Graduate Writing Fellow Bios

Alice Dien

Department: Biological Systems Engineering

Writing Specialties: Academic Writing, STEM Writing, Business Writing, Non-native
English Writing, Community-engaged Research, Writing Process, Revision Strategies,
Writer’s Block, Non-academic Writing, and Public Speaking.

Pronouns: she/her

Bio:  Alice is a Ph.D. student in Biological Systems Engineering. Her research focuses on designing a desiccant-drying system for agricultural commodities. In addition, as part of the UC Davis D-lab team, Alice works with international community partners on projects related to agriculture, renewable energy, sustainability, and energy efficiency. Alice has experience in community-engaged research and is a fellow of the inaugural cohort of the Public Scholars for the Future program.

Alice is fluent in Spanish, French, Catalan, and English, and has studied writing theory and practice through several courses at UC Davis, the Gotham writers' workshop (NYC), and the David Perlman Mentorship Program. Alice is passionate about making science accessible to general audiences. In 2019, she won the Bayer-Youth Ag Summit competition with her idea of creating a digital platform for science communication, and in 2022 she won the UC Davis Grad Slam Competition with a 3-min pitch on her dissertation research. Alice has an interdisciplinary approach to her work, and she loves to exchange ideas and practices with fellow graduate students across all disciplines and backgrounds. She looks forward to helping other students find their own writing process and accomplish their personal and professional goals.   

Kathryn Prendergast

Department: Neuroscience

Writing Specialties: Academic Writing, STEM Writing, Application Documents, Writing Process, Style/Flow, Oral Presentations, Fellowships/Grants, Journalism 

Pronouns: she/her

Bio: Kathryn is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Group, emphasizing in neuroimmunology and developmental neurobiology. She received her BA in Psychology and Premedical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison before completing her post-baccalaureate education in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Her current research investigates the impact of infection during pregnancy on offspring’s brain development and behavior, with particular interest in the connection between maternal infection and neuropsychiatric disorders. Kathryn also has a background in journalism, grant writing and academic writing. As a Graduate Writing Fellow, Kathryn looks forward to helping students at every stage of the writing process, from first drafts to final edits.

Claire Shaw

Department: Animal Biology

Writing Specialties: Academic Writing, STEM Writing, Applications, Presentations, Editing, Writing Process and Strategies

Pronouns: she/her

Bio: As a graduate student in a STEM field, Claire is familiar with scientific writing and understands firsthand the challenges scientists face when moving their work from the bench to a manuscript.  Her publication record includes both reviews and journal articles, spanning work from academia and industry positions.  Claire’s current work focuses on the interactions between hosts, microbes, and their food, with particular emphasis on the effect of different sugars on pathogen behavior.  Claire is also a longtime teaching assistant for a Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior lab, where she has four years of experience helping undergraduates hone their scientific writing skills. Claire is a proponent of scientific communication and takes any chance she can to talk about science in new and different ways.  She participated in the UC Davis 2020 Grad Slam, where she was a finalist before the later rounds were canceled.  When not sitting behind a lab bench or laptop, Claire can be found hiking with her dog or whipping up baked goods in the kitchen. Claire is looking forward to helping her fellow graduate students throughout all parts of the writing and presenting processes!  

Allison (Ally) Fulton, Lead Graduate Writing Fellow

Department: English

Writing Specialties: Academic Writing, Fellowships/Grants, Revision Strategies, Writing Process, Humanities & Arts, Public Speaking, Blogs/Articles

Pronouns: she/her

Bio: Ally Fulton is a Ph.D. Candidate in English with a Designated Emphasis in Science and Technology Studies who researches how white women's craft traditions shaped scientific inquiry in the nineteenth-century United States. She received a B.A. in English and Biology from Oberlin College. After graduating from Oberlin, she worked as the Writing Associate Fellow at Oberlin, where she led writing and public speaking workshops for student groups across campus. She finds immense value in conversing with other writers about their process and ideas, so she looks forward to working with fellow graduate students to inspire excitement about writing.

Shannon Hearney

Department: Public Health Sciences

Writing Specialties: Academic writing

Pronouns: she/her

Bio: Shannon has experience working with graduate students on their writing from her work as a Peer Coach at Boston University during her time as a graduate student there. Her current work focuses on violence prevention and medical education. She is looking forward to helping students with their writing and getting to know others in disciplines different from hers.

Breanne Weber

Department: English

Writing Specialties: Academic Writing, Fellowships/Grants, Humanities & Arts, Application Documents, Article Manuscripts, Writing Process, and Revision Strategies

Pronouns: she/her

Bio: Breanne Weber is a PhD Candidate in the Department of English with a Designated Emphasis in Science and Technology Studies. She received her BA in English and History and MA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she also worked as a writing coach and special projects coordinator for their Writing Resources Center. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Writing Theory and Practice from UC Davis, and she has taught writing at the university level since 2015. Her current research explores the material and metaphorical entanglements of books, bodies, and the environment in British literature of the 16th and 17th centuries. Breanne believes that writing is fundamentally collaborative in all of its stages, so she is looking forward to working with graduate researchers across disciplines to accomplish their writing goals.  

Mitchell Snyder

Department: Geography

Writing Specialties: English Language Learners, Revision and Editing Strategies, Style/Flow, Social Sciences & Humanities, Qualitative Methods, Professional Writing

Pronouns: he/his

Bio: Mitchell is a PhD Candidate in Geography with ten years of experience as a writer and editor in professional and academic settings. Much of his academic background stems from a writing-intensive bachelor’s degree at Davis, where he majored in English and double minored in Comparative Literature and Professional Writing. These skills are complemented by two years of work as a tutor for the Entry Level Writing Program (ELWP), an undergraduate honors thesis, 2 years as a Teaching Assistant, and several projects on technical documents for both UC Davis and other employers. As a Graduate Writing Fellow, Mitchell looks forward to applying his knowledge of line- and copy-editing to cross-disciplinary papers. He is confident that his experience working with a diverse body of students on a variety of papers will help graduate students to both enhance their writing and to accomplish academic and professional goals.