Meet Some of UC Davis’ Newest Faculty Members

Among the newest members of UC Davis’ faculty are experts in computational materials science, the health of dairy cattle, the evolution of insects and access and funding to higher education; but also an avid bicyclist, a Rubik’s Cube champion and a former cowboy.

Since last fall, more than three dozen people have been hired as new faculty members. Meet a few of those researchers below, and read about their areas of expertise, backgrounds and hobbies.

Rodolfo da Silva Probst

Title and department

Assistant professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Degrees held

Doctorate in ecology, evolution and organismal biology, University of Utah (2022); master's degree in systematics, animal taxonomy and biodiversity, Universidade de São Paulo (2015); bachelor's degree in biology, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP-CLP) (2012) 

Research focus

Evolution and diversity of insects, particularly ants, and their relationship with plants.

Personal fun fact or hobby

I like to road bike and write poetry.

Nick Pant

Title and department

Assistant professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering

Degrees held

Ph.D. in applied physics and scientific computing, University of Michigan; bachelor of engineering honors in electrical engineering, McGill University

Research focus

Computational materials science; electronic and optical properties of advanced materials

Personal fun fact or hobby

I‘ve lived in 11 different cities across the world.

Kirsten C. S. Adam

Title and department

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and the Center for Mind and Brain, College of Letters and Science

Degrees held

Ph.D. in cognition, University of Chicago; M.S. in cognitive neuroscience, University of Oregon; B.S. in biological sciences, University of Notre Dame

Research focus

Personal fun fact or hobby

Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading speculative fiction, escaping to nature with her dogs and cooking with farmers market finds.

Tessa Cookmeyer

Title and department

Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Letters and Science

Degrees held

Ph.D. and MA in physics from UC Berkeley; B.S. from Haverford College

Research focus

Theoretical condensed matter physics, quantum materials and quantum magnets.

Personal fun fact or hobby

I can solve Rubik’s Cubes quickly. I no longer compete, but I was the national champion for a few years and I used to hold a North American record in the ‘megaminx’ event.

Eduardo De Souza Ribeiro

Title and department

Associate professor, Department of Population Health and Reproduction, Weill School of Veterinary Medicine

Degrees held

Ph.D. and Master of Science, University of Florida; bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine, Santa Catarina State University (Lages, Brazil) 

Research focus

Our multidisciplinary program focuses primarily on the health and fertility of dairy cattle. Spanning areas from herd management to cellular biology, our research seeks to advance scientific innovations and management solutions that promote cow health and welfare while improving production efficiency.

Personal fun fact or hobby

I grew up as a cowboy on a small ranch, working cattle on horseback. I’m also a huge Flamengo fan — the Brazilian soccer team known for having one of the largest and most passionate fan bases in the world.

Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza

Title and department

Assistant professor, School of Education

Degrees held

Ph.D. in higher education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2024); M.Ed. in educational administration-higher education, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (2015); B.A. in biology and B.A. in anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (2013)

Research focus

My curiosities revolve around racial and institutional classifications as policy levers and how they intersect with race-making and stratifying access and funding. I focus on Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), especially dual- and multi-designated MSIs including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as well as race data.

Personal fun fact or hobby

Find me on an adventure. One of my favorites was trekking the full Camino Francés from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (France) to Santiago de Compostela (Spain), then continuing on the Camino Finisterre and Camino Muxía to greet the Atlantic Ocean.