A delegation of six faculty members from the University of Bristol, led by Esther Dermott, Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for Arts, Law & Social Sciences, visited UC Santa Cruz from February 3–5 to broaden an existing student exchange and explore avenues for collaborative research.
This visit, which followed a visit to University of Bristol through the Faculty Seminar Away in April 2024, spanned the UC Santa Cruz main campus and the Silicon Valley Campus, and highlighted both institutions’ commitment to shared research interests in fields as diverse as AI, climate policy, and social justice.
“It was such a pleasure to meet with the deans in the academic divisions, learn more about how UCSC works, and discover the many synergies between our respective university cultures, particularly around our shared values of social justice and our interdisciplinary ways of working,” said Dermott. “Our faculty have come away really excited about their conversations at UCSC and the opportunities to work more closely with colleagues here as part of this burgeoning partnership.”
On the evening of the delegation’s arrival, they began with a tour and presentation of graduate students’ research at the Baskin School of Engineering at Silicon Valley, co-led by Sri Kurniawan, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Computational Media, Yassi Moghaddam, Executive Director of the Human Computer Interaction MS Program (HCI MS), and Norman Su, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the HCI MS.
Following the tour, delegates attended an alumni event jointly hosted by the University of Bristol and UC Santa Cruz featuring a welcome by Dean Alexander Wolf from Baskin School of Engineering and Esther McDermott, University of Bristol. Attendees heard from Professor Jessica Taft from UC Santa Cruz and Dr Sam Okyere from the University of Bristol whose work together is shaping how researchers and policymakers think about human and child rights, precarious labor, and migration.
The following day at the main campus, a research symposium was held with three dedicated panels:
- Policy-Making and Social Justice
- UC Santa Cruz: Professor of Latin American & Latino Studies Fernando Leiva, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology Chris Benner
- University of Bristol: Professor of Latin American Studies Jo Crow, Lecturer in Economics Pietro Spini
- Latin American Art and History
- UC Santa Cruz: Associate Professor of Literature Zac Zimmer, Associate Professor of Latin American & Latino Studies Lily Balloffet
- University of Bristol: Associate Professor in Comparative Poetry and Poetics Rebecca Kosick, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology Camilla Morelli
- Black and African American Studies
- UC Santa Cruz: Distinguished Professor of History Eric Porter, Professor of History Marc Matera, Associate Professor of History Kate Jones
- University of Bristol: Senior Lecturer in African American Literature Erin Forbes, Senior Lecturer in Sociology Sam Okyere
In the afternoon, some University of Bristol delegates visited classes and gave research talks, while others engaged in a public conversation entitled “Migrations and Global Mobilities” that included UC Santa Cruz students from Professor Barbara Rogoff’s and Professor Jessica Taft’s classes. The discussion underscored the ongoing research efforts at both institutions to analyze the socio-political dynamics of migration, cultural integration, and transnational mobility. This event also helped to illuminate for students the importance of emphasizing global perspectives and the real-world implications of academic research.
The delegation visit from the University of Bristol reaffirmed a shared institutional commitment to fostering international academic collaborations, strengthening research networks, and advancing discussions on global challenges. The events provided a valuable exchange of ideas, paving the way for future partnerships and cooperation between the two universities.
Broadening and deepening institutional partnerships with universities abroad is key to the UC Santa Cruz Strategic Plan for Internationalization.