Members of the 2025 UC Santa Barbara Public Voices Fellowship cohort at their final convening on Nov. 7.
Following a year of national media placements from the 2025 cohort, the university-wide mentorship program seeks 20 new thought leaders.
UC Santa Barbara is now accepting applications for its third cohort of the Public Voices Fellowship, with a deadline of December 14, 2025. The program, which provides intensive mentorship and journalist coaching, equips faculty to become influential public thought leaders.
The announcement follows the final convening of the successful 2025 cohort. The 20 fellows — drawn from across the College of Letters & Science (HFA, MLPS, and the Social Sciences), the College of Engineering and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education — have spent the last year translating their complex research into compelling public scholarship.
Their work has resulted in publications in major outlets like The New York Times, The Economist, Newsweek and The Conversation, with some pieces reaching global audiences of millions.
Success stories from the L&S divisions include Annie Lamar (Classics), who published on AI in Newsweek, and David Lawson (Sociology), whose piece in The Conversation has drawn more than 116,000 reads.
The fellowship was brought to UC Santa Barbara by Daina Ramey Berry, the Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, to “impact the world through public-facing scholarship.”
“I am incredibly proud of what our second cohort has achieved,” said Dean Berry. “Their insights and perspectives across numerous media outlets proves that when we invest in our scholars and connect their research to the public, the impact can be millions of readers strong.”
The 2026 cohort will convene 20 new thought leaders from across campus. Fellows are expected to participate in all four convenings and commit to publishing a minimum of three op-eds during the year-long program.
For more details on the 2025 cohort's success and to find application information, please read the full article on the HFA website.