Recruitment

We're Excited to Meet You!

The faculty and students of the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (BMCDB) Graduate Group are looking forward to your visit! During your visit, you will have an opportunity to learn more about us—the people, the interdisciplinary research, the extensive research facilities, and the collaborative academic environment that make UC Davis a great place to undertake graduate studies. We hope this event will help you ascertain whether study at UC Davis is a good fit for you, and vice versa.

Schedule of Events Travel Information Other Details After Your Visit Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains a lot of information. Please read fully and carefully to ensure you are prepared for your visit!

Map of Interview and Event Locations

What do the colors mean?

Dark blue, icon of a person sleeping: One of the two hotels in which those of you from out of town will be staying. We will be letting you know which one, and the name of your roommate, about 3 days prior to the event.
Golden yellow, home icon: One of the three locations in which we will be having major events (i.e., a group meal or presentation with faculty present).
Purple, star icon: These are the buildings in which our faculty's offices are housed. This is more to help our student hosts navigate your interviews, although those of you who are already familiar with the campus may find it useful.
Green icon: These have to do with transportation to and from Davis (e.g., Amtrak, Berkeley-Davis Shuttle). The parking lot is to help those of you who are flying out of Sacramento meet rideshares; we can't reimburse you for parking costs.
Red icon, spoon and knife icon: These are on-campus eateries where your student host may take you for lunch.

Schedule of Events

This schedule is tentative and subject to change!

Monday, February 24th

Arrive to Davis by 5:00pm (ideal flight arrival to Sacramento Airport by 4:00pm). Check in to hotel, unless you are local to the Davis area. Informal dinner with current graduate students.

If you end up having to choose a flight that gets you here before hotel check-in time (3:00pm) on Monday, or have some down time between the end of our event (2:00pm) and your outgoing flight on Wednesday, this is a great thing to consult with your student host about when you are introduced to them via email. If one of your preferred faculty is not able to formally interview you, perhaps they can meet with you in the downtime you have between arriving in Davis and checking in to the hotel. Your host can also provide you with restaurant suggestions; if you end up buying lunch for yourself, save receipts and put any alcohol you may purchase on a separate receipt (we can’t reimburse the latter).

Tuesday, February 25th

8:30 - 9:00am: Check-in and light breakfast at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center
9:00 - 10:45am: Program orientation
10:45am - 12:15pm: Lab tour and lunch with your BMCDB student host
12:30 - 1:00pm and 1:20 - 1:50pm: Faculty interviews
2:15 - 4:30pm: Research presentations by BMCDB faculty
4:30 - 5:30pm: Cocktail hour and student poster session
5:30 - 7:00pm: Dinner with faculty and students
7:00pm: Optional social downtown, or your student host will walk you back to your hotel

Wednesday, February 26th

8:30 - 9:30am: Breakfast with faculty and students
9:30 - 10:30am: Tours of UC Davis facilities (either the Light Microscopy and Cryo-EM Facilities in Briggs Hall, or the Metabolomics and DNA Sequencing Cores in the Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility)
10:20 - 10:50am and 11:10am - 11:40pm: Faculty interviews
12:00 - 2:00pm: Lunch and student-only Q&A
2:00pm: Our program of events concludes! Those of you who drove to Davis will be escorted back to your hotels; those of you who took Amtrak will be escorted to the train station by your student host; and those of you who flew are welcome to wait for a rideshare at Green Hall with your student hosts. More information about how your luggage will be safely stored is forthcoming.

Miscellaneous Tips

These are just little things about the faculty you will be interviewing with; if I were in your shoes, I would've wanted to avoid these faux pas...es if possible. You might (not) be comfortable addressing faculty by their first names; there's no right or wrong way to proceed, feel free to stick with what's most comfortable for you!

-Alyssa Parsons, graduate program coordinator

Alice Accorsi's name is pronounced "uh-LEE-che." I try to use the full suite of their pronouns when I can, but you are under no pressure to do so!
Daniah Beleford's name is pronounced "DAY-nee-uh."
Johannes Hell's name is pronounced "yo-HAN-ness."
Elisa Zhang's name sounds like "Eliza" with a softer Z - put another way, the "i" in her name is the same vowel sound as in "nice."
My name rhymes with Marissa.
Savithramma (S.P.) Dinesh-Kumar goes by Dinesh.
Aldrin Gomes' surname does not sound like, for example, Gomez Addams; Gomes rhymes with "palms."
Wolf-Dietrich (aka Wolf) Heyer's surname sounds like "higher."
Mark Huising's surname sounds like "housing."
Erkin Şeker's surname rhymes with "wrecker"; the "Ş" sounds like a soft "sh."
Crystal Rogers still wears a mask whenever she is in the lab/office, and would like people who are interviewing with her to wear a mask as well. Please be considerate of her preferences, thanks!
Sascha Nicklisch was kind enough to let me know that he recently recovered from a nasty bout of the flu. He will likely be wearing a mask, and I encourage you to do so as well!

