Program Leadership
The Cal-Bridge program is run collaboratively by faculty drawn from the 23 CSU and 9 UC campuses in the Cal-Bridge network. Cal-Bridge activities are organized through a collection of committees.
Cal-Bridge Program Leadership and Staff




Cal-Bridge Co-Directors







Cal-Bridge activities are organized through a collection of committees. Use the navigation below to learn about each committee and who is currently serving on each committee.
Directors Committee
This committee consists of the Director, Associate Director, and all CSU and UC co-Directors. The committee meets weekly during the academic year. The committee has management responsibility for the program between meetings of the steering committees. A main function of the Directors Committee is to coordinate activities between the various subprograms. On occasion, subprogram Directors will meet separately.
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Alex Rudolph | Director, Chair Professor of Physics |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Carol Hood | Associate Director, Vice-Chair CSU Co-Director South P&A, Professor of Physics |
CSU San Bernardino |
Dr. Kev Abazajian | UC Co-Director South P&A Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
UC Irvine |
Dr. Aaron Romanowsky | CSU Co-Director North P&A Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
San José State University |
Dr. Bruce Schumm | UC Co-Director North P&A Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Mohammad Husain | CSU Co-Director CS Associate Professor of Computer Science |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Mariam Solloum | UC Co-Director CS Professor of Computer Science & Engineering |
UC Riverside |
Dr. Oscar Vega | CSU Co-Director Math Associate Professor of Computer Science |
CSU Fresno |
Dr. Suzanne Sindi | UC Co-Director Math Professor of Computer Science & Engineering |
UC Merced |
Dr. Tammy Smecker-Hane | Founding Co-Director Emerita | UC Irvine |
Cal-Bridge Steering Committees
Cal-Bridge is run by a collection of steering committees consisting of equal numbers of CSU and UC faculty and at least one community college representative (faculty or staff). There is a single steering committee for the Computer Science/Engineering division and two (North & South) for the Physics & Astronomy division. The committees are each chaired by a CSU faculty member and co-chaired by a UC faculty member.
The steering committees are responsible for selecting scholars (reading applications, selecting finalists, interviewing finalists, selecting scholars). The steering committees also monitor scholar progress and plan professional development workshops and social events through frequent virtual meetings. As part of monitoring scholar progress, the steering committees have decision making authority on the status of scholars in the program, subject to the policies of the program.
Physics & Astronomy South Steering Committee
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Carol Hood | Co-Director, Chair Professor of Physics |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Tammy Smecker-Hane | Co-Director, Vice-Chair Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
UC Irvine |
Arturo Hernandez | Director, MESA Program | El Camino College |
Dr. Kevork Abazajian | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Irvine |
Dr. Brian Siana | Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Riverside |
Dr. Eric Sandquist | Professor of Astronomy | San Diego State |
Dr. Sara Callori | Assistant Professor of Physics | Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Omer Blaes | Professor of Physics | UC Santa Barbara |
Dr. Cristina Cadavid | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Cal State Northridge |
Dr. Prashanth Jaikumar | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Cal State Long Beach |
Dr. John Barton | Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Riverside |
Physics & Astronomy North Steering Committee
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Aaron Romanowsky | Co-Director, Chair Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
San Jose State University |
Dr. Bruce Schumm | Co-Director, Vice-Chair Professor of Physics |
UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Amy Furniss | Associate Professor of Physics | Cal State East Bay |
Dr. Joseph Barranco | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | San Francisco State |
Dr. David Wittman | Associate Professor of Physics | UC Davis |
Dr. Jay Sharping | Associate Professor of Physics | UC Merced |
Dr. Mariska Kriek | Associate Professor of Astronomy | UC Berkeley |
Dr. Helene Flohic | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | West Valley College |
Dr. David Williams | Professor of Physics | UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Alexandra Miller | Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Sonoma State |
Dr. Wing To | Assistant Professor of Physics | Cal State Stanislaus |
Computer Science Steering Committee
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Mohammad Husain | Co-Director, Chair, Associate Professor of Computer Science |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Matthew Guthaus | Co-Director, Vice-Chair, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor of Computer Science & Engineering |
UC Santa Cruz |
Kathy Kanemoto | Professor of Computer Science | Merced College |
Dr. Younghee Park | Associate Professor of Computer Engineering | San José State University |
Dr. Bin Tang | Associate Professor of Computer Science | Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Dr. Zachary Peterson | Associate Professor of Computer Science | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo |
Dr. Melanie Martin | Professor of Computer Science | Cal State Stanislaus |
Dr. Mariam Salloum | Assistant Teaching Professor of Computer Science & Engineering |
UC Riverside |
Dr. Joshua McCoy | Assistant Professor of Computer Science | UC Davis |
Dr. Chandra Krintz | Vice Chair, Computer Science | UC Santa Barbara |
Dr. Ryan Kastner | Professor of Computer Science and Engineering | UC San Deigo |
Dr. Fadi Muheidat | Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering | Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Mukesh Singhal | Chancellor's Professor of Computer Science and Engineering | UC Merced |
Recruiting and Outreach Committee
The Recruiting Committee has responsibility for planning and overseeing recruitment for the Cal-Bridge program. The committee consists of at least six (6) CSU and UC faculty members and community college faculty or staff across the South and North.
