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Student & Faculty Support

Student Support

CalTeach Program

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]    

General Information

Email: calteach@ucmerced.edu

Website: calteach.ucmerced.edu


Chelsea Arnold, Program Director                                                                                                                 

  • Oversees entire administrative operation of the program
  • Non-routine grants related issues

Hijab Chaudhry, Administrative Assistant

  • Provides administrative support to Program Director and Faculty Director

 

Graduate Programs

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]

General Information

Email: snsgradstaff@ucmerced.edu

Website: naturalsciencesgrads.ucmerced.edu


Paul Roberts, Graduate Programs Director and Graduate Student Coordinator for Applied Math

  • Management of Graduate Programs
  • Non-routine student-related issues
  • Coordinator for Applied Mathematics

Jesse Batther, Graduate Coordinator (CCB and Physics) 

  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Employment and Funding
  • Workshops and Events

Jan Zarate, Graduate Coordinator (QSB) 

  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Employment and Funding
  • Workshops and Events

Rita Guel, Graduate Program Assistant

  • Student Employment and Funding - GSRs, Fellowships, TAs

Kristyn Sackett, Graduate Program Assistant

  • Student Employment and Funding - GSRs, Fellowships, TAs

Sharee Sok, Graduate Program Assistant

  • Graduate Group Seminars 
  • Reports and Data Management 
  • Graduate Events 
  • General Support 

Brian Sullivan, Communications Assistant

Melanie Pandura, Events and Communications Assistant

Instruction and Curriculum Support

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]

General Information

Website: naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/instruction-curriculum


Shannon Adamson, Curriculum Manager

  • Oversight of Instructional & Curriculum Planning
  • Caseload: All NS Majors & Minors, and Graduate Programs

Melissa Gil, Academic Resources Specialist

  • Instructional Resources and Support
  • Caseload: All NS Majors & Minors and Graduate Programs
School Support

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]

General Information

Email:  naturalsciences@ucmerced.edu - for general inquiries and room reservation requests
           snsnews@ucmerced.edu - for inquiries related to the website, social media, and other communications for the school
           nsevents@ucmerced.edu - for event related inquiries and requests
           snsassessment@ucmerced.edu - for academic and administrative assessment related requests

         


Hannah Ewing, Events Coordinator

  • Complete event coordination for all faculty and staff events 
  • Responsible for supporting seminars, retreats, workshops, and recruitment events
  • Coordination of schoolwide events that include BBQ, Holiday events, and Dean's events

VACANT, Assessment Specialist

  • Provides administrative support and data analysis for the Student & Programs Assessment Manager

Amy Moffat, Student & Program Assessment Manager

  • Responsible for monitoring and assisting all academic and administrative assessment activities of SNS
  • Support faculty and staff in planning and implementing annual and periodic assessment of undergraduate degree programs and administrative units

Vanessa Ortega, Front Desk Specialist

  • First point of contact for all visitors to the School of Natural Science’s Dean Suite
  • Mail and Copy Services
  • Conference Room Reservations

Anthony Sali, Strategic Initiatives and Communications Coordinator

  • Responsible for strategic planning related initiatives for the school
  • Process improvements
  • Management of school website
  • Oversight of school administrative information technology
Undergraduate Student Services

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]

General Information

Email: nsstudentservices@ucmerced.edu

Websites: ns-advising.ucmerced.edu | excel.ucmerced.edu | stemresourcecenter.ucmerced.edu


Erica Robbins, Director

  • Academic advising program development, management, and assessment
  • Review and process student petitions
  • School Policy implementation and enforcement
  • Oversight of Excel! and the STEM Resource Center
  • Student Caseload: Transfer Students & Pre-health Students

Jennifer Souza, Academic Advisor and Pre-Health Advisor

  • Course Review Process and Articulation
  • Student Caseload: Chemistry, Physics, Applied Math, Earth Systems Sciences, Und. NS, NS Minors
  • Oversight of Academic Advising Mentors Program

Sierra Long, Academic Advisor

  • Student Caseload: Biology (last names A-G)
  • Communications and Publications

José Martinez, Academic Advisor

  • Student Caseload: Biology (last names H-O)

