Synthesis Program Team 

Jill Gladstein, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Director and Full Teaching Professor

jgladstein@ucsd.edu

Jill earned a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from University of Wisconsin - Madison. She graduated with a M.S. Ed. in TESOL and a Ph.D. in Reading, Writing and Literacy from the  University of Pennsylvania.

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope students will learn how to communicate in order to bring about change.

Best writing tip I’ve learned: Find a process that works for you!

On the Playlist: Wherever my mood takes me.

Recommended TV shows:  So many to list. 

Favorite hobby/activity: Walking my dogs, spending time with family and friends, watching musicals. 

Go-to-Food: French fries and chocolate

Brenna Gormally, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director, Project-Based Learning

bgormally@ucsd.edu

Brenna went to Pomona College where she received a BA in Biology. She then went on to get a PhD in Biology at Tufts University. Most recently, she was a Teaching & Research Postdoctoral Fellow in the Grand Challenges Initiative at Chapman University. 

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope that Synthesis students develop their passions while gaining the skills to tackle some of society's most pressing challenges. I also hope that students become confident working on open-ended projects in team settings. Finally, I hope that Synthesis students can communicate how systemic inequities have led to disparities in the effects of climate change.

Best writing tip I’ve learned: Getting the words on the paper is the hardest part. Do whatever you can to get your first draft down on paper and then revise, revise, revise. And read it aloud!

Favorite hobby/activity: Playing with my dog Archie

Brittany Birberick, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director, Writing

brbirberick@ucsd.edu

Brittany is a trained sociocultural anthropologist and writer. She received her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining the Synthesis Program, she was a postdoctoral research fellow with the African Centre for Migration & Society at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she remains an affiliated researcher.

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope that Synthesis provides time and space for students to develop their own processes and investments in writing and research. My desire is for the curriculum to teach them the tools they need and to provide them the chance to make those tools their own. 

Best writing tip I’ve learned: Sometimes you just have to start writing in order to figure out what you really think about something. 

Favorite hobby/activity: Beach days with my family. 

Stephanie Pineda, M.A. (she/hers/ella)

Assistant Director, Program Operations

s7pineda@ucsd.edu

Stephanie received her B.S. in Human Biology from UC San Diego, Revelle College and an M.A. in Higher Education from the University of San Diego.

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis Program: I hope that students take advantage of the collaborative opportunities the Synthesis Program has to offer. Exploring avenues for change while recognizing the power in community and education is only one of the many key takeaways that I hope students gain from their time in the program.

Recommended San Diego must eat/do: Have the best brunch at one of the many restaurants in Liberty Station and enjoy a beautiful stroll alongside the water.

Favorite hobby/activity: Spin classes, exploring farmers markets, and finding San Diego's best coffee spots.

Nathaniel Edds, M.Ed. (he/him/his)

Program Coordinator

nedds@ucsd.edu

Nathaniel graduated with a B.A. from Denison University, where he majored in Psychology with minors in Educational Studies and Philosophy. Nathaniel completed his M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California in 2021. 

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope that students explore topics that excite them, instigate passion, and find connections across disciplines to create a meaningful interdisciplinary foundation for knowledge.

Go-to-Food: Cha Siu Bao, Nasi Goreng, and Pulled Pork

Recommended San Diego must eat/do: Explore the tide pools of La Jolla at low tide and enjoy the view from the top of Mt. Soledad.

Chloe Thomas, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Events and Digital Communications Coordinator

cht040@ucsd.edu

Chloe received her B.A. in Sociology from UCLA in 2016 and continued on to complete her M.A. in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance in 2022.

See Chloe for: All things Synthesis events and communications - ideas welcome!

Favorite hobby/activity: Playing with any furry creature.

Recommended San Diego must eat/do: Kindred - some of the best vegan and vegetarian food in town!

Faith Iwanaka (she/her/hers)

Advice to Seventh College Students: Take advantage of all of the on-campus events! They are a great way to explore your interests outside of the classroom and make friends with link-minded people.

Adrián Vega, M.A. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer
Transfer College Student, First-Generation College Student, Additional Language Spoken - Spanish

Hometown: San Bernardino, California 

Adrian transferred to UC Irvine from San Bernardino Valley College. After working as a tutor at SBVC, Adrian received his MA in English from SDSU. While working on his thesis, he worked as a tutor at SDSU and Mesa College. As a tutor, he worked as an embedded tutor for PUENTE and KAPWA learning communities. After graduating, he worked as a lecturer for the RWS department at SDSU.

Academic Specializations: Adrian specialized in American Literature, where he focused primarily on Chicanx/Latinx authors in his MA program. 

