Mariel Vazquez has been appointed as the new faculty director of the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science, or CAMPOS, succeeding the founding faculty director, Mary Lou de Leon Siantz, professor emeritus at the Betty Irene More School of Nursing.

“My vision for CAMPOS is centered in the success and retention of its scholars,” said Vazquez, whose appointment took effect Oct. 1.

Vazquez holds a joint appointment in the Department of Mathematics (College of Letters and Sciences) and the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (College of Biological Sciences). Her research lies at the interface of mathematics, polymer physics and molecular biology, and she specializes in the application of topological tools to study DNA architecture.

CAMPOS began in 2012 with funding from the National Science Foundation to expand the presence of women and underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, at UC Davis. The center began appointing CAMPOS Scholars in 2014, and Vazquez was among the first cohort.

“She is without a doubt one of the most distinguished CAMPOS faculty scholars that we have had the honor of bringing to UC Davis,” de Leon Siantz said, noting that Vazquez has been recognized by President Barack Obama and the scientific community for her contributions to the mathematical sciences nationally and internationally.

“Dr. Vazquez reflects the best qualities of CAMPOS faculty through her commitment to not only maintain the highest standards in research, teaching, diversity and community engagement, but also lead a new vision that will integrate STEM science with the humanities at UC Davis for the next generation.”

In furthering that new mission, she will explore opportunities to collaborate with Kimberly Nettles-Barcelón, associate professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, faculty director of the newly established Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Social Science, Arts and Humanities.

Read more in this article on the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website.

Minming Wu Morri recently joined UC Davis as associate campus counsel for the Office of Campus Counsel and campus privacy officer serving the Office of Compliance and Policy.

She has devoted much of her legal career to public institutions and infrastructure building, in positions at the Federal Transit Administration, or FTA, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, or BART, and the University of Panthéon-Assas School of Law in France. At BART, she focused on building and developing new projects, and advising on environmental law, real estate, federal grant compliance and infrastructure equity. At the FTA, she served as the assistant regional counsel in the Western states office (San Francisco) and the acting regional counsel in the Northwest office (Seattle), advising on a portfolio of approximately $15-billion-plus in grants.

Wu Morri has also served as a project and proposal reviewer for a research board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and worked for the Versailles Court of Appeals in Public Law. Before law, she worked for nearly 10 years in real estate development and affordable housing in Virginia and the south of France. 

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia, earned dual law degrees at UC Berkeley and the University of Panthéon-Assas School of Law, and also holds a master’s degree in urban planning.

Wu Morri is a windsurfer (and is learning to surf), runner and backpacker. As a dedicated cyclist and bike commuter, she is enjoying life in Davis where she and her husband bike to work together and have happily discovered that the only traffic congestion that seems to exist are with fellow cyclists.

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