was shared that has stayed with me ever since: “Be brave, not perfect.” It struck me because it applies far beyond middle school tours. It is something I keep thinking about in my own work, in my advocacy for students, and in my hopes for the future of graduate education, for how we must continue to evolve, take risks, and reimagine what is possible in higher education.

Being brave means taking a step forward even when the outcome is not guaranteed. It can mean asking a question that might reveal what you do not know, submitting a draft before it feels ready, or speaking up when something feels unjust. Bravery is movement: forward, imperfect, and deeply human. It is what allows real growth to take root.

But there are also moments when perfect matters. When you are in the lab setting up an experiment that demands precision. When your analysis must stand up to peer review. When you design a lighting cue, a model, or a policy that others will depend on. Striving for clarity, rigor, and excellence is part of what makes you a scholar. It is how we honor the integrity of our disciplines and the trust others place in our work.

The art of graduate education, and of life, lies in knowing when to call on each. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is be brave enough to begin. Other times, it is to be patient enough to polish. The goal is not to choose one over the other, but to understand that courage and excellence are companions. One gives you momentum, and the other gives you mastery.

As we move through this quarter, I encourage you to practice both, to take the leap and to take the time. Be brave in your learning, generous in your curiosity, and exacting when the work calls for it. The world needs scholars, artists, and innovators who can balance both strength and care, risk and rigor, heart and precision.

With admiration and gratitude for all you bring to this community.

Upcoming office hours for the month of October are listed below. They are first come, first serve:  https://uci.zoom.us/j/7277477

Tuesday, October 14 – 1 PM PT
Thursday, October 23 – 11 AM PT

Now on to the rest of this week’s events and opportunities:

Join UCI’s Stella Zhang New Venture Competition!

Interested in startups, innovation, or just curious about entrepreneurship? The Stella Zhang New Venture Competition (SZNVC) is UCI’s annual campus-wide startup competition — open to students from all majors and all experience levels.

Why Graduate students should join:
Graduate students can participate in any SZNVC track—Business Products & Services, Consumer Products, Consumer Services, Life Sciences, or Social Enterprise/Sustainability—applying research and expertise to real-world ventures. SZNVC develops skills in venture creation, interdisciplinary teamwork, and professional networking.

Other benefits for all students:

• Explore entrepreneurship — no idea required to start!

• Compete for your share of $100,000 in funding and prizes

• Access free workshops, mentorship, and networking with business professionals and entrepreneurs

Kickoff Event: Wednesday, October 22, 2025
This info session and mixer is your chance to:

• Learn how the competition works

• Meet other students to form potential teams

• Hear insights from past winners and mentors

Register today by scanning the QR code on the flyer or visiting https://bit.ly/3VN53WT 

Tearing Down the Pink Wall 2025 – Building A Movement for Women in Finance
Event Details

📅 Thursday, October 23, 2025

🕔 5:30 – 8:00 PM | Panel Discussion and Networking Reception

📍 UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education, 510 E Peltason Drive, Irvine, CA 92697

UC Irvine proudly welcomes back Tearing Down the Pink Wall for its second annual event on campus — an evening designed to inspire, empower, and ignite a movement. Together with Women Investing in Security and Education (WISE) , we are working to expand financial literacy, open career pathways in finance, and create allies among all students.

Founded on the belief that “if she can see her, she can be her,” WISE has spent 25 years empowering women to achieve financial independence and success. Since 2017, the Tearing Down the Pink Wall series has spotlighted trailblazing leaders in finance, broken barriers, and created new possibilities for the next generation.

This year, UC Irvine is taking the series even further by building a campus-wide movement — one that arms undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. scholars with knowledge, networks, and opportunities to lead in industries where women remain underrepresented.

Moderators

• Angela Dailey, CEO of WISE and Managing Partner, DAI Partners
• Jonathan Treussard, Ph.D., WISE Board Member and Founder, Treussard Capital Management LLC

 Distinguished Panelists

• Jeanell Novak, Senior Vice President, Capital Group
• Kimberley Stafford, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific, PIMCO
• Zheng Sun, Ph.D., Professor of Finance, UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business

This year’s event is made possible with the generous support of our presenting sponsor, Leonid Capital Partners, as well as our WISE sponsors, Pacific Life and the Capital Group.

