Meet our new students and discover what drives their curiosity, inspires their work, and how they’re making an impact. Check out the snippets below and click through to read their full interviews!
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Eduardo Castro
PhD Student, HistoryEduardo grew up in Quito, Ecuador, and earned his bachelor's degree from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. What spurred him to pursue his graduate studies here in Santa Barbara? Find out more here.
Jonathan Skaza
PhD Student, Dynamic NeuroscienceJonathan grew up just outside Boston, MA, and completed his undergraduate degree at Bryant University, double-majoring in Applied Mathematics & Statistics and Applied Economics. He later earned a Master’s in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Find out what his research interests are here.
Katherine Kudla
PhD Student, PhysicsKatherine hails from the small town of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester, NY. She earned her bachelor's degree in Physics, with a minor in Mathematics, from Providence College. Curious about what inspired her to pursue physics and why she chose UCSB? Learn more here.
Krisharyanto Umba Deta
PhD Student, Religious StudiesKrisharyanto was raised on the island of Sumba, Indonesia—also known as Tana Marapu, the 'Land of the Marapu.' He holds an undergraduate degree in theology and a Master of Arts in Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies. Interested in learning more? Read about Krisharyanto here.
Montreal Benesch
PhD and Masters Student, LinguisticsMontreal grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and studied Linguistics at Reed College. They are excited to further their research here at the Trans Research in Linguistics Lab. Click here to learn more about Montreal and why they chose UCSB.
Avery Bowen
Masters Student, Environmental Science and ManagementAvery, originally from Santa Clarita, CA, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz in 2022. After gaining valuable professional experience, she is now eager to deepen her expertise at the Bren School. Curious to learn more about her journey and why she chose UCSB? Click here!