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Amy Furniss | Chair, Associate Professor of Physics | Cal State East Bay |
Jen Bjerke | Vice Chair, Director of MESA Program | San Bernardino Valley College |
Dr. Aaron Romanowsky | Co-Director North Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
San José State |
Arturo Hernandez | Director, MESA Program | El Camino College |
Dr. Carol Hood | Associate Director, Co-Director South Professor of Physics, ex-officio |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Alex Rudolph | Director, Professor of Physics, ex-officio | Cal Poly Pomona |
Graduate School Committee
The Graduate School Committee is responsible for managing the graduate school preparation process for scholars, including the development of the graduate school essay and NSF GRFP proposal that all Cal-Bridge scholars complete. The committee is comprised of at least six (6) UC faculty across the South and North.
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Brian Siana | Chair, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Riverside |
Dr. Bruce Schumm | Vice-Chair, Co-Director North Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Jay Sharping | Associate Professor of Physics | UC Merced |
Dr. David Wittman | Associate Professor of Physics | UC Davis |
Dr. Kevork Abazajian | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Irvine |
Dr. Mu-Chun Chen | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Irvine |
Dr. David Williams | Professor of Physics | UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Alex Rudolph | Director, Professor of Physics, ex-officio | Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Carol Hood | Associate Director, Co-Director South Professor of Physics, ex-officio |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Mentoring Committee
The Mentoring Committee has responsibility for planning and overseeing mentor training for the Cal-Bridge program. This charge includes maintaining and updating the Cal-Bridge Mentoring Handbook, as well as evaluating and assisting in the implementation of additional mentor training. The Mentoring Committee consists of six (6) to twelve (12) CSU and UC faculty members roughly evenly distributed between South and North.
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Carol Hood | Associate Director, Co-Director South, Chair Professor of Physics |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Michael Cooper | Vice-Chair, Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Irvine |
Dr. Kim Coble | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | San Francisco State |
Dr. Tammy Smecker-Hane | Co-Director South Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
UC Irvine |
Dr. Matt Povich | Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Smadar Naoz | Assistant Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics | UC Los Angeles |
Dr. Aaron Barth | Professor of Physics & Astronomy | UC Irvine |
Dr. Eric Sandquist | Professor of Astronomy | San Diego State |
Dr. Sara Callori | Assistant Professor of Physics | Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Omer Blaes | Professor of Physics | UC Santa Barbara |
Dr. Alex Rudolph | Director, Professor of Physics, ex-officio | Cal Poly Pomona |
Summer Research Selection Committee
The Summer Research Program Committee is responsible for assessing applications and making recommendations about which applicants to admit into the program. The Summer Research Program committee is comprised of at least five (5) CSU faculty members or community college faculty or staff.
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Alex Rudolph | Director, Chair Professor of Physics |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Carol Hood | Co-Director, Chair Professor of Physics |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Amy Furniss | Associate Professor of Physics | Cal State East Bay |
Dr. Matt Povich | Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Alexandra Miller | Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Sonoma State |
Leadership Council
The Leadership Council (LC) is comprised of between 12 and 20 members, dividing equally between three groups: UC graduate deans, CSU science deans, and Cal-Bridge faculty leadership. The LC is co-chaired by one UC graduate dean and one CSU science dean. The charge of the Cal-Bridge Leadership Council is to provide advice and support to the program leadership.
Name | Title | Campus |
---|---|---|
Dr. Alison Baski | Chair, Dean of Science | Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. James Bullock | Vice-Chair, Dean of Physical Sciences | UC Irvine |
Dr. Alex Rudolph | Director, Cal-Bridge Professor of Physics and Astronomy |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Carol Hood |
Associate Director, Cal-Bridge |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Dr. Katherine Kantardjieff | Provost | Cal State Monterey Bay |
Dr. Michael Kaufmann | Dean of Science | San José State |
Dr. Carmen Domingo | Dean of Science | San Francisco State |
Dr. Gillian Hayes | Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate Division | UC Irvine |
Dr. Susan Ettner | Interim Dean, Graduate Division | UCLA |
Dr. Quentin Williams | Acting Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Associate Vice Chancellor for Research |
UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Marjorie Zatz | Vice Chancellor, Research | UC Merced |
Dr. Pablo Reguirin | Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs | UC Davis |
Dr. Colette Patt | Diversity Director, Division of Math and Physical Sciences | UC Berkeley |
Dr. Gibor Basri | Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus Founding Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion |
UC Berkeley |
Dr. Tammy Smecker-Hane | Co-Director, Cal-Bridge P&A South Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
UC Irvine |
Dr. Aaron Romanowsky | Co-Director, Cal-Bridge P&A North Professor of Physics & Astronomy |
San José State |
Dr. Bruce Schumm | Co-Director, Cal-Bridge P&A North Professor of Physics |
UC Santa Cruz |
Dr. Mohammad Husain |
Co-Director, Cal-Bridge CS |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Dr. Matt Guthaus | Co-Director, Cal-Bridge CS Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Associate Dean for Graduate Studies |
UC Santa Cruz |
Arturo Hernandez | Director, MESA program | El Camino College |
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DUE-1741863