Sociocultural linguistics; language and identity; language and youth; language and race; language, gender, and sexuality; African American English; Chicano English and Spanish; language in California; discourse, cognition, and culture
Jennifer Kam uses quantitative and qualitative methods to study how structural barriers impact the health and wellbeing of immigrant youth and their families. She also researches factors at various levels—individual, interpersonal, community, institutional, and cultural—that promote resilience and thriving.
Department Chair and Professor Communication
SSMS 4119
Tamara Afifi’s research examines how family and relational communication under stress affects personal, relational, and physiological health, and explores information regulation practices like avoidance, privacy, secrets, and stress contagion.
Associate Professor, Department of Education at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
Immigrant-origin youth, family-school relationships, educational policy and evaluation, qualitative research methods, school choice, college access, educational equity.
Associate Professor of mathematics education, Cognitive Science Program
Equity in mathematics education across the P-20 continuum, mathematics language routines in K-12 education, bilingual mathematics instruction, postsecondary mathematics, and higher education research.
Prof. Oropeza's research focuses on optimizing manufacturing processes to control material microstructure and performance, integrating material science and mechanical engineering for applications in aerospace, prosthetics, energy, robotics, and hypersonics.
Dr. Mavel Marina, an international specialist at UCSB, oversees the Exchange Program for International Academics and Researchers, advising on immigration regulations and managing the paperless system.
Graduate Student Fellow, Department of Anthropology
Bridgette Degnan, a graduate student in Archaeology at UC Santa Barbara, investigates how complex social systems in the Maya region adapt to environmental instability, with interests in economic systems, social networks, and computational archaeology.
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
William Nomikos, a scholar in International Relations, focuses on how identity and domestic politics influence international intervention and peacekeeping, with research on civil wars, climate change, and identity politics.
Assistant Professor/Undergraduate Advisor, Department of History of Art & Architecture
Arts 1256
María Lumbreras, a historian of early modern Iberian art and visual culture, explores antiquarianism, replication, and material experimentation in her research on the intersection of artistic and scientific practices in Habsburg Spain.
Alex Eleazar, a PhD candidate with a background in migration, gender, and postcolonial feminist theory, explores the impact of digital labor economies and colonial legacies on privileged migrants in Guatemala.
PhD Student, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology (EEMB)
Noble Hall 1113
Nick Saglimbeni, a PhD student at UCSB, specializes in optimizing restoration projects in coastal ecosystems affected by invasive Carpobrotus edulis and exploring restoration in the context of changing fire regimes.
Specialist/Laboratory Manager, Marine Science Institute
3148 MBL
Elisa Halewood, the laboratory manager at UCSB’s Carlson lab, specializes in microbial oceanography and the biogeochemical cycling of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in marine environments.
Assistant Researcher/Lecturer, Department of Environmental Social Science
Anastasia Quintana is a professional researcher at UCSB focusing on the human dimensions of small-scale fisheries management and coastal conservation, employing mixed methods to study fisherfolk cooperation in the face of global pressures.
Distinguished Professor Department Chair, Department of Chemistry
Dr. de Vries, a Professor of Physical Chemistry at UCSB, specializes in laser spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, photochemistry, and the UV photodynamics of DNA.
Associate Professor of spatial data science, Department of Geography
4814 Ellison Hall
Somayeh is an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara specializing in spatial data science, leading the MOVE Lab, and focusing on data-driven analytics and modeling of movement in ecological and social systems.
Julien Middleton, a Ph.D. isotope geochemist from MIT-WHOI, is a Postdoctoral Investigator at UC Santa Barbara. They specialize in marine isotope geochemistry.
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Dr. Andrea S. Carlini's research focuses on developing dynamic biomaterials and devices using photo-induced processes, particularly through NITEC chemistry, to create fluorescent probes, polymers, and hydrogels for material assembly and reactive oxygen species sensing.
Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology (EEMB)
1116 Noble Hall
Ryoko Oono's research focuses on the evolution of plant-microbe symbiotic relationships, using genetic and experimental methods to study legume-rhizobia interactions and foliar fungal endophytes.
Ph.D. Candidate at UCSB. Experimental, and Behavioral Economist
North Hall 3047
Dario Trujano Ochoa is a Ph.D. candidate at UCSB in Experimental and Behavioral Economics, focusing on higher-order beliefs, willingness to pay for information, risk preferences, and misinformation.
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)
1117 Life Sciences
Dr. Gardner's research investigates how eukaryotic cells manage the biogenesis, growth, division, and specialization of peroxisomes, focusing on the role of approximately 30 Pex proteins in creating peroxisomes from scratch.
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Chem 1161
The Sepunaru Lab specializes in electrocatalysis across both macro and nanoscale dimensions, as well as bioelectrochemistry, with a particular emphasis on biosensor applications.
The role that language plays in conceptualizing measurement in education and psychology, studying philosophy to help clarify research aims and claims, and psychometric models, broadly.
Research examines factors that protect immigrant youth against adverse mental health outcomes, poor academic performance, and alcohol and other substance use, particularly when faced with stressors.
Assistant Professor of Chicana/o Studies
1704 South Hall
Chicana/o and Latina/o Performance Studies, Visual Culture and Cultural Studies, Afro-Latina/o Diaspora Studies, Chicana/Latina Feminisms, Chicana/o and Latina/o Theater History and Ethnomusicology, Dramaturgy, Acting Methodology
Financial and Payroll Oversite, Budget Analysis, Research and Project Administration, Contract and Grant Proposal Budget Development and Submission Assistance
Impact of the Latina mother-daughter relationship on adolescent well-being. Topics include how mother-daughter communication is associated with their dating and sexual behaviors, body image, academic achievement and aspirations.
"During the virtual interviews, I saw how hopeful and thankful the applicants were about being one step closer to receiving much needed help, which made me feel like my help was making a difference in my own community."
Currently conducting research on how immigration status impacts the relationship between Mexican/Mexican American undocumented and U.S. citizen siblings.
Professor of Chicana/o Studies CSI Director
1705 South Hall
U.S. Spanish-language media; Chicana and Latina popular culture; radio and sound practices; racial politics of language; accent studies; language learning technologies.
Executive Director of OEP CSI Advisory Committee Member
1501 South Hall
The Office of Education Partnerships (OEP) has a mission of increasing college-going rates for students who are primarily low-income and/or will be the first in their families to pursue higher education.
Professor of Chicana/o Studies Luis Leal Endowed Chair CSI Advisory Committee Member
1709 South Hall
Equity issues in education for Chicanas/os, Chicana feminist theory, media representations of Latinos & other ethnic & racial groups, social identity, including ethnic identity
