Marcie Rothman Term Chair

Call for applications for the 2026-31 term
Application period closes on Monday, May 18, 2026

Eligibility Criteria

The Rothman Term Chair honors a UCLA Senate Faculty member for a five-year term who meets the following criteria:

• a distinguished record of teaching, research and/or service in the broad area of food
• a strong commitment to the mission of RFI

Application Process

Eligible faculty will submit the following materials electronically to Brooke Wilkinson (bwilkinson@college.ucla.edu) by Monday, May 18, 2026:

1. 3-5 page letter of interest addressed to the Dean of Undergraduate Education outlining:
   • The applicant’s demonstrated commitment to Food Studies, including relevant research, teaching, and service contributions, as well as any ongoing or planned scholarly or curricular initiatives in the field; and
   • The applicant’s vision for leading and further developing the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies (RFI) during their term as Faculty Director. Applicants are encouraged to address how they would establish or strengthen the Institute within the current fiscal environment; leverage existing campus strengths, partnerships, and resources; identify and pursue strategic initiatives; support content development; and articulate a direction that will ensure durable and meaningful impact for RFI.
2. Current CV

Marcie H. Rothman Presidential Term Chair, 2021-26

Amy Rowat is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Integrative Biology and Physiology and Marcie H. Rothman Presidential Chair in Food Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.  She is also a member of the UCLA Center for Biological Physics, Bioengineering Department, Molecular Biology Institute, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Broad Stem Cell Research Center, and Business of Science Center. Rowat holds degrees from Mount Allison University (B.Sc. Honours Physics, 1998; B.A. Asian Studies, French, & Math, 1999), the Technical University of Denmark (M.Sc. Chemistry, 2000), and the University of Southern Denmark (Ph.D. Physics, 2005). She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics/ Division of Engineering & Applied Science, Harvard University as well as Brigham Women’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, such as the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER development award and a National Science Foundation BRITE Fellow award. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and 6 patents. In addition to her commitment to research, Rowat has also pioneered the use of examples from food and cooking as vehicles for teaching sophisticated physics concepts to a general audience. She is founder and director of Science & Food, an organization based at UCLA that promotes knowledge of science through food and food through science.  Dr. Rowat has received wide media coverage from outlets like the New York Times, LA Times, NPR, Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), and the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC).

For general information and questions about the Marcie H. Rothman Term Chair, please contact:

Brooke Wilkinson, Director of Academic Initiatives
Division of Undergraduate Education
bwilkinson@college.ucla.edu