Members of the 2025 UC Santa Barbara Public Voices Fellowship cohort, including faculty from HFA, MLPS, and the Social Sciences, at their final convening on Nov. 7.
After a year of intensive mentorship, the 2025 UC Santa Barbara Public Voices Fellowship cohort gathered for its final convening on Nov. 7. The event, which concluded with a celebratory reception, marks the culmination of a program that has successfully equipped faculty from across the disciplines to become influential public thought leaders.
The 20 fellows — drawn from across the Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA), Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences (MLPS), Social Sciences, College of Engineering and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education — have spent the last year translating their complex research into compelling public scholarship.
A record of measurable impact
Across two years, the program’s fellows have published a combined 90 op-eds in more than 35 major outlets. Key successes from the 2025 cohort show the ongoing momentum of their work:
- Annie Lamar (Classics), who published in Newsweek on “Higher Ed's AI Panic is Missing the Point,” also co-authored an interdisciplinary piece with Sarah McClure (Anthropology) on AI and archaeology, that led to a joint presentation at a prestigious professional conference in Vienna.
- David Lawson (Anthropology) published “Rethinking polygamy,” in The Conversation, which has drawn more than 116,000 reads globally.
- Jason Ludwig (Film and Media Studies) published in the San Francisco Chronicle on the risks of AI.
- Andrew Jolivette (Sociology) was quoted in The New York Times for his expertise on American Creole history.
- Jill Sharkey (GGSE), professor and interim dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, had her piece, “Teach Schools to Deal with Trauma,” republished 29 times, reaching a combined audience of more than 5 million readers.
- Hannah Wohl (Sociology), after publishing in outlets like Barron's, translated her fellowship success into a major 5,000-word feature assignment from The Economist.
The fellowship was brought to UC Santa Barbara by Daina Ramey Berry, the Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, to “impact the world through public-facing scholarship.”
"I am incredibly proud of what our second cohort has achieved,” said Dean Berry. “Their insights and perspectives across numerous media outlets proves that when we invest in our scholars and connect their research to the public, the impact can be millions of readers strong.”
Katie Orenstein, founder and CEO of The OpEd Project, added, “We are working with some of the best minds in the world — with experts across a wide range of fields, disciplines and backgrounds who have knowledge that can help solve big problems, and drive great advances — not just for UCSB, but for all of us. Imagine the return for society if we continue to invest in our collective intelligence this way.”
“The Public Voices Fellowship initiative has a track record of stunning results over many years, dramatically increasing the visibility of Fellows, and driving real and measurable impact.”
“I am also thrilled to be working with Dean Daina Berry, who was herself a Public Voices Fellow in one of our earliest Fellowship cohorts at UT Austin a decade ago, and whose genius and leadership has lit a path for so many others.”
Building community and investing in skills
For many faculty, the fellowship is a rare mid-career opportunity to invest in new skills and build a cross-campus community.
"Having the space and support to invest in my skills midcareer is such a luxurious experience, and writing for the public is the skill nearest and dearest to my heart," said Liz Carlisle, an associate professor in the Environmental Studies Program who recently published her second piece, "A new dust bowl? Without conservation programs, it could happen soon," in The Hill.
“It's just amazing to get to grow creatively,” Carlisle added. "It's also been wonderful to build community with a cohort of other folks at work who are equally passionate about public scholarship. I love this crew, and they inspire me.”
Now accepting applications for 2026
Building on this momentum, UC Santa Barbara is now accepting applications for its third cohort. The 2026 Public Voices Fellowship will convene 20 new thought leaders from across campus, providing them with high-level support and journalist coaching to drive real-world change.
Fellows are expected to participate in all four convenings and commit to publishing a minimum of three op-eds during the year-long program. Applications are due by Dec. 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.