Travel Information

It is your responsibility to arrange all travel to and from UC Davis. Depending on your current physical address, the program may be able to reimburse your lodging and travel expenses. Please check your email for specific reimbursement limits.

You are strongly encouraged to buy refundable tickets; we take the inflated cost into consideration when offering you a maximum reimbursement amount. UC Davis is unable to reimburse incomplete travel (i.e., we cannot reimburse a flight if you get sick and cannot come).

UC Davis cannot reimburse expenses until travel has concluded. Reimbursement checks are typically received 6-8 weeks after your visit to campus.

Hotel Accommodations

Students traveling from beyond the Davis area will be provided a hotel room at the Aggie Inn or Best Western University Lodge for the nights of February 24th and 25th.

"The Davis area" includes Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento counties, and the Sacramento suburbs located in Placer County (specifically Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Penryn, Granite Bay, Whitney, and Lincoln).

Your hotel room will be shared with another prospective student. You will be given an opportunity to let us know any additional needs or preferences for your hotel stay, although we cannot guarantee that we can accommodate all of them.

Getting to Campus

UC Davis policy requires students to select the most cost-effective method to getting to campus, which usually entails taking a flight, train or bus. You will find some travel options below:

Ground transit (train, bus): This is the most cost-effective option for prospective students travelling from the Bay Area, Northern California, or Reno, Nevada. Amtrak ~~and~~ ~~Flixbus~~ are popular options, with stations conveniently located in Downtown Davis ~~and at the~~ ~~University Mall, respectively~~. (As of January 2025, Flixbus is no longer serving Davis; I've struck out this text rather than removing it, in case you considered this option and were confused by its removal.) Prospective students coming from the East Bay Area are eligible to take the Davis-Berkeley Shuttle, which is generally less expensive and more reliable than Amtrak, if they fill out a Temporary Affiliate Form at least one month prior to departure.

Non-reimbursable:
- Train points, redeemed miles, or gift cards
- Business and first-class train tickets
- Rental cars

Reimbursable (with receipts):
- Train/bus tickets paid for with credit/debit card

Flying: This is usually the most cost-effective option for students traveling from Southern California or other states (see Travel FAQ below). Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is the closest airport. You will be responsible for securing a rideshare or taxi from SMF to Davis; we take this cost into consideration when offering you a reimbursement limit.

Non-reimbursable
- Airline points, redeemed miles, or gift cards
- Business and first-class airlines tickets
- Flight upgrades (priority boarding, additional leg room, etc.)
- Rental cars

Reimbursable (with receipts):
- Flights paid for with credit/debit card
- Upgrades made specifically for the purpose of getting a refundable flight, such as Southwest Airlines' Wanna Get Away Plus; proof required
- Baggage fees
- Rideshares to and from the airport

Driving: The current mileage reimbursement rate is $0.67 per mile* for people driving a personal vehicle to campus.

Non-reimbursable:
- Gas
- Rental cars
- On-campus parking

Reimbursable:
- Tolls (with receipt)
- Parking (with receipt)
- Mileage

Travel Reimbursements

All reimbursements are up to the limit stated in your personal invitation email. Costs beyond the stated reimbursement limit are non-reimbursable. Receipts are required for all reimbursable expenses EXCEPT gas.

Please upload all travel receipts HERE.

Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the address you provided in your original RSVP. Checks may take up to 6 weeks to arrive after the recruitment event. Please let the Graduate Program Coordinator know as soon as possible if this is a significant financial burden to you.

Travel FAQ

I have family/friends in the Davis area. Can I stay with them?
Absolutely! This is a common occurrence, especially given that many UC Davis alumni apply to BMCDB. Please let the Graduate Program Coordinator know if you plan to do this.
I live in Southern California. Can I drive to Davis and still get reimbursed?
It depends on how far south you are! University policy dictates that we can't reimburse you for driving when it would have been less expensive to fly.

Anywhere south of the Grapevine is too far to drive. San Luis Obispo is not too far to drive, but Santa Barbara is. Bakersfield is not too far to drive, but the high desert is.

