Several faculty at the University of California, Davis, are among the recipients of presidential awards for excellence in STEM mentoring and research announced by the White House Jan. 13 and 14.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring was established by the White House in 1995 and is administered by the National Science Foundation. The most prestigious mentoring award bestowed by the White House, it recognizes mentors who work with underrepresented groups to fully develop the nation's human resources in STEM.

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers was established in 1996. It is awarded by the White House to outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers, based on recommendations from federal funding agencies.

Here are the recipients from UC Davis:

Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring

Aldrin Gomes, professor, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences; Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, School of Medicine

Gomes studies how side effects from commonly used drugs such as ibuprofen affect the heart. He has personally mentored more than 220 undergraduate students in his 17 years at UC Davis. He is also the director of the MARC and IMSD programs, which aim to support underrepresented and disadvantaged STEM undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. Gomes’ mentorship work on campus has been recognized through the 2023 Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Award, and the 2019 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research. He also received the 2021-2022 Chancellor’s Fellowship for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the 2021 College of Biological Sciences Principles of Community Award.

Presidential Early Career Awards in Science and Engineering

Joanne Emerson, associate professor, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Emerson studies viral communities and their influences on host ecology and biogeochemistry in soil, plant and other ecosystems. Her work reconstructs viral and microbial genomes to compare behavior across different conditions, such as drought and other changes in climate. Emerson teaches several courses, including those related to microbial ecology, global disease biology and plant diseases and is senior editor of The ISME Journal, the flagship publication of the International Society of Microbial Ecology.

Emerson earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at the College of William and Mary and a Ph.D. in earth and planetary sciences from UC Berkeley. She joined UC Davis as an assistant professor in 2017 and is senior editor of The ISME Journal, the flagship publication of the International Society of Microbial Ecology. 

James Letts, associate professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences

Letts studies the electron transport chain — a series of proteins found on the mitochondria that enable cells to convert the energy in the food we eat into the form that cells use to function. By isolating these proteins and visualizing their structures using electron microscopy, Letts’ work aims to reveal how they function in healthy and diseased cells. His lab studies these proteins in diverse organisms, including animals, plants, fungi and single cellular protists. Letts received the presidential award for his Department of Energy-funded work on how electron transport chains function in plant cells, which could help scientists improve crop yield and resistance in the face of climate change.

Kassandra Ori-McKenney, associate professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences

Ori-McKenney studies tube-like proteins called microtubules that help form cell skeletons and are involved in transport inside cells. Her research seeks to understand the structure and function of microtubules within neural cells and to investigate how issues with these structures affect neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and aging. By using methods that range from biochemical analyses to cellular assays, microscopy and experimental studies in fruit flies, Ori-McKenney aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the microtubule cytoskeleton in disease. Ori-McKenney received the presidential award in recognition of research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Tran Nguyen, associate professor, Department of Environmental Toxicology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Nguyen is an atmospheric and analytical chemist whose research investigates the chemistry of gases, aerosols and cloud/fog droplets and how these chemical reactions affect air quality and climate. Her lab also studies indoor aerosols and how electronic cigarettes affect inhalation exposure and toxicology. She teaches environmental fates of toxicants and introduction to mass spectrometry courses. Nguyen is the director of ICARUS, a national database for atmospheric chamber research; an editorial board member for the journal Environmental Science and Technology Air and an award recipient from the American Association for Aerosol Research.

Nguyen earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Southern California, a Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Irvine and did her postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology prior to joining UC Davis in 2016. She is the director of ICARUS which is a national database for atmospheric chamber research, an editorial board member for the journal Environmental Science and Technology Air and an award recipient from the American Association for Aerosol Research.

Amanda Thomas, visiting professor, 
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Thomas uses seismic data, geodetic data and other tools to unravel the complexities of active tectonics and other fundamental Earth processes. Currently a visiting professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Thomas will join the faculty at UC Davis this year. Her research interests include seismology, fault mechanics, seismic deployments, machine learning and earthquake and tsunami hazards, among other topics in the geosciences.  

Andrew Wetzel, associate professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Letters and Science

A theoretical and computational astrophysicist and cosmologist, Wetzel generates simulations to model the formation of cosmic structures. Wetzel uses such simulations to study star and galaxy formation, stellar nucleosynthesis and the nature of dark matter. Wetzel has a special interest in the formation of the Milky Way galaxy and is a member of the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project, which aims to better understand the cosmological context of the formation and evolution of galaxies.  

Aliza Wingo, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, School of Medicine

Aliza Wingo is a professor of psychiatry at UC Davis and staff psychiatrist at VA Northern California Health Care. Wingo combines genetics and functional genomics to elucidate risk genes and brain proteins contributing to the causes of major psychiatric disorders and Alzheimer's disease. Her work has been published in Nature Aging, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Genetics and Nature Medicine. Wingo’s research aims to advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders, paving the way for the development of novel, effective therapeutics.