2022-23 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellows

Valeria González holds a BS in psychology from the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile, and a PhD in basic psychology from the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. She is a member of the executive board of the UCLA Postdoctoral Association and a founding member of FEAST (Fostering Equity and Accountability in STEM Together), a group of UCLA postdoctoral scholars and graduate students that promotes and advocates for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. González’s research focus is understanding the behavior and neurobiological basis of decision-making and animal cognition. As a UCLA Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, her work will concentrate on understanding the role of the frontal cortex in information value. During her fellowship, González will be mentored by Alicia Izquierdo, professor in the Department of Psychology.  Appointment: 2022-2024.

Sylvanna Vargas holds a BA from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and an MPH and a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California. She completed her predoctoral psychology internship at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. Her research focuses on reducing depression and suicide disparities, with an emphasis on sexual minority youth of color, and intersectional risk and resilience factors, including culturally responsive interventions for depression and suicide. Vargas is the recipient of a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (2017), the American Psychological Foundation’s Ruth G. and Joseph D. Matarazzo Scholarship (2017), a National Institute of Mental Health Institutional Training Grant (T32)(2021), and a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021). As a UCLA Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Vargas will be mentored by Anna Lau, professor in the Department of Psychology. Appointment: 2022-2024.

Claudia Zapata earned their PhD in the Rhetorics of Art, Space, and Culture Program in Art History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Their dissertation is titled “Chicano Art Is Not Dead: The Politics of Curating Chicano Art in Major U.S. Exhibitions, 2008–2012.” They received their BA and MA in art history from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Maya art from the Classic period (250-900 CE). Their research interests include curatorial methodologies of identity-based exhibitions, Chicanx and Latinx art, digital humanities, BIPOC zines, and designer toys. Zapata has curated several exhibitions for Texas institutions and is currently a curatorial assistant of Latinx art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As a UCLA Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Zapata will be mentored by Charlene Villasenor Black, professor in the Departments of Art History and Chicana/o and Central American Studies. Appointment: 2022-2023.