🎟️ The event is free and open to students, alumni, and our Orange County business community. Complimentary parking will be provided.

👉 RSVP at: https://ce.uci.edu/events/event-details?serialId=00387

New Resource: Nature Masterclasses On-Demand
 UC Irvine Graduate Division, in partnership with GPS-STEM, the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences, and the School of Medicine, now offers graduate students and postdocs free access to Nature Masterclasses On-Demand. These online courses, designed by Springer Nature experts, will help you sharpen your research, writing, and publishing skills.

💡 Courses cover topics such as choosing the right journal, persuasive grant writing, research integrity, and more. Certificates are available upon completion.

👉 Explore Nature Masterclasses by clicking here

Level Up Your Career: PhD and Postdoc Career Foundations Series
Join your peers for a 6-session Career Foundations Series hosted by A2i and GPS-STEM in partnership with Division of Career Pathways. This series is open to PhD students and postdoctoral scholars. It is required for you to attend each session in-person. The formal program will take place Wednesdays 1:30-3:00PM, Oct. 8 – Nov. 12.

Career Foundations Series is a 6-week intensive workshop certificate program. It is designed to give PhD students and postdoctoral scholars insight into and preparation for the industry job search process. Open to all fields of study.

This series will be conducted in an interactive fashion, which will give participants the opportunity to draft and get feedback on their application materials, exposure to best practices for interviewing, learn techniques and practice networking.

The deadline to submit your interest is Thursday, September 18 by noon.

Submit your interest to join the cohort and learn more details here: https://grad-uci.12twenty.com/events/30006101280864

Email a2i@uci.edu with registration questions.

Level Up Your Career: Master’s Career Foundations Series 
Hosted by A2i & the Division of Career Pathways

Get ready to land your next opportunity with confidence!

Join this 6-week interactive virtual workshop series designed to equip Master’s students and alumni with the tools and strategies for a successful industry job search. From networking to resumes to interviewing — we’ve got you covered.

Mondays, Oct. 7 – Nov. 17 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM on Zoom (No session on Nov. 11)

Wraps up with an in-person Career Mixer – Nov. 17 | 4:30 – 6:30 PM

Attend all sessions to earn a Certificate of Completion

Gain priority access to exclusive events, internships, job site visits, and more!

What You’ll Learn:

• Identify your strengths and career direction
• Build your LinkedIn presence and network strategically
• Craft a standout resume
• Master interview storytelling techniques
• Navigate professional dining settings with ease
• Develop a winning internship search strategy

Spots are limited — secure yours now and take the next step in your career journey!

Complete your registration here: https://grad-uci.12twenty.com/events/30006101287597

Email a2i@uci.edu with registration questions.

Become a Mentor with UC Irvine’s Next Gen Pathways Program
Want to support incoming grad students while building your own leadership skills? The Next Gen Pathways mentoring initiative is now recruiting mentors for the 2025–26 academic year.

This peer mentorship program connects experienced UC Irvine graduate students with new students navigating the transition into grad school—especially those who are first-gen, international, parenting, or facing hidden challenges. Mentors help with everything from research and time management to navigating campus life and offering encouragement.

✅ Flexible time commitment
✅ Matching based on shared experiences
✅ Self-paced training (~60 min)
✅ Mentorship experience for your CV

🔹 Register to mentor: uci.mentorcollective.org/register/uci-grad/mentor
🔹 Learn more: grad.uci.edu/next-gen-pathways

Your experience can make a real difference.

Division of Career Pathways Resources
Not sure what life after your Master’s degree or PhD looks like or have questions about your next career steps?

Book a 45-minute 1:1 session with the Division of Career Pathways team for personalized support—including career exploration, job or internship search strategies, resume/CV reviews, mock interviews, and more. Whether you’re considering further education, an academic path, or jumping into industry, we’re here to help you navigate your journey.

