Staff and Appointments

David Artis, PhD

Dean of Undergraduate Research Advancement

David Artis, PhD came to the Undergraduate Research  Hub (formerly known as Academic Enrichment Programs or AEP) in November 2000, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. There he had served as a faculty member, graduate school administrator and Director of Academic Services in the School of Public Health.

At UC San Diego, he has overseen steady growth in the number of the Undergraduate Research Hub (URH) programs and services, including coordinating more scholarship opportunities for students in all fields, increased participation in URH-sponsored undergraduate research conferences, and more collaborative program efforts with other campus units. Dr. Artis is a graduate of Yale and Stanford.

To make an appointment with Dr. Artis, please contact Ms. Mercedes Favor at mfavors@ucsd.edu

Veronica Bejar

Assistant Director for the Undergraduate Research Hub (URH) and the McNair Program

Veronica Bejar has over thirteen years of experience preparing and encouraging talented students to pursuing post-baccalaureate degrees. As the Assistant Director, Veronica assists the ongoing operations of the URH academic year programs, conferences, and summer research programs.

Thomas K. Brown, PhD

McNair Program Coordinator

Thomas K. Brown has been coordinating the McNair Program since December of 2005. He has earned advanced degrees in chemistry (CPhil, Caltech) and anthropology (PhD, UCSD). In his role as McNair Program coordinator, he helps students find research placements with UC San Diego faculty. The McNair Program is a preparatory program for traditionally under-represented students (first-generation college students from low-income households and those from under-represented ethnic groups) who want to earn a PhD in any field.

E-mail: tkbrown@ucsd.edu

Make an appointment: calendly.com/tkbrown/15min

Kirsten Kung, PhD

UC Scholars Program Coordinator

Kirsten Kung, PhD, works with a number of students through the Undergraduate Research Hub (URH). She has extensive experience coordinating multiple year research programs and helping students experience opportunities outside of the classroom. She is particularly interested in issues related to mentoring, engaged learning, and research ethics. Dr. Kung received her PhD from the Ohio State University in social psychology with minors in health psychology and quantitative psychology. Prior to coming to UC San Diego, she was a faculty member at the University of Houston.

E-mail: kkung@ucsd.edu

Sophia Tsai Neri, PhD

Research Scholarships Coordinator (URS, Genentech, Prestigious Scholarships, NACME)

Sophia Tsai Neri coordinates multiple programs within the Undergraduate Research Hub (URH). She has experience coordinating student-mentor matching, research scholarships, and helping students get more out of their research programs. She received her PhD from the University of Southern California (USC) in molecular biology doing x-ray crystallography, and her Bachelor of Science at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) studying cybernetics with an emphasis on bioinformatics. Prior to coming to UC San Diego, she was a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA.

Office Hours: Tuesday (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm), Wednesday (10:00 am - 12:00 pm)

E-mail: stsai@ucsd.edu

Phone: 858-534-9014

Make an appointment: calendly.com/stsai-ucsd

Daniel Movahed

TRELS Program Coordinator

In his role, Daniel manages the TRELS Program and collaborates with the seven colleges at UC San Diego. He earned his business administration degree from CSU Fullerton. During his time at CSU Fullerton, he worked at the university’s Outreach, Recruitment and Orientation department. Prior to coming to UC San Diego, he worked at National University as an advisor in the Admissions department.

Beverly Fruto

Faculty Mentor Program (FMP) and Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) Coordinator

Bev Fruto coordinates the Faculty Mentor Program and various Undergraduate Research Hub (URH) conferences, including the Undergraduate Research Conference, Online Undergraduate Research Symposium (OURS), and the Summer Research Conference (SRC). Prior to joining the URH team, she worked as a program coordinator at the International Rescue Committee, secondary education history teacher, and AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination) Coordinator supporting first generation college students. She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from UC San Diego, where she attended Thurgood Marshall College.

Email: brfruto@ucsd.edu

Make an appointment: https://calendly.com/brfruto-ucsd

TBA

Undergraduate Research Transfer Coordinator

Marie Sheneman, PhD

McNair Program Assistant Coordinator

Marie assists in all stages of the program, from recruiting program participants to collecting post-graduation data. Marie is a proud sociology alumna of Washington State University (BA), Northern Arizona University (MA), and Iowa State University (PhD). She is the first person in her family to earn a BA (first-generation pride!) and the first person in her extended family to earn graduate degrees. During her time in Iowa, she was a sociology professor and honors program coordinator at a community college. Through her work with the honors program, Marie fell in love with working with students outside the classroom and helping them enhance their education.  

E-mail: msheneman@ucsd.edu 

Make an appointment: calendly.com/msheneman

Mercedes Favors

Office Manager

Mercedes Favors is the Office Manager and Assistant to Dr. David Artis. Mercedes served 10 years in the United States Navy providing guidance and administrative support to active-duty service members. While deployed, she obtained her degree in science. Currently, as a veteran, she is pursing her degree in education. Her goal within URH is to provide unlimited support and contribute to the success of all students.

E-mail: mfavors@ucsd.edu

Edward Olano

STEMM Community Program Coordinator

Edward Olano coordinates multiple programs within the Undergraduate Research Hub (URH) among which are CAMP and NACME. He received his BS in chemistry from UC San Diego and his MS in physical chemistry from UT Austin. Prior to becoming a student affairs professional he worked as a physical chemist in industry, both in the US and in Latin America. Most recently he was the student affairs officer for UCLA Computational Biology and the graduate advisor for UC San Diego NanoEngineering.

Email: eolano@ucsd.edu

Samantha Pagdilao

Madison Clark

Undergraduate Research Hub