Our Faculty
Seventh College is home to an accomplished and engaged community of faculty representing every academic department at UC San Diego. Affiliated faculty contribute to the educational mission of the College by mentoring undergraduate researchers, participating in College and University governance, guest lecturing in the First-Year Honors Seminar, taking part in Commencement, and, for some, teaching Synthesis courses.
Faculty Listing By Schools
Find the complete listing of Seventh College faculty by school below.
Opportunities for Faculty Involvement at Seventh College
Seventh College offers faculty a variety of opportunities to contribute to the educational mission of Seventh College while building lasting relationships with Seventh College colleagues from across UC San Diego. In addition, most of these service opportunities are considered University-level service.
Below is a list of current service opportunities. For more information or to express your interest in becoming involved, please contact the Provost's Office at seventhprovost@ucsd.edu.
Give a Guest Lecture in the First-Year Honor Seminar
Share your research, teaching, and professional journey with a small group of highly engaged first-year students. Guest lectures expose students to a broad range of disciplines while providing insight into the research process, academic careers, and the diverse intellectual work taking place across the University.
Participate in Seventh College Commencement
Celebrate the achievements of Seventh College graduates by participating in the College's Commencement ceremony. Faculty participation is an important tradition that honors our graduates and reflects the strong sense of community that defines Seventh College.
Mentor Undergraduate Researchers through TRELS
Support students participating in the Triton Research and Experiential Learning Scholars (TRELS) program as they pursue research, creative activities, internships, or community-engaged learning. Mentoring offers a rewarding opportunity to work closely with talented undergraduates as they develop as scholars.
Represent Seventh College in the Academic Senate
Serve as a Seventh College delegate to the Representative Assembly. Delegates participate directly in University governance by voting on campus-wide academic policies while representing the interests of Seventh College. This role also provides an opportunity to engage with faculty leaders from across the University.
Serve on the Seventh College Executive Committee
Help shape the undergraduate experience at Seventh College as a member of the College's principal faculty advisory body. Members advise the Provost on academic matters, help guide the College's educational mission, and offer faculty input on issues affecting Seventh College. Service on the Executive Committee also provides an opportunity to work closely with faculty from across UC San Diego.
Teach SYN 100: Engaging with a Changing Planet
Teach Seventh College's signature upper-division, project-based course, in which students work in interdisciplinary teams to address complex real-world challenges related to the College's theme, A Changing Planet. Faculty have considerable flexibility to center their courses on topics that reflect their own scholarly or creative interests while mentoring students as they pursue interdisciplinary, project-based work.
Meet the Chair of the Seventh College Faculty
Amy Vatne Bintliff is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego and currently serves as Chair of the Seventh College Faculty. She previously served two terms on the Seventh College Executive Committee (AY 2022–24 and AY 2024–26).
Professor Bintliff teaches courses that prepare and mentor undergraduates for service-learning experiences in schools and community organizations. Her research focuses on restorative justice, trauma-informed educational practices, mentoring, and adolescent development, with a particular emphasis on supporting youth who have experienced adversity. She has developed innovative community-based programs that integrate art, mentoring, and youth leadership to promote well-being and resilience, and her work has informed both K–12 and higher education settings. As Chair of the Seventh College Faculty, Professor Bintliff serves as the principal faculty representative for the College, working closely with the Provost and Executive Committee to advance the College's educational mission and represent the interests of affiliated faculty.
Faculty Committees
Executive Committee
The Seventh College Executive Committee oversees the academic mission of the college and helps shape its general education curriculum.
Members for 2026-2027Kate Antonovics, Provost, ex-officio
Amy Bintliff, Education Studies, Chair of Faculty, ex-officio
Josh Brimmeier, Dean of Student Affairs, ex-officio
Cyrus Steele, Dean of Academic Advising, ex-officio
Ioana Dumitriu, Mathematics
Jennifer Mullin, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Charles Thorpe, Sociology
David Borgo, Music
Emma Farley, Molecular Biology
Academic Senate Representative Assembly
Delegates for 2026-2027
Nico Ravanilla, Global Policy & Strategy
Jakana Thomas, Political Science
Alternate Delegates for 2026-2027
Lauren Prather, Global Policy & Strategy
Pengtao Xie, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Nico Ravanilla, Global Policy & Strategy
Jakana Thomas, Political Science
Alternate Delegates for 2026-2027
Lauren Prather, Global Policy & Strategy
Pengtao Xie, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Review Committee for Teaching Professors Appointed to the Colleges
Delegates for 2026-2027
Jill Gladstein, Full Teaching Professor/Director of Synthesis Program
Brenna Gormally, Associate Director of Project-Based Learning
Brittany Birberick, Associate Director of Writing
Rossen Valkanov, Rady School of Management
Jill Gladstein, Full Teaching Professor/Director of Synthesis Program
Brenna Gormally, Associate Director of Project-Based Learning
Brittany Birberick, Associate Director of Writing
Rossen Valkanov, Rady School of Management
Faculty Highlights
Adrian Borsa
Adrian Borsa is a Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography whose research examines how Earth's surface deforms over time in response to processes ranging from earthquakes to climate change. By combining satellite observations, GPS measurements, and other geophysical data, he investigates how water moves through the Earth system and develops new approaches for measuring changes in groundwater, snowpack, and other water resources. His research contributes to a better understanding of water availability and supports more informed management of water resources in California and the western United States. Professor Borsa recently shared his research with Seventh College students as a guest speaker in the First-Year Honors Seminar and regularly participates in the College's Commencement ceremony, reflecting his ongoing commitment to the Seventh College community.
Anne Beatty-Martinez
Anne Beatty-Martínez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science whose research explores the relationship between language and cognition. Her work examines both how cognition supports language use and how language experience shapes cognition, with a particular focus on bilingualism and multilingualism. By studying the diversity of people's language experiences, she seeks to better understand how the brain adapts to using more than one language and how language use influences thinking and behavior across the lifespan. Professor Beatty-Martínez recently spoke with Seventh College's First-Year Honors Seminar, where she shared her research on bilingualism and cognition with a small group of highly engaged first-year students
