The COE DEI Committee advises the Dean and College Leadership team on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, as they relate to faculty, staff and students within the College of Engineering. The committee’s action items and conversations focus on campus climate, the UC Davis Strategic Plan and the goals of the College of Engineering.

The committee’s primary goals are:

• Provide a safe environment for all staff by reviewing relevant campus and College policy and by promoting an inclusive campus climate.
• Reduce implicit bias in faculty hiring, merit and promotional decisions.
• Ensure equitable access to learning and education for all students.
• Highlight the College of Engineering as a beacon of diversity, equity and inclusion where all students, faculty and staff are equipped to succeed.

Committee Members

Lamia Braun, Co-Chair

Development Assistant, Dean’s Office
lshajani@ucdavis.edu

Cindy Rubio-González, Co-Chair

Faculty Assistant to the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, College of Engineering and Associate Professor, Computer Science
crubio@ucdavis.edu

Alex Villanueva, Co-Chair

Communications Associate, Dean’s Office
anvillanueva@ucdavis.edu

Colleen Bronner, Vice Chair

Associate Professor of Teaching, Civil & Environmental Engineering
cebronner@ucdavis.edu

Sabrina Oliver, Vice Chair

Academic Personnel Specialist, Civil and Environmental Engineering
saboliver@ucdavis.edu

Valeria La Saponara, Secretary

Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
vlasaponara@ucdavis.edu

Md Shamim Ahamed 

Assistant Professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering
mahamed@ucdavis.edu

Zhaojun Bai

Professor, Computer Science
zbai@ucdavis.edu

Michele Barbato

Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
mbarbato@ucdavis.edu

Sherry Batin

R&D Engineer – ESDC, Dean’s Office
ssbatin@ucdavis.edu

Yesenia Cervantes-Tucker

AvenueE – Director, Dean’s Office
ycervantestucker@ucdavis.edu

Camille Fink

Senior Editor, CEE/UC Pavement Research Center
cnyfink@ucdavis.edu

Juliet Han

Probat Roasting Fellow, Dean’s Office
jahan@ucdavis.edu

Michael Hill

Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
mrhill@ucdavis.edu

Greg Miller

Professor, Chemical Engineering
grgmiller@ucdavis.edu

Jennifer Mullin

Assistant Professor of Teaching, Biological and Agricultural Engineering
jsmullin@ucdavis.edu

Randall O'Reilly

Professor, CS & Psychology / Neuroscience
oreilly@ucdavis.edu

Joël Porquet-Lupine

Assistant Professor of Teaching, Computer Science
jporquet@ucdavis.edu

Kevin Wayne Rusch

Junior Specialist, Biomedical Engineering
kwrusch@ucdavis.edu

Zubair Shafiq

Associate Professor, Computer Science
zshafiq@ucdavis.edu

Sanjeevi Sivasankar

Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
ssivasankar@ucdavis.edu

Yayoi Takamura

Professor and Chair, Materials Science and Engineering
ytakamura@ucdavis.edu

Alin Wakefield

Research & Graduate Studies Development Coordinator, Dean’s Office
amwakefield@ucdavis.edu

Lauren Worrell

Graduate Program Coordinator, Civil and Environmental Engineering
lkworrell@ucdavis.edu