SEED Funding Program Aims to Support Research in Historically Underfunded Disciplines
The Office of Research and Vice Chancellor for Research Simon J. Atkinson are pleased to announce the recipients of the first cohort of the UC Davis Humanities and Social Sciences Stimulating Exceptional and Essential Discovery (SEED) Funding Program.
Launched by then-interim Vice Chancellor for Research Jeff Gibeling, the awards support research activity with high likelihood of impact in historically underfunded fields in the humanities and related social sciences. A total of $152,244 was awarded across nine faculty projects for the fiscal year 2023-2024.
“As an institution, we offer several programs to invest directly in unique programs that show great potential, but otherwise face a challenging environment to obtain funding,” said Simon J. Atkinson, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis. “I would like to congratulate each of the SEED Award recipients and look forward to seeing each advance their important work.”
The awarded proposals are anticipated to build and strengthen collaborations and increase PI competitiveness for future extramural funding opportunities.
“The program received 63 highly competitive applications, and we are pleased that the SEED awards will enable impactful research to be completed,” said Cristina Davis, associate vice chancellor of Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives. “We recognize how important it is to ensure support for research in all disciplines, including fields which are not commonly supported by federal sponsors such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or National Science Foundation (NSF) that often receive the most attention.”
Recipients of the SEED Funding Awards
Raquel Aldana, a Martin Luther King Jr. professor in the School of Law, was awarded for a project titled “Adjudicating Credibility and the Role of Immigration Forensic Assessments.”
Darnel Degand, an assistant professor in the School of Education, was awarded for a project titled “STILL… Racism in America: A Retrospective in Cartoons.”
Stacy Fahrenthold, an associate professor of History in the College of Letters and Science, was awarded for project titled “Refugee California: Middle Eastern Refugee Diasporas in the Golden State.”
Kevin Gee, a professor in the School of Education, was awarded for a project titled “How Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Confront Bullying: Insights from the Community Cultural Wealth Model.”
Laura Grindstaff, a professor and chair of Sociology in the College of Letters and Science, was awarded for a project titled “Leveraging Social Media Research for Sharing and Collaboration.”
Nicole Ranganath, an assistant professor in Middle East/South Asia Studies, was awarded for a project titled “The Poetics of Partition: A Sonic History of Collective Trauma in South Asia and the Diaspora.”
Shingirai Taodzera, an assistant professor of African American and African studies in the College of Letters and Science, was awarded for a project titled “Resourceful African Kingdoms: Old Powers, New States, and Resource-Funded Development in Africa.”
Yael Teff Seker, a lecturer of Sociology in the College of Letters and Science, was awarded for a project titled “Jewish Identity and Parenting Experiences in the Context of Rising Antisemitism: A Qualitative Study of Jewish Families Living in California.”
Li Zhang, a professor of Anthropology in the College of Letters and Science, was awarded for a project titled “Encountering Aging and the Digital Divide in China.”