About our team: Dr. Jill Wells, Associate Director of Career Education, has over 25 years of experience in teaching and leadership, working with students of all ages. Before UCI, she supported graduate students and postdocs at Caltech and advised business students at USC, where she earned a dual doctorate in education and an MBA. She is eager to support graduate students at every stage of their academic and professional development. Maks Giljen, a 4^th-year PhD student in clinical psychology, is a Graduate Student Peer Career Educator and passionate about guiding fellow grad students in their career planning.

Let’s connect and get you on the right track! Appointments can be booked here: https://app.joinhandshake.com/appointments

Take Advantage of Division of Career Pathways’ Professional Photo Booth
The Division of Career Pathways (DCP) is pleased to introduce our all-new Professional Photo Booth, a complimentary, walk-in service at the Division of Career Pathways offering FREE professional headshots for UCI students, staff, and faculty. These professional headshots are perfect for your LinkedIn/ Handshake/ Zoom profile, department website, and also works for UCI Digital ID photo requirements. 

Rapid Response Networks for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Please see this list of resources for rapid response networks in California for immigration and customs enforcement. Also please make sure to subscribe to the DREAM Center newsletter for important updates, upcoming events, and scholarship opportunities. For the most updated news regarding visas and immigration, please visit our Immigration Policy Updates page or the UCI International Center.

Wellness and Inclusion Services
We know that getting through graduate school takes a lot of effort, so we provide support to our students along the way. Many of Graduate Division’s services can help you maintain your work/life balance. At UCI, we believe that healthy Anteaters are productive Anteaters, which is why UCI Graduate Division has our counselors available for any student or postdoc who feels they need to talk with someone.

Services Offered: Academic support; Equity and inclusion support; Time management strategies; Tools to master effective communication skills; Strategies for navigating professional and academic expectations in graduate school; Referrals to campus services

Please reach out to Dr. Phong Luong (pbluong@uci.edu) directly to schedule an appointment.

 Helpful Resources Provided by UC Irvine Libraries
Here are a few helpful links below provided by the UC Irvine Libraries. UC Irvine Libraries developed a guide to help new scholars navigate the realm of scholarship.

Graduate Student Research Support Guide

• https://guides.lib.uci.edu/graduate-student-support
• This guide provides great guidance on reading, writing, citing data collection and analysis           

Digital Scholarship Services (DSS) Main Site

• https://www.lib.uci.edu/dss
• This site provides an overview of UC Irvine Libraries’ digital scholarship services with contact information, workshop details, and other tools and resources

DSS Programming Workshops

• https://guides.lib.uci.edu/dataanalysis/workshops
• This page provides details about UC Irvine Libraries’ programming workshops

LibGuide on Software for Data Analysis (by Danielle Kane, Computational Research Librarian):  https://guides.lib.uci.edu/dataanalysis
Links to her other Libguides (GIS, Data Visualization):  https://guides.lib.uci.edu/prf.php?id=5952d46c-7cdb-11ed-9922-0ad758b798c3

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES 

School Nomination Required:

Chancellor’s Club Fellowship

Chancellor’s Club Fellowships are intended to recognize our most academically superior doctoral and MFA students — those who exhibit outstanding promise as scholars, researchers, and public leaders. Please note, nominated students must be first-generation college students, with neither parent having received a four-year degree.

• Schools may submit one nomination each by October 30, 2025
• Chancellor’s Club Fellows will be awarded a six-month stipend for a total of $24,000 for the period of January through June

Fletcher Jones Fellowship

This prestigious award is intended to provide financial support to doctoral students that will allow them to fully focus on their dissertation research.  As this fellowship is intended to support doctoral degree completion, students demonstrating a clear plan and strong likelihood of filing their dissertation by the summer dissertation filing deadline at the end of the award year will be given the strongest consideration.

• Schools may submit one nomination each by October 30, 2025
• Fellows will be awarded with a dissertation completion fellowship in the amount of approximately $12,000 to be used as a stipend during Winter or Spring quarter

Students Apply Directly:

Public Impact Fellowship

Public Impact Fellowships highlight and support doctoral and MFA students whose current research has the potential for substantial impact in the public sphere. Ideal candidates will be involved in research designed to significantly improve or enrich the lives of Californians and/or national and global communities.

