2025 Graduate Mentoring Awards

Mentorship is a vital resource for many UC Berkeley students, often shaping their academic success, well-being, and overall experience. While many faculty and graduate students offer meaningful guidance, this year’s Graduate Mentoring Award recipients have gone above and beyond in their dedication to supporting the Berkeley community. The 2025 awards ceremony was held on April 16, celebrating these individuals for their outstanding commitment to mentorship and student support.

The Carol D. Soc Distinguished Graduate Student Mentoring Awards, established in 2007, recognize UC Berkeley faculty for their vital role in mentoring graduate students and training future faculty.

2025 Carol D. Soc Distinguished Graduate Student Mentoring Awards

Early-Career Faculty Winner

• Justin Davidson, Associate Professor, Spanish and Portuguese

Late-Career Faculty Winner

• Serena Chen, Professor, Psychology

The Graduate Assembly Faculty Mentor Award honors members of the Berkeley faculty and teaching staff who have shown an outstanding commitment to mentoring, advising, and supporting graduate students.

2025 Graduate Assembly Faculty Mentor Awards

• Alicia Henson, Program Coordinator and Educational Specialist, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology
• Angela Perone, Assistant Professor, School of Social Welfare
• David Raulet, Esther and Wendy Shekman Chair in Basic Cancer Biology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology

The Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship of GSIs recognizes faculty who have gone above and beyond in mentoring GSIs in multi-section courses, stand-alone courses, or 375 pedagogy courses.

2025 Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship of GSIs

• Anneka Lenssen, Associate Professor, Department of History of Art
• Erin Murphy-Graham, Adjunct Professor, School of Education
• Michal Shuldman, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Integrative Biology

The Outstanding Graduate Student Peer Mentor Award honors Berkeley graduate and professional students who have shown an outstanding commitment to mentoring, advising, and generally supporting either undergraduate students or their fellow graduate students.

2025 Outstanding Graduate Peer Mentor Award

• Elle Andrews, PhD Candidate, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
• Jasmine McAdams, PhD Candidate, Energy and Resources Group
• Nandeeka Nayak, PhD Candidate, Department of Computer Science
• Charis Amber, PhD Candidate, Department of Chemistry

These distinguished individuals, nominated by faculty colleagues and current and former graduate students and undergraduates, were selected from a pool of exceptional faculty and graduate students on the Berkeley campus and exemplify the values and best practices of effective mentoring that are core to our university community.