Research Core Advisory Council
The Research Core Advisory Council (RCAC) plays a pivotal role in guiding the Research Core Facilities Program (RCFP) by offering informed recommendations to RCFP Director, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, and Vice Chancellor for Research. These recommendations are instrumental in establishment, maintenance, and expansion of Research Core Facilities in UC Davis.
Monthly meetings of the council are dedicated to developing strategic plans for sustainable operation of core facilities, identifying essential resources such as funding, space, and personnel. RCAC focuses on several key areas, including–
-
- Metric Establishment: develop suitable metrics for core evaluation, and suggestion of subsequent actions that emerge from core evaluations.
- Facilities Definition: Define and identify Campus Research Core Facilities eligible for support from RCFP/Office of Research.
- Review: Review funding requests to the RCFP and make recommendations for strategic investments in and direct financial support of individual research cores.
- Business Plan Guidance: Guide centralized core facilities across campus in development of business plans towards sustainable operation.
- Service Optimization: Assist core facilities to ensure that state-of-the-art research services and instrumentation are provided in a cost-efficient manner.
- Operational Enhancement: Define, evaluate and refine functionalities of a new software-based administrative backbone which will facilitate user management, instrumentation reservations, automated monthly centralized billing, ad hoc reporting, definition of recharge rates, online service requests, etc.
Members of the Council
Academic Year 2025 – 2026
Updated August 25.2025
Bart Weimer
(Chair)
Professor
Department Chair
Academic Senate
SVM
UC Davis
(Chair)
Professor
Department Chair
Academic Senate
SVM
UC Davis
Jawdat Al-Bassam
Associate Professor
CBS
UC Davis
Associate Professor
CBS
UC Davis
Louise Berben
Professor
CL&S
UC Davis
Professor
CL&S
UC Davis
Joe Borges
Principal Budget Analyst
BIA
UC Davis
Principal Budget Analyst
BIA
UC Davis
Abhijit Chaudhari
Professor
Director of CMGI
COE/ SOM
UC Davis
Professor
Director of CMGI
COE/ SOM
UC Davis
Jennifer Curtis
Distinguished Professor
COE
UC Davis
Distinguished Professor
COE
UC Davis
Joseph Dragavon
Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation
University of Colorado Boulder
Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation
University of Colorado Boulder
Oliver Fiehn
Professor
Director of WCMC
CBS
UC Davis
Professor
Director of WCMC
CBS
UC Davis
Kristine Godfrey
Project Scientist
Contained Research Facility
Academic Federation
CAES
UC Davis
Project Scientist
Contained Research Facility
Academic Federation
CAES
UC Davis
Elena Goncharova
Professor
Director of UCDLCPVD
SOM
UC Davis
Professor
Director of UCDLCPVD
SOM
UC Davis
Trina Knotts
Associate Project Scientist
Co-Director of MMPC
Academic Federation
SOM
UC Davis
Associate Project Scientist
Co-Director of MMPC
Academic Federation
SOM
UC Davis
Claudius Mundoma
Director of Shared Instrumentation Facilities
Office of Vice Provost & Dean of Research
Stanford University
Director of Shared Instrumentation Facilities
Office of Vice Provost & Dean of Research
Stanford University
Colin Reardon
Associate Professor
Director of HSDAIF
SVM
UC Davis
Associate Professor
Director of HSDAIF
SVM
UC Davis
Dan Starr
Professor
Associate Dean of Research
CBS
UC Davis
Professor
Associate Dean of Research
CBS
UC Davis
Rachel Vannette
Associate Professor
CAES
UC Davis
Associate Professor
CAES
UC Davis