Maricela Melendrez, Academic Advisor

  • Orientation Programming and Preparation
  • Student Caseload: Biology (P-Z)
  • Oversight of front desk student assistants

Destyni Murray, Academic Advising Support

  • Administrative support to Student Services programs staff.
  • Document Processing
  • E-filing, Special Projects

VACANT, Excel! Program Coordinator

  • Excel! program development, coordination, and assessment
  • Provides individual academic plans, coordinates workshops, and other relevant activities
  • Student Caseload: any NS student facing academic difficulty

Teresa Campos, Excel! Student Success Specialist

  • Provides individual support for students in academic difficulty
  • Student Caseload: any NS student facing academic difficulty

Petia Guegorieva, STEM Resource Center Coordinator

  • STEM Resource Center program development, coordination, and assessment
  • Provides research-related networking and internship opportunities and facilitate research experiences for undergraduates (REU) programs.
  • Advise students about graduate school preparation and STEM field careers.

Faculty Support

Faculty Support Services

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]

General Information

Email: nsfacultysupport@ucmerced.edu


Bobbi Ventura, Faculty Support Coordinator

  • Administrative support to Academic Unit chairs

Maryam Nabizadeh, Faculty Support Specialist

  • Administrative support to faculty units.

Heliodoro Cardenas, Equipment & Inventory Manager

  • Provides support to faculty regarding the inventory of laboratory and research equipment.
Financial and Administrative Operations

                                                                                                                                                                        [Organizational Chart]                                                                                     

General Information

Email: snsorders@ucmerced.edu -  for inquiries related to procurement orders and/or the Granada ordering system
           snstravel@ucmerced.edu - for inquiries related to travel and reimbursement matters and/or the Financial Suite                                                                                                                                                                      or Express systems

Website: naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/business


Mireille Smith, Director

  • Oversees the management of all financial and business related aspects for the school

Karina Villegas, Business Services Manager

  • Oversees the management of funding
  • Processes fund transfers, GSR and fellowship awards, stipends, and honorarium
  • Approval of travel reimbursements

Vanessa Sanchez, Reviewer and Analyst

  • Review and reconcile all financial transactions executed by departmental buyers
  • Prepare reports regarding faculty startup accounts, faculty incidental accounts, and other non-grant funding
  • Approve funding on faculty startup accounts, faculty Incidental accounts, and other non-grant funding

Jackie Mendez, Travel Supervisor

  • Serve as lead Travel Specialist and main point of contact for faculty, staff, and students on travel related matters
  • Process all aspects of travel, which includes arrangement and reimbursement
  • Process entertainment and general reimbursements

Regina Brigham, Travel Specialist

  • Process all aspects of travel, which includes arrangement and reimbursement
  • Process entertainment and general reimbursements

Megan Fordon, Travel Specialist

  • Process all aspects of travel, which includes arrangement and reimbursement
  • Process entertainment and general reimbursements

Sofia Mortera, Travel Specialist

  • Process all aspects of travel, which includes arrangement and reimbursement
  • Process entertainment and general reimbursements

Diego Molina, Procurement Supervisor

  • Serve as lead Procurement Specialist and main point of contact for faculty, staff, and students on procurement related matters
  • Process procurement related requests
  • Process phone related requests, which includes office/lab landlines and cell phones

Christina Clayton, Procurement Specialist

  • Process procurement related requests

Martin Reyes, Procurement Specialist

  • Process procurement related requests

VACANT, Procurement Specialist

  • Process procurement related requests
Grant Administration

                                                                                                                                                                         [Organizational Chart]

General Information

Email: snsgrants@ucmerced.edu

Website: naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/grants


vacant, Grants Manager

  • Oversees entire grants portfolio for the school
  • Non-routine grants related issues
  • Provide Cayuse Training
  • Policy Guidance
  • Assist with audits
  • Summer Salary

Michelle Dutra, Research Administrator 
Supports the following faculty Bylaw 55 Units:
Molecular Cell Biology and Life & Environmental Sciences

