Cliff and Jane Carpenter Memorial Fellowship
Giving in Action: Opening Doors to New Opportunities
The Cliff and Jane Carpenter Memorial Fellowship supports UC Davis graduate students by providing financial support during graduate training. The fellowship helps students attend and present at national/international conferences to enhance their professional development.
For Christabel Domfe, a PhD candidate in the Department of Nutrition, the fellowship supported her participation in the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) conference, where she presented her research at the intersection of nutrition and artificial intelligence.
Christabel Domfe
Ph.D. Candidate | Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology
For Christabel, the Cliff and Jane Carpenter Memorial Fellowship helped make her first experience attending NUTRITION 2026, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), was held from July 25 to 28, 2026, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
A PhD candidate working in Dr. Lauren Au’s lab, Christabel is developing and validating an application that uses large language models (LLMs) to support dietary assessment. At ASN, she had the opportunity to present her research in an AI in nutrition research session and connect with researchers working at the intersection of nutrition and artificial intelligence.
The fellowship helped her to participate fully in the conference. Beyond presenting her research, Christabel was able to listen to the latest scientific advancements in nutrition science from nutrition professionals across academia, industry, government and nonprofit organizations and explore potential collaborations.
“For graduate students, conferences like ASN are more than just opportunities to present research. They provide a chance to step outside the lab, see the bigger picture of the field, and build relationships with leaders in the field, that can shape future research and career opportunities.”
For Christabel, the award provided an opportunity to share her work, expand her professional network and see how emerging technologies are shaping the future of nutrition research.
Supporting the Future of Nutrition Science
The Cliff and Jane Carpenter Memorial Fellowship demonstrates how donor support can extend the impact of graduate education beyond the classroom and laboratory. By helping students participate in research conferences and professional opportunities, the fellowship enables them to share their work, build meaningful connections and gain experiences that support their development as scientists and future leaders.
The impact of a fellowship can reach far beyond a single award. It can give students the opportunity to share their ideas, discover new possibilities and take the next step in their careers.