With New Faculty Director, the GradPathways Institute in Graduate Studies at UC Davis is Poised for a New Era
Graduate Studies established the GradPathways Institute for Professional Development (GPI) in 2004 to support an enhanced professional development ecosystem at UC Davis for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Now, the GradPathways Institute is being reimagined and broadened. It will support graduate students and postdocs more cohesively across four key areas: mentoring; equity and inclusion; professional development; and career readiness. By consolidating these critical activities under the GPI umbrella, Graduate Studies can provide more holistic development opportunities to all graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Additionally, Graduate Studies will be able to partner more closely with campuswide graduate and professional programs to provide the resources essential to long-term success.
To accomplish these goals, Graduate Studies has appointed a first-ever Faculty Director, Archana Venkatesan, professor of religious studies, effective September 1, 2025. Directing GPI requires seasoned leadership, strategic vision and a deep dedication to the graduate student and postdoc experience. Venkatesan is exceptionally well qualified to lead this program into its new era.
During her tenure at UC Davis, she has distinguished herself as both a celebrated scholar and an innovative leader. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022 and served as chair of the Department of Religious Studies and as interim director of the Davis Humanities Institute (DHI). She has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to graduate student success through active participation in the Graduate Mentoring Initiative, as well as graduate program development.
Professor Venkatesan earned her Ph.D. in South Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and served as an assistant professor at St. Lawrence University in New York prior to coming to UC Davis.
About Graduate Studies
For 100 years, graduate education has been a major feature on this campus. In 1925, the first 12 graduate students enrolled in the College of Agriculture. Since then, graduate education in Davis has expanded to offer over 100 graduate and professional degree programs and boast a community of roughly 7,000 graduate students, 1,000 postdoctoral scholars and more than 80,000 graduate alumni. As a central hub to guide and support this community across all aspects of graduate education and postdoctoral scholarship, Graduate Studies boosts the state-of-the-art research facilities and collaborative spirit that establishes UC Davis as a global leader in education, scholarship and innovation.