Mark Winey, dean of the College of Biological Sciences at University California Davis, discussed his career and views on scientific research and mentorship in an episode of Face to Face With Chancellor May released on Mar. 31.
Winey said his interest in biology began when he saw his sister live with an inherited metabolic disease, which led him to explore genetics. He described a key discovery from early in his career: “We discovered a key regulator of the mitosis event and reported it 35 years ago, and it is still studied to this day.”
He said that scientific progress depends not only on curiosity but also on support for research and training. “The loss of that funding will have at least two major impacts or slow reduced funding. One is much of the work takes years to accomplish,” Winey said. “Another is that our whole training pipeline for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows would be severely compromised.”
Winey highlighted the importance of mentoring students through hands-on learning experiences: “We really do work hard to ensure that our students have the opportunity to get to know faculty through their classroom experience, but more importantly through experiential learning,” he said. “The mentoring experience is there to show them that they can be a scientist, they can be a healthcare professional and help them envision themselves in that role.”
Chancellor Gary May agreed with Winey’s emphasis on impactful research at UC Davis. “Sundaresan’s work is fantastic,” May said. “That’s really indicative of the kind of research impact we want to have at UC Davis.” According to the official website, University California Davis extends its research efforts globally, focusing on issues such as climate change and food security.
University California Davis features facilities such as the Bodega Marine Laboratory for coastal studies according to its official website. The university has received top national rankings in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and sustainability according to its official website. It began as an extension focused on agriculture from UC Berkeley according to its official website.
UC Davis continues serving society through education, public service, and global research initiatives according to its official website. Gary May has served as chancellor according to the university’s site.