If you are unsure about the most affordable way to travel to Davis, email the Graduate Program Coordinator.
I cannot get a flight to Sacramento that will get me to Davis in time for the Monday evening social. What should I do?
Don't panic! It's only a very informal hangout that you're missing, and we will have a small dinner for you, likely sandwich and side salad, ready for you at your hotel.
I'm in the opposite situation; I can only get to Davis before the check-in time to my hotel. How should I proceed?
This is a great thing to consult your student host about, or the Graduate Program Coordinator if you have not been assigned your student host yet. If you're not a fan of Uber, you can arrange extra meetings or interviews with people you aren't scheduled to meet as part of the recruitment event. If you prefer a more cost-effective means of getting to Davis than Uber, the Yolobus Route 42A goes to the Memorial Union on campus.
I want to extend my time in Davis. Can I do that?
You may stay extra days in Davis at your own expense. Lodging, food, parking, etc. for dates beyond the recruitment event will NOT be reimbursed. Your return travel is still reimbursable; make sure to follow the guidelines and limits listed above.
I'm getting to Davis early. Can I do that?
Sure! Same policy as staying late - we will still reimburse you for travel in and out of town, but finding (and, if applicable, paying for) lodging is up to you until Monday afternoon.
Can I be reimbursed if I rent a car?
No. All events for the recruitment are within walking distance from your hotel, so rental cars are not recommended and will not be reimbursed if purchased.
I will be traveling to Davis from City A but traveling from Davis to City B. What do I do?
This is a common situation when students are traveling from one recruitment event to another, and we are still happy to cover the costs. The same reimbursement guidelines and limits are in place: you must select the most cost-effective travel to/from each location, and all reimbursements require receipts.

Other Details

Dress: Business Casual!

East Coasters: Feel free to adhere to your own comfort level, of course, but California "business casual" is moderately more relaxed than what you're used to. Google has some good examples.

There will be considerable walking, so comfortable shoes are highly encouraged; nobody will judge you for wearing sneakers, especially if they're going to make your day walkable! (Interviewees with significant mobility-related concerns can be accommodated; you will have an opportunity to let us know your needs when you RSVP to the event.)

Weather

In February, rain is a possibility; you will be doing a lot of walking, so you are strongly encouraged to bring an umbrella or rain jacket.

Daytime temperatures are usually in the mid-50s to low-60s Fahrenheit. How excited you are about this very likely depends on where in the United States you are living.

Faculty Interviews

You will have four scheduled interviews with BMCDB faculty. You will receive your interview schedule at least 3 days before your visit. These interviews are designed to gauge your preparation for graduate education and, specifically, for the BMCDB program. Therefore, you can expect questions related to your interests in the program and your previous research/academic experience. We recommend you briefly learn about the faculty you are interviewing with via their Faculty Profiles. However, you are not expected to have a deep understanding of the faculty's research.

We do our best to pair students and faculty with similar research interests. However, this may not always be possible due to scheduling conflicts; we hope you will still be able to connect with your preferred faculty during other program events. BMCDB is a rotation-based program, so students will have ample opportunities to meet and work with their preferred faculty before committing to a laboratory.

After Your Visit

After your visit, the program will be busy at work processing travel reimbursements, evaluated interviews, and drafting offer and financial letters. Please be patient with us!

Reimbursements

The Graduate Program Coordinator will email you a reimbursement certification once your reimbursement report is ready for submission. You are required to sign and return this form; your reimbursement check cannot be mailed until you return the form.

Admission and Financial Offers

It is our intention to notify you if you have received an offer of admission by Friday, February 28th, 2025. You will receive an informal letter from us informing you that we have recommended you for admission. If you have not heard back from the program by March 15, please reach out to the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Technically speaking, the Graduate Group does not offer you admission; rather, we recommend to UC Davis Graduate Studies that they offer you admission, and you will receive your official letter of admission from them approximately 1-2 weeks after we reach out to you. This will take longer if your undergraduate GPA is below 3.0.

We ask that you notify us whether you intend to accept our offer of admission by Tuesday, April 15th at 11:59pm. This deadline is the same every year, and is adhered to by most accredited PhD programs in the United States. UC Davis is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), and per the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution, you are under no obligation to accept financial offers from UC Davis prior to April 15th.

If you are struggling to decide and need more time, please reach out to us. We cannot necessarily guarantee you funding after April 15th, but it's always a good idea to ask if we'll still accept your Statement of Intent to Register.

If you have been placed on our wait list, we cannot guarantee you a date by which we will let you know of our decision; we often make decisions about our wait list on the basis of how many people have accepted and declined the offers we've made. If you are waiting to hear from us before you accept an offer from another program, please reach out to us.

FAQ

What exactly is a graduate group?
It's a non-departmental PhD program, where faculty from all over campus can apply and leave voluntarily.

Faculty are often affiliated with more than one graduate group (the average for BMCDB-affiliated faculty is 2-3); they need to be in the graduate group in order to become PI to a student in that graduate group, which is a moderately common reason for faculty to join. More often, it's simply because their research interests are a good match for more than one graduate group.

