The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) returned to San Francisco’s historic Herbst Theatre on May 15 for the 2026 Commencement Ceremony to celebrate 237 of this year’s master’s and PhD degree candidates with the help of dozens of faculty members, university leaders, and staff volunteers, plus close to 700 family and friends. Several hundred more joined the event remotely via the live stream, which is available for viewing on YouTube. The Class of 2026 comprises graduates from eight master's and 15 PhD degree programs.
Nicquet Blake, PhD, vice provost and dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, presided, with Chancellor Sam Hawgood on hand to confer degrees. The graduates were presented by Jennifer Nazareno, PhD, associate dean for graduate programs; D’Anne Duncan, PhD, assistant dean for graduate student affairs; and Alden Blair, PhD, associate director of the Global Health Sciences master’s program.
Before the main event of hooding of graduates, Professor Shaeri Mukherjee, PhD, offered the keynote address. As she reflected on her academic and personal journey from Calcutta, India, to grad school in New York to a faculty career at UCSF, she encouraged the graduates to cultivate curiosity, to choose their people well, and to lead with integrity and purpose as they continue along their own paths.
The festivities also included the presentation of the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award to Jennifer James, PhD, associate professor in the UCSF Institute for Health and Aging, and program director of the Sociology PhD program. Her mentees Stephanie Arteaga and Abou Ibrahim-Biangoro, Sociology PhD students, presented the award on behalf of the Associated Students of the Graduate Division.
All photos by Noah Berger.
Choose your people well.
“None of us gets very far alone. Behind every good idea, every breakthrough, there are people, mentors, colleagues, friends. Find people who challenge you, support you, and make the hard days easier and the good days even better. Build communities where kindness is abundant, where collaboration is natural, and where people celebrate each other’s successes as much as their own. Because in the end, your work matters, but so do the people you share it with.”
– Shaeri Mukherjee, PhD, professor and vice chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, in her commencement address
Ripple effects...
“I think that legacy is one of the coolest things about research. And even though you're all just at the beginning of your careers, I really encourage you to think about the ripple effects not just of your work, but of the way you work. I'm so proud that I get to have played a tiny role in the work of these brilliant sociologists and all my mentees. And I'm thrilled that my name will show up on the signature pages of their dissertations, forever linking us together.”
– Jennifer James, PhD, Nursing Alumni and Mary Harms Endowed Chair, Associate Professor, Institute for Health & Aging, Program Director, Sociology PhD program, and recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2026!