Advice to Synthesis students: Ask for help when you need it, and don't be afraid to ask for help. All of us will be more than happy to help with anything that comes up during the school year.

Arthur L. Atkinson, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  

Having attended undergrad to study film and media, followed by a master's degree in education, Arthur decided to pursue his growing interest in the field of sociology by moving to New Zealand to earn a Ph.D. After living in NZ, Arthur anded in San Diego and worked at USD in the Department of Sustainability for 6 years before arriving to UCSD. I'm looking forward to this year!

Academic Specializations: Neoliberal Globalization, Postcolonial Theory, Public Service, Student Volunteerism, and Environmental Studies. 

Advice to Synthesis students: Learning to become a good writer is a skill that you can take with you forever and is transferable in every field of study from the sciences to the humanities. And one of the best ways to enact change is to engage in the practice of reading and writing, so approach the texts with an open mind and let's become writers equipped to read and write change.

Brenna Gormally, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director of Project-Based Learning, Teaching Professor

See Program Staff for Brenna's biography.

Brie Iatarola, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer
Triton Transfer Ally, Additional Language Spoken - Spanish

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Brie Iatarola holds a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from UC San Diego. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, and previously worked in the U.S. media industry as a research assistant, copy editor, and freelance journalist.

Academic Specializations: Academic specializations and research expertise include environmental communication, coastal cleanups, community science, cultural studies, political ecology, and surf politics.

Advice to Synthesis students: Be kind to yourself, especially during the brainstorming and drafting stages of writing.

Brittany Birberick, Ph.D.

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona

Brittany is a trained sociocultural anthropologist and writer. She received her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a postdoctoral research fellow with the African Centre for Migration & Society at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she remains an affiliated researcher.

Academic Specializations: Brittany's writing and research explore a range of topics: urban histories, African cities, ethnographic methods, gambling and divination, grief, film and photography, labor, US Southwest and Mexico, herbalism, migration, poetry, and art practice

Advice to Synthesis students: Sometimes you have to write first to find out what you think about something. Don’t be afraid to write without knowing what you’re doing. And don’t shy away from editing after exploring. It can be fun to pull things apart and put them back together.

Emily Browne, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Orange County, California

Emily Browne is a poet and lecturer. She received her B.A. in Creative Writing and Narrative Studies at USC and her M.F.A. in Poetry at Brooklyn College. In her creative work, she communicates emotions surrounding death, grief, and spirituality through Californian landscapes and biota. Her poems have been published in BigCityLit and Rush Magazine.

Academic Specializations: Emily loves to teach eco-poetics, climate fiction, and rhetoric surrounding the climate crisis.

Advice to Synthesis students: Write about what interests you, have patience with the process, and ask as many questions as you can.

Gabrielle Girard, M.F.A (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Transfer College Student

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Gabrielle Girard is a writer and visual artist born in California and raised in North Carolina. She received her BA from Queens University of Charlotte and her MFA in fiction from UNC Greensboro. She has worked in editing, digital marketing, arts administration, and education.

Academic Specializations: Psychological realism, climate fiction, journalistic writing, feminist literary criticism

Advice to Synthesis students: Try to let go of the pressures and value judgments around writing something “good” and focus on your relationship with writing. A strong process will be there to support you through your creative, academic, and professional journey!

Graham Bishop, M.F.A , Ph.D. (he/him/ze/zir)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Additional Language Spoken -  Spanish, French; Fellowships - Fulbright Scholarship

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Graham grew up in San Diego and earned a BA in English from Pomona College. After spending a year in France on a Fulbright Scholarship, he completed a PhD in Comparative Literature from Brown University. He then received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama, where he wrote a sci-fi novel that he published in 2024.

Academic Specializations: Animal studies, climate fiction, postcolonial ecocriticism, queer theory, disability studies, artificial intelligence, new media studies.

Advice to Synthesis students: Your inner critic isn't as smart as they think they are. Every word on the page is better than none.

Gwen Fish, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Transfer College Student, Additional Language Spoken -  Spanish

Hometown: San José, CA

Gwen earned a BA in Spanish from San Diego State and an MA in Conservation Biology from Miami University. She has worked at several UC San Diego writing programs and taught English and writing to international students.

Academic Specializations: Environmental justice, place-based learning, Southern California ecosystems, critical pedagogies

Advice to Synthesis students: Make time to care for your overall well-being. Your academic achievements are important, but they're just one part of who you are.