Faculty often have students from different graduate groups in their lab at the same time; graduate groups have slightly different requirements of students and faculty, program cultures, etc., but their common characteristic is that any faculty member can join or leave a graduate group without it affecting their status in their home department.
Can I bring my significant other or a plus-one?
They can come with you, but we cannot support them financially. For example, we book double hotel rooms for two prospective students to share; it is absolutely understandable if you are bringing your spouse with you and want to share a room with them, but per University policy, we cannot reimburse you for that cost. Plus-ones are also not invited to the socials and meals in the program of events.

If you plan to book a hotel room using your own funds to share with your significant other, please notify the Graduate Program Coordinator.
I'm not getting information in as timely of a manner as I hoped. Who do I contact?
First and foremost, please double-check the information in your invitation; for example, if the recruitment itinerary will be sent to you "in the week of February 10th," please do not email requesting follow-up until February 14th.

For most questions, you will likely contact the Graduate Program Coordinator. About a week prior to the recruitment event, you will be emailed contact information for your student "host," who will be your main point of contact and information about BMCDB from the student body. Your host might also be an appropriate source of answers to your questions.
I have another commitment and can’t attend, but I would still like to be considered for the program.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of our ability to accommodate these requests is slim. We don’t say this to be discouraging; it’s merely logistically difficult to schedule the requisite number of interviews over Zoom without sufficient notice.

If you cannot attend but still want to be considered, please email the Graduate Program Coordinator.
I have a question specific to my own circumstances that the Graduate Program Coordinator hasn't answered. Who can help me if that happens?
Unless it's an emergency that would put your attendance of recruitment in jeopardy, please give the Graduate Program Coordinator at least three business days to respond. Then email the Recruitment Committee Chair as well as the Graduate Program Coordinator.
Meeting (name of my scientific idol) is important to me, and I'm not scheduled to meet with them when I visit the campus. Why is that?
The most likely explanation is that the person you're interested in is unavailable. It's also in our best interest to connect you with the people you want to meet the most, but if they're not free, we will introduce you to prospective mentors who share similar strengths.

We understand better than anyone how siloed a field of research can become, so we know that you may end up talking with someone who is in your general wheelhouse (e.g., a plant biochemist, a cancer biologist, an -omics person), but not someone who shares your exact specialties. Many unexpected connections have been made in this way, and several successful rotations have occurred as a result. (Pro tip: You can go to the faculty directory and filter our members by self-reported specialty. Please note that the biochemistry filter is under construction!)

For example, let's say you were interested in Alice Accorsi's work. When Alice joined BMCDB, they were asked to self-report their research specialties, e.g., cell biology and developmental biology. If you were invited to recruitment and ranked Alice highly on your application, but she was not available to meet with you, then we would ask a faculty member who shares her specialties to do so, such as Celina Juliano. Same goes for John Albeck and Sean Collins, James Letts and Jennifer Cash, or Anna La Torre and Glenn Yiu.

If your heart was set on meeting someone and they weren't available, you are always welcome to reach out to them about a Zoom call independent of recruitment. Keep in mind that you still might not be able to make it happen, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't want to talk to you; faculty are generally quite enthusiastic about meeting prospective students, and it's often the fullness of their schedules that keeps them from doing so.
I am interested in faculty who are not affiliated with BMCDB. Can I meet them?
Possibly! We aren't comfortable asking non-members to help a graduate group they're not part of; faculty already do plenty of service for the groups they are affiliated with, let alone others. That being said, if you end up joining BMCDB, you are totally welcome to rotate with non-members, and if there is a mutual interest in you joining the lab, they can accept you as long as they are willing to join BMCDB. (That's a UC Davis rule, not ours.)

An interview with a non-member is, unfortunately, impossible for us to schedule as a program. However, we will have a group dinner on Tuesday the 25th and a breakfast on Wednesday the 26th; if there is a non-member of BMCDB you want to meet, please email the Graduate Program Coordinator and ask if she is able to invite that person. We cannot make any promises, especially as the faculty member may be unavailable, but we'll do our best.

You are also totally welcome to set up a meeting with them on your own, perhaps by arriving early on Monday the 24th or staying late on Wednesday the 26th. If you are contemplating this, the hotel check-in time is 3:00pm!
Can you schedule additional interviews for me?
We do not have the administrative capacity to schedule additional interviews. However, you are highly encouraged to reach out to your preferred faculty for informational interviews. Most faculty are happy to discuss their research with applicants.

Admitted students will have additional opportunities to connect with faculty prior to committing to a laboratory during fall and winter quarter rotations.
I’m sick (or there’s been some other unexpected emergency) and I can’t make it. What should I do?
Tell the Graduate Program Coordinator. Since the faculty have your interviews in their schedules already, we will pivot to Zoom if possible, and we have an array of virtual resources about the campus we can share with you.
I want to visit Davis again. Can the graduate group support the costs?
No, unfortunately. But you are always welcome to visit later in 2025 if it works with your schedule - please feel free to reach out to the students and faculty you met in February to schedule talks with them.