UC Davis has announced its 15th class of Chancellor’s Fellows — 10 faculty members at the associate professor level who have caught the attention of their colleagues, department chairs and deans, and Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.
The 2014-15 fellows and their fields: Heidi L. Ballard, environmental science education; MaruÅ¡a BradaÄ, astrophysics; Graham Coop, evolution and ecology; Amanda E. Guyer, developmental psychology; Tessa M. Hill, marine science; Richard S. Kim, Asian American studies; William D. Ristenpart, chemical engineering; Teresa Eleanor Steele, evolutionary anthropology; Archana Venkatesan, comparative literature and religious studies; and Huaijun Zhou, animal immunology.
MaruÅ¡a BradaÄ, Department of Physics, Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, College of Letters and Science — She is “known as one of the top young astrophysicists worldwide,†wrote Andreas Albrecht, physics professor and chair. BradaÄ has a special expertise in gravitational lensing, applying it to colliding clusters of galaxies, or “bullet clusters,†in research that is considered truly groundbreaking, Albrecht continued. “The complexities and subtleties connected with the collision process can be exploited to explore the nature of the mysterious cosmic ‘dark matter’ more deeply than with any other approach.†BradaÄ also has made “quite a name for herself as a teacher and communicator of science,†Albrecht wrote. BradaÄ created a “huge hit†with her innovative “Physics of California†course, which introduce important physics concepts in the context of popular activities such as surfing and biking. She started at UC Davis as an assistant professor, 2009-13, and advanced to associate professor in 2013. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph.D. at the University of Bonn.