Hanna Tawater, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Transfer College Student, First-Generation College Student

Hometown: San Diego, California

Hanna is a UCSD alum, having received her MFA in writing here in 2014. She also studied Fine Art at San Diego City College before transferring to SDSU to complete her BA in Literature. She's published two books of poetry and is currently writing her first sci-fi novel. Synthesis is the third writing program at UCSD she's worked in!

Academic Specializations: Interdisciplinary and multigenre writing, specifically in merging hard sciences and creative writing.

Advice to Synthesis students: Engage openly and actively. Be curious. Pursue what interests you. Take risks. Mostly, take advantage of this time to explore different subjects and different ways of thinking and communicating. College is a great opportunity to learn not just about the world and people around you, but also yourself, but you have to be open to it!

James Deavenport, Ph.D. (he/him/they/them)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: San Diego, California

James received his B.A. in history and political science from George Washington University and his M.A. in World History at New York University. James completed his Ph.D. at the University of California San Diego in Latin American history in 2018.

Academic Specializations: James' recent academic research concerns historical consciousness of Amazonia, environmental history and transnational history using digital mapping and 3D imaging along with a project concerning connections between the rise of neo-fascism/authoritarianism and the climate crisis.

Advice to Synthesis students: Please feel free to let me know how I can help you all and looking forward to the year ahead!

Jason Lagapa, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Transfer College Student

Hometown: Los Altos, CA

Jason Lagapa earned his PhD at the University of Arizona. He has taught poetry and poetics at the University of Texas - Permian Basin, where he also co-directed an NEH-funded community writing project. His articles have appeared in Contemporary Literature and AZ Quarterly. A forthcoming book examines the culture of bureaucracy in the writing of the New York School poets.

Academic Specializations: American poetry and poetics, community writing and environmental justice, critiques of work

Advice to Synthesis students: To exercise patience with writing and revision—and with yourself during the writing process.

Jill Gladstein, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Director and Full Teaching Professor

See Program Staff for Jill's biography.

Kirstyn Hom, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Fellowships - Akiyoshidai International Art Village Fellowship (Japan)

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Kirstyn received her BA in Art Practice at UC Berkeley and her MFA in Visual Arts at UC San Diego. She has worked in several UCSD writing programs, such as Dimensions of Culture and Humanities. She has also taught performance and sculpture courses at both UCSD and USD.

Academic Specializations: Kirstyn’s research uses sculpture and textile methods to explore themes of language and memory.

Advice to Synthesis students: Don’t be afraid to take risks, revise, and reflect in your writing. When you let go of expectations for perfection, it’s easier to find processes that help you grow and learn throughout your academic journey.

Leslie Yang, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Mark DiFruscio, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Holbrook, NY

Mark received a BA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California. After several years working as a script reader for Creative Artists Agency, he returned to school for an MFA in Creative Writing from San Diego State University, and a PhD in English from Oklahoma State University.

Academic Specializations: Metafiction and intertextuality

Advice to Synthesis students: Writing is always a conversation.

Martin Rock, M.F.A, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Additional Language Spoken - Japanese

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida

Martin holds a Ph.D. from University of Houston and an M.F.A. from NYU. He has worked as a climate and energy storyteller at Google, for Tom Steyer's 2020 presidential campaign, and at San Francisco's Exploratorium. Publications include Best American Experimental Writing, and the poetry collections RESIDUUM and Dear Mark. Martin co-directs the Unsung Masters Series.

Academic Specializations: Poetry, environmental communication, ecocriticism, climate and clean energy communications, literary publishing, literary archaeology

Advice to Synthesis students: Find something you love that helps the planet (or at least does no further harm). Learn everything you can about it. Learn to love the process of learning. When you act out of love and don't compromise your values you will bring immense value to anything you do. And try not to become discouraged by the immensity of the challenge. Resilience = success!

Ryan Rosenberg, M.I.A. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

First-Generation College Student, Additional Language Spoken - Japanese

Hometown: Hilo, Hawai'i 

Ryan is a first-generation college student born and raised on Moku o Keawe in the state of Hawai'i. He earned his B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai`i at Hilo and his Masters of International Affairs from UCSD. He has taught for many years at Denshukan High School in Japan, Hawai'i Community College, and he has served the UCSD writing programs since 2019.

Academic Specializations: Environmental Policy, Energy, Language Revitalization

Advice to Synthesis students: Expand your definition of what being a "writer" means so that it includes you

Tarang Tripathi, M.A. (he/him/his)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Additional Language Spoken - Hindi & Assamese

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Academic Specializations: Teacher and Student Agency, Equitable Education, Social Network Studies

Advice to Synthesis students: Writing is a skill! Like with other skills, this can be developed too!