2 Graduate Students Selected for Future Professors Fellowship
Two graduate students in the University of California, Davis, Department of Chemical Engineering have been named 2025-26 Professors for the Future Fellows through the UC Davis GradPathways Institute for Professional Development.
Meet Ph.D. candidates Ece Goktayoglu and Joaquin Mogollon Santiana, who will spend the next two years in the program, working on a project that seeks to benefit other graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. They will also strengthen their leadership, teaching and professional skills through professional development training and serving as mentors to the next class of Professors for the Future.
Ece Goktayoglu
Shaping Futures: Women in Academia Share Their Journeys
Goktayoglu’s project aims to support women in academia by organizing inclusive workshops and discussions featuring successful scholars from diverse backgrounds, including women of color, LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities. It brings in current graduate students and postdocs to address key barriers to academic and professional success.
By increasing awareness of academic career challenges and opportunities, this initiative will empower graduate students and postdocs to make informed decisions and build supportive professional networks. The workshop series will comprise three sessions, held every two weeks during the spring quarter.
“As a Ph.D. student, much of our training focuses on research, but programs like Professors for the Future provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on the broader responsibilities of academia,” said Goktayoglu. “I am excited to gain insights into inclusive teaching, mentorship and academic leadership, and to connect with peers across disciplines who share the goal of improving higher education. I am grateful to be part of a program that encourages future faculty to think intentionally about teaching, inclusion and the impact we hope to have on students and the broader academic community.”
Joaquin Mogollon Santiana
Bridging the Gap: Supporting Hispanic/Latinx Students on the Path to Graduate and Professional School
Mogollon Santiana’s project is focused on supporting underrepresented students, specifically Hispanic/Latinx students, in navigating pathways to graduate and professional school. Many of these students are first-generation college undergraduates and transfer students who may be unfamiliar with the structure and expectations of graduate education.
To offer targeted support, Mogollon Santiana is working alongside Woodland Community College and Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement, or MESA, to host a two-part seminar series that will guide Hispanic/Latinx undergraduate students through the process of applying to graduate-level programs, regardless of their major or intended career path.
“Aside from the fantastic training and resources this fellowship provides for people who want to become faculty in the near future,” said Santiana, “Professors for the Future is great to find a community on campus with so many amazing individuals who care so much about improving education in many areas, ranging from supporting historically marginalized communities and student mental health to creating fun projects that make complex research easier for general audiences to understand. It is a great honor to be selected to participate in this fellowship.”
Meet the full class of 2025-26 Professors for the Future Fellows