UC Noyce Initiative Names Inaugural Class of Graduate Student Fellows

Five exceptional graduate students from across the University of California have been named the inaugural UC Noyce Graduate Student Fellows, launching a new program designed to support the next generation of researchers working at the forefront of digital innovation.

The fellows represent each of the five campuses that make up the UC Noyce Initiative: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara. Their research spans quantum information science, cybersecurity and computational health, with projects exploring everything from quantum processors and high-energy physics to retinal prosthetics and the use of artificial intelligence in mental health.

The inaugural fellows are:

• Andris Huang, UC Berkeley: “Fully Integrated, Microwave-Based Quantum Processor Utilizing Trapped Electrons as Qubits”
• Nathan Gonzalez, UC Davis: “Toward CERN-on-a-Chip: Scalable Analog Quantum Simulation of High Energy Theories”
• Tré Willingham, UC Irvine: “UHV-Grown van der Waals Hybrid Quantum Systems for Trapping Atoms, Molecules, and Crystalline Quantum Dots”
• Soodabeh Ghaffari, UC San Francisco: “Robust and Interpretable Large Language Models for Mental Health Scoring”
• Emily Joyce, UC Santa Barbara: “A Human Virtual Retina for Predictive Design of Color-Coded Prosthetic Vision”

Investing in the next generation of UC researchers

The UC Noyce Graduate Student Fellowship Program was launched in spring 2026 as a new investment in doctoral students conducting interdisciplinary research aligned with the initiative’s three focus areas: computational health, quantum information science and cybersecurity.

Each fellow will receive up to $150,000 total awarded over two years to support their doctoral research, including stipend, tuition and fees.

“This inaugural cohort represents exactly what we hoped to see when we created this program — talented emerging researchers pursuing ambitious ideas with the potential to make a real difference,” said Bryan Kerner, executive director of the UC Noyce Initiative. “Supporting the next generation of researchers is essential to advancing these fields. We are excited to invest in these five fellows, connect them with the broader UC Noyce community and see where their work takes them.”

The five fellows were selected through a highly competitive, peer-reviewed process that drew applicants from across the participating campuses. For the inaugural year, just one graduate student from each campus was selected.

In addition to financial support, the fellowship is designed to create a cross-campus cohort of emerging researchers. Fellows will participate in workshops and professional development activities that encourage interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration across the five campuses. They will also participate in the annual UC Noyce Initiative Symposium, where they will have opportunities to share their work and engage with UC Noyce-funded faculty, researchers and campus leadership.

Five campuses, one growing research community

The fellowship builds on the UC Noyce Initiative’s broader effort to harness the collective research strengths of five UC campuses to accelerate discovery and innovation for the public good.

Established to honor the legacies of Robert N. Noyce and Ann S. Bowers, the initiative brings together researchers from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara to pursue ambitious, interdisciplinary research that can benefit from expertise and collaboration across institutions.

The Graduate Student Fellowship extends that model to doctoral students, creating new connections among researchers at an important stage in their careers while helping develop a pipeline of highly skilled researchers in rapidly advancing fields.

The inaugural class is just the beginning.

Plans are already underway to expand the Graduate Student Fellowship Program in 2027. Applications for the next cohort will open Oct. 15, 2026, with the new class of UC Noyce Graduate Student Fellows expected to be announced in December 2026.

“We see tremendous potential in building this community year after year,” Kerner said. “These fellows are joining a network that reaches across disciplines and campuses, and we hope the relationships they build through UC Noyce will continue well beyond the fellowship itself.”