• Students may submit an application by October 24, 2025
• Fellows will receive a $10,000 (distinguished fellow full award) or $1,000 (honorable mention award) to be used as a stipend

Tyler’s Tribe Foundation Endowment for ALS Research
The Tyler’s Tribe Foundation Endowment for ALS Research, supported by the Tyler’s Tribe Foundation, provides fellowship awards to graduate students conducting research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This includes work on treatment, diagnosis, prevention, medical device innovation, and improving end-of-life care. As neurodegenerative diseases like ALS continue to rise, the fellowship helps support the next generation of researchers committed to advancing care and accelerating breakthroughs for those affected by this devastating condition.

• Students may submit an application by October 24, 2025
• Fellows will be selected to receive a $1,000 stipend each to be used during Winter and/or Spring quarter.

Jim Trolinger Graduate Student Endowment
This award honors Dr. Jim Trolinger’s pioneering contributions to physics, optics, and space science by supporting graduate students who demonstrate exceptional talent, curiosity, and achievement in scientific research. Inspired by his groundbreaking work in holography, microgravity science, and aerospace applications, the fellowship aims to foster innovative thinkers who seek to advance their academic fields of study.

• Students may submit an application by October 24, 2025
• One fellow will be selected to receive a $10,000 stipend to be used during Winter and/or Spring quarter.

Hultgren Family Graduate Division Child Support Endowment
The Hultgren Family Graduate Division Child Support Endowment, established through a generous gift from the Hultgren family, aims to support graduate students who are parents. This endowment provides financial assistance for childcare and other resources, enabling these students to participate in professional and academic conferences. By alleviating some of the financial burdens of parenting, this fellowship allows graduate student parents to advance their academic and professional development through conference attendance.

• Students may submit an application by October 24, 2025
• The selected recipient will receive a $1,500 stipend for Winter or Spring quarter to be used for childcare and other resources so that they may attend professional and academic conferences.

Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

The Newcombe Fellowship supports doctoral candidates in their final year of writing, who are working in areas of religion, ethics, values, or morals.  Those awarded a Newcombe Fellowship are often at the forefront of creative and original scholarship, proposing new insights and ground-breaking work in the questions and conversations surrounding religion, ethics, and values.

• Phase one application process closes November 1, 2025
• $31,000 for 12 months of full-time dissertation writing (No deferments, half-year, or partial awards)

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
The goal of the program is to provide research opportunity and career development for scholars whose work will enhance academic excellence at the University of California. Approximately 70% of UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellows have received tenure track faculty appointments. Since 2003, over 400 former fellows have received faculty appointments at University of California campuses.

• Students may submit an application by November 1, 2025

The fellowship provides a salary at $69,073 and $5,000 for research expenses and professional development

More information regarding funding opportunities is located on the Graduate Division Fellowships page and the 2025-26 Funding Timeline.

Faculty Opportunity at Stanford’s Sarafan ChEM-H
Sarafan ChEM-H, an interdisciplinary institute at Stanford University bridging chemistry, engineering, biology, and medicine to improve human health, is now accepting applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or untenured Associate Professor level in the School of Engineering.

We are seeking candidates whose research lies at the intersection of molecular science and computation. Areas of interest include computational and machine learning strategies in drug design, tools to predict biological behavior at the molecular or cellular scale, and other innovative approaches that combine molecular and computational sciences.

Applications are due by October 15, 2025 for full consideration.

• Learn more and apply by clicking here

Dean’s Recent Alumni Fellowship
This fellowship aims at easing the transition from graduate school into full-time careers either in academia or other industries. While the fellowship is unpaid, a recipient of this fellowship will receive access to resources that will pay immense dividends going forward and was developed in consultation with young professionals and alumni to provide resources they wished they had access to while in graduate school. Click above for more information and to apply.

• Deadline: Rolling

More information is located on the Current Fellowships page and 2023-24 Funding Timeline.  Additionally, please reach out to Turner Dahl (tdahl@uci.edu) with any questions you may have.

In Closing
“Intellectual courage is the quality that allows one to believe in one’s judgement in the face of disappointment and widespread skepticism. Intellectual courage is even rarer than physical courage.”
— John C. Polanyi

“Precise facts alone are worthy of science. They cast premature theories into oblivion.”
 — Jean Henri Fabre