Mind-Bending Research, Made Simple.

UCLA Grad Slam 2023 with Brandon Tsai, 2023 UCLA & UC-Wide Winner

What if we could predict the risk of mental illness with a drop of blood? Are microalgae the answer to converting wastewater into renewable energy? Can replicating a stingray’s nose help detect air quality, pollution, and even military threats? 

Following wherever their curiosity takes them, UCLA’s graduate students and their mind-bending research keep UCLA at the forefront of innovation and discovery. Our graduate students spend years on their research to forge new pathways for discovery. UCLA’s Grad Slam enables our students to showcase their groundbreaking research and its potential impact on the world. This UC-wide competition strengthens participants’ public speaking skills and ability to articulate their research concisely and effectively to a non-specialist audience. Winners are selected and awarded across all disciplines at the main event on April 2 and advance to compete in the UC-wide competition in May.

Last year, our very own Brandon Tsai took home the grand prize at both the UCLA and UC-wide competition and we need your help to do it again this year!

The sustainability of UCLA Grad Slam is only made possible through community and donor support. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to support UCLA’s graduate students as they forge ahead to find solutions to climate change, dismantle systems of injustice, and advance human knowledge.

Your Support Makes a Difference

With your support, we can ensure that researchers from all areas on campus are seen, heard, and celebrated for their important contributions to UCLA’s thriving ecosystem of knowledge and social impact. Help us keep UCLA at the forefront of research and discovery!

Alexander Kwako presenting at the 2023 Grad Slam Competition, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. March 14th, 2023; Copyright - © Don Liebig/ASUCLA

 By giving to Grad Slam, you are not only supporting a competition, you are also helping our students bring their groundbreaking research to the public. As one of the highest levels of academic competition at UCLA and across all UC campuses, Grad Slam is one of the only professional development programs on campus that aims to serve the whole graduate student population.

Workshops and coaching opportunities prepare students across all disciplines for their careers as scientists, educators, and policymakers. The program also gets students out of their laboratories and onto the stage, as the world watches to see what breakthrough will come from UCLA next!

The Eyes of the World are on UCLA

From the invention of the internet to reshaping our understanding of galaxies and discovering new treatment pathways for Alzheimer’s and diabetes, the discoveries made at UCLA are changing the world. All eyes are on UCLA and the many discoveries made by our students, researchers, and faculty. With over 14,000 graduate students across campus, we need a way to bring together our collective knowledge and ensure that our work is effectively shared with the communities that will benefit most.

Kelsi Rutledge, 2022 UCLA Grad Slam Winner, Hollywood Calls on Bruin Excellence
Grad Slam provides the platform for our graduate students to spotlight the important work they are doing, and the impact of their research to society at large. As the Grad Slam competition grows with one of the highest numbers of applicants this year, so does the need to offer more mentorship, professional development workshops, and coaching sessions to help build better communication and presentation skills. With the ultimate goal of creating a clear, concise, and compelling presentation and presenting years of research in just 3 minutes, students gain the confidence to communicate their research to audiences of all backgrounds.

Help Us Bring Home The Win Again!

The 2024 UCLA Grad Slam is well underway with the semi-final round completed on March 5. The top 10 finalists will compete for their piece of the $11,000 prize pool and the chance to represent UCLA at the UC system-wide Grad Slam competition. 

First, second, and third-place winners in the UCLA competition receive fellowship awards of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000 respectively, and an Audience Choice award of $1,000. The campus winner will advance to a University of California competition that will be held in San Francisco in May 2024 and will compete against the 9 other UC campus winners.

Left to right: Ella Petter, Brandon Tsai, and Siddharth Srivastava posing with their awards at the UCLA Graduate Division - 2023 Grad Slam Competition, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. March 14th, 2023 Copyright © Don Liebig/ASUCLA

The competition culminates when the first-place winners from each campus – Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz - square off to capture the system-wide title!

The big event takes place at the LinkedIn Headquarters in San Francisco. Last year, UCLA’s very own graduate student researcher brought home the win! And with your help, we can do it again this year!

Your Vote Matters!

Be a part of the action and cast your vote! On the day of the UCLA Grad Slam Final, the event will be live-streamed, allowing in-person and online audience members to vote for their Audience Choice Winner. The winner will be announced live so please join us on April 2!

Thank you!

Thank you for supporting UCLA Grad Slam! Your contribution will make a lasting impact on our graduate community!

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Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.