CCST Welcomes UC Santa Barbara’s Rachel Segalman, PhD, to Board of Directors

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Segalman, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Santa Barbara, to its Board of Directors. Appointed by UC President James B. Milliken, Dr. Segalman is one of three representatives of the University of California System on the Board.

As Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Segalman serves as UC Santa Barbara’s chief research officer, overseeing the Office of Research and guiding the strategic direction of the university’s research enterprise across all disciplines. Her portfolio includes advancing extramural funding, supporting faculty and research teams, and fostering the interdisciplinary collaborations for which UCSB is known. She is also the Edward Noble Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Materials, where her research focuses on controlling the structure and thermodynamics of energy-relevant polymers, including water separation membranes, polyelectrolytes, and semiconducting and bioinspired polymers.

“We are delighted to welcome Rachel to our Board,” said CCST Board Chair Andrew McIlroy, PhD. “Her leadership of one of California’s premier research enterprises, together with her record of service to the National Academies and our national laboratories, will strengthen CCST’s ability to connect California policymakers with the best available science. We look forward to her insights as we continue to advance evidence-informed policy for the state.”

Before joining UC Santa Barbara in 2014, Dr. Segalman was a Professor of Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. At UCSB, she chaired the Department of Chemical Engineering from 2015 to 2023. She is a member of the Science and Technology Committee for Lawrence Livermore National Security, a member of the National Academies Committee on International Security and Arms Control, and a co-author of the National Academies study Chemical Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century.

Dr. Segalman’s honors include the E.O. Lawrence Award from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award, the John H. Dillon Medal from the American Physical Society, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. She is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and has been elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering.

Dr. Segalman’s appointment fulfills one of 11 board positions that represent CCST’s partner institutions: the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, the California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, NASA’s Ames Research Center, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The remaining eight independent board positions represent California’s business, policy, and philanthropic communities. The Board of Directors supports CCST’s mission to provide independent and objective advice to policymakers on public policy issues important to the State of California.

Read Dr. Segalman’s biography on the Board page.

About CCST
The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as a trusted source of expert science and technology advice for California policymakers—powered by a world-class partner network. CCST was established via a unanimous vote of the California State Legislature in 1988 to make California’s policies stronger with science and technology.