  • Award Receipt/Allocation Set-up
  • Review terms & conditions
  • Award projection creation
  • Work with faculty on re-budget, if any
  • FAU/Allocation request
  • Award Administration
  • Approves purchases, travel reimbursements
  • Monitors expenditures, payroll/appointments, encumbrances
  • Monthly reconciling/projections
  • Payroll transfers/NPEARs/Journals
  • Assist with proposal budgets, budget justifications and Cayuse record
  • Notify faculty of account balances near end date (3 month, 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 week)
  • No-cost Extensions
  • Assists with Financial Progress Reports for faculty
  • Assists with effort reporting
  • Ensures awards are adhering to Federal, State, and UC policies]
  • Award Closeout
  • Complete grant closeout checklist
  • Tracking final expenditures/Closing encumbrances
  • Complete Accounts Receivable report
  • Complete IDC calculator to ensure correct amount was charged
  • Confirm with faculty Final reports have been sent to sponsor
  • Verify all appointments have ended or need to be moved
  • TOF cleanup
  • Confirm account closed in OASIS system

Lorena Magana-Aguilar, Research Administrator
Supports the following faculty Bylaw 55 Units:
Applied Mathematics, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, and Physics

  • Award Receipt/Allocation Set-up
  • Review terms & conditions
  • Award projection creation
  • Work with faculty on re-budget, if any
  • FAU/Allocation request
  • Award Administration
  • Approves purchases, travel reimbursements
  • Monitors expenditures, payroll/appointments, encumbrances
  • Monthly reconciling/projections
  • Payroll transfers/NPEARs/Journals
  • Assist with proposal budgets, budget justifications and Cayuse record
  • Notify faculty of account balances near end date (3 month, 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 week)
  • No-cost Extensions
  • Assists with Financial Progress Reports for faculty
  • Assists with effort reporting
  • Ensures awards are adhering to Federal, State, and UC policies]
  • Award Closeout
  • Complete grant closeout checklist
  • Tracking final expenditures/Closing encumbrances
  • Complete Accounts Receivable report
  • Complete IDC calculator to ensure correct amount was charged
  • Confirm with faculty Final reports have been sent to sponsor
  • Verify all appointments have ended or need to be moved
  • TOF cleanup

Joyce Yowell, Research Administrator

  • More information forthcoming
Instructional Labs

                                                                                                                                                                      [Organizational Chart]                                                                                                                       

Life Sciences

Dr. Jim Whalen, Instructional Lab Manager - Life Sciences

  • Oversee biology and earth systems instructional labs
  • Train & support upper division biology and earth systems TAs

Dr. Eryn Lee, Biological Sciences Instructional Lab Supervisor

  • Manage biology instructional labs
  • Train & support upper division biology TAs

Esther Buie, Biology/LES Staff Research Associate

  • Set up, tear down, and service biology instructional labs
  • Train & support Bio1 TAs

Leah Young-Chung, Biology/LES Staff Research Associate

  • Set up, tear down, and service biology instructional labs
  • Train & support Bio2 TAs

Hiram Dominguez, Lab Assistant

  • Set up, tear down, and service biology instructional labs

Physical Sciences

Dr. Donna Jaramillo-Fellin, Instructional Lab Manager - Physical Sciences

  • Oversee chemistry and physics instructional labs
  • Train & support upper division chemistry TAs

Dr. Melissa Russell, Chemistry Lab Supervisor

  • Manage lower division chemistry instructional labs
  • Train & support lower division chemistry TAs

Olivia Hua, Chemistry Lab Assistant

  • Set up, tear down, and service chemistry instructional labs

Celso Lopez, Chemistry Lab Assistant

  • Set up, tear down, and service chemistry instructional labs

Stefanie Stepp, Physics Lab Coordinator

  • Manage physics instructional labs
  • Train & support physics TAs
     

School Leadership                                                 [Administrative Organizational Chart]

Elizabeth Dumont, Dean

 

Elizabeth R. Dumont, Dean

  • Management of administrative and academic operations of the school

     

 

Angie Salinas, Assistant Dean for Student Support
 

Angie Salinas, Assistant Dean for Student Support

  • Oversight of all Student Support functional areas
  • Responsible for all student related matters

     

 

Annette Garcia, Assistant Dean for Faculty Support
 

Annette Garcia, Assistant Dean for Faculty Support

  • Oversight of all Faculty Support functional areas
  • Responsible for space management