Golden State Today

UC Berkeley has introduced new faculty members for the academic year. The university's Public Affairs office shared details about the latest additions to its teaching staff, highlighting their academic backgrounds, research interests, and personal hobbies.

Mariam Aly joins the Psychology department. She holds a BSc from the University of Toronto (2008), an MA from UC Davis (2010), and a PhD from UC Davis (2013). Her research focuses on how attention and perception influence memory and how memory can guide attention, perception, and goal-directed behavior. Aly mentioned an interesting personal fact: "I flew a plane before I drove a car!"

Eleanor Tubman, known as Ellie, is now part of the Physics/Nuclear Engineering department. She earned her MPhys from the University of Sussex in 2012 and her PhD from the University of York in 2016. Tubman's research explores magnetic fields' generation and effects on plasmas, astrophysical collisionless shocks, and fusion research. In her free time, she enjoys sailing, backpacking, and participating in triathlons.

Christian Gaetz has joined the Mathematics department. He completed his PhD at MIT in 2021. His research addresses problems at the intersection of combinatorics, algebra, and geometry. Gaetz's hobbies include rock climbing and reading.

Madison Douglas is now part of the Geology department. She received her BS from MIT in 2016, MS from Caltech in 2019, and PhD from Caltech in 2023. Douglas studies landscape-shaping processes such as river erosion, landslides, and soil movement with a focus on permafrost environments due to their high carbon concentrations that affect Arctic landscapes when released. Outside of work, she enjoys running, hiking, and playing the flute.

These new faculty members bring diverse expertise to UC Berkeley across various disciplines.