Dr. Luis Carvajal-Carmona is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity and a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of California at Davis (UCD). He holds the Auburn Community Cancer Endowed Chair in Basic Science. He serves as the Center for Advancing Cancer Health Director and co-director of the Community Engagement Program at the Clinical and Translational Science Center. Nationally, Dr. Carvajal-Carmona has served as a member of the NIH CHSA Study Section, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Minorities in Cancer Research Council, the AACR Minority Scholars Awards Committee (as co-Chair), the AACR Molecular Epidemiology Working Group Steering Committee, the AACR Racial Inequities Task Force and National Cancer Advisory Board Ad hoc Working Group on Strategic Approaches and Opportunities for Research on Cancer Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Underserved Populations.  

Dr. Carvajal-Carmona obtained his Ph.D. from University College London, completed postdoctoral training at the London Research Institute (now part of The Francis Crick Institute), and was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He has received funding from multiple European agencies (Cancer Research UK, European Union, GSK Oncology) and the U.S. (V Foundation, California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, NIH). He is currently PI/MPI of grants totaling >$25M in research funding. Dr. Carvajal-Carmona specializes in cancer genetics, epidemiology, health disparities, and global health. He has discovered multiple cancer genes and has published over 100 manuscripts in influential journals such as Nature Genetics, Gastroenterology, American Journal of Human Genetics, Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and PNAS. His main contributions to science include the elucidation of the genetic origins of Latino populations, discovering the first common variants increasing the risk of colorectal cancer, and identifying a novel familial form of gastric cancer. He has received awards and fellowships from the European Association for Cancer Research, The University of Oxford, and the V Foundation.  

In addition to his passionate pursuit of scientific research, Dr. Carvajal-Carmona is a keen supporter of a diverse and inclusive biomedical research force. He was the first person from his family to attend college. Dr. Carvajal-Carmona has mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students, 95 % of whom have been first-generation college graduates and members of underrepresented groups. His mentees have been awarded 50+ fellowships and research awards and are all currently pursuing higher education or are employed at leading institutions and companies. In addition to the satisfaction of helping people with his research, Dr. Carvajal-Carmona’s most rewarding accomplishment is to see his mentees shine and achieve their dreams. He has been awarded the UCD Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research and the UCD ADVANCE Scholar Award for outstanding scholarship and mentorship.