UC Davis Professors Discuss Curiosity, Community and Discovery

Megan Dennis and Siobhan Brady share their journeys as first-generation scientists and the impact of federal research funding.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 7:39pm

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Megan Dennis, associate professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, and Siobhan Brady, professor in the Department of Plant Biology and the Genome Center at UC Davis, discuss their paths as first-generation college students navigating higher education, the importance of strong mentors and supportive research communities, and how their work in genetic diseases and plant resilience highlights the real-world impact of basic research enabled by federal funding.

Why it matters

The stories of Dennis and Brady illustrate the vital role that mentorship, community, and sustained federal investment play in empowering first-generation scientists to make groundbreaking discoveries that can improve human health and address pressing environmental challenges.

The details

Dennis and Brady, who are office neighbors at UC Davis, share how they overcame the challenges of being first-generation college students to become successful researchers. They emphasize the importance of finding the right team of mentors, collaborators, and trainees to support their work, which ranges from developing potential treatments for genetic diseases using zebrafish models to studying how plants adapt to environmental stressors. Their research highlights how basic science can translate into real-world impact, made possible by federal funding initiatives like the Human Genome Project.

  • Dennis and Brady were guests on the 'Face to Face with Chancellor May' podcast in January 2026.

The players

Megan Dennis

An associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at UC Davis, whose research focuses on understanding how mutations linked to autism affect brain development and behavior using zebrafish as a model system.

Siobhan Brady

A professor in the Department of Plant Biology and the Genome Center at UC Davis, whose work examines how plants respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions, such as shifts in precipitation and temperature.

Gary May

The chancellor of UC Davis, who hosted the 'Face to Face' podcast episode featuring Dennis and Brady.

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What they’re saying

“I think finding the right team to push you forward [is key] — so not just mentoring, but collaborators and trainees in your group. It's being unafraid to take on innovative technologies and open to moving in the direction of wherever the field is taking us.”

— Megan Dennis, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, UC Davis

“We are seeing huge changes in our environments, largely that are the result of human actions, changes in precipitation and temperature. This is important because if we want to understand how plants cope with this really extreme dynamic fluctuating environment, then we need to understand how plants have been able to survive in extreme environments over evolutionary time.”

— Siobhan Brady, Professor, Department of Plant Biology and the Genome Center, UC Davis

“Without federal funding, our agricultural systems would be struggling and massive cuts in crop yields. As a result, we'd have increases in human hunger, not to mention changes in the environment that can also affect human life and our ecosystems in general.”

— Siobhan Brady, Professor, Department of Plant Biology and the Genome Center, UC Davis

What’s next

The 'Face to Face with Chancellor May' podcast episode featuring Dennis and Brady is available for listeners to tune in and learn more about their work and perspectives.

The takeaway

The stories of Megan Dennis and Siobhan Brady illustrate how first-generation scientists, with the support of strong mentors and research communities, can make groundbreaking discoveries that address critical challenges in human health and the environment, underscoring the vital importance of sustained federal investment in scientific research.