Portrait of Chris Jadallah outdoors on a grassy lawn, smiling at the camera. He has short dark curly hair, glasses, a beard, and is wearing a light checkered button-down shirt. The background is softly blurred greenery.
CSWAC Member & Scholar-in-Residence Chris Jadallah Honored with NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship

CSWAC Member & Scholar-in-Residence Chris Jadallah Honored with NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship

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The UCLA Center for the Study of Women | Barbra Streisand Center is proud to celebrate CSWAC Member and Scholar-in-Residence Chris Jadallah on being awarded a prestigious 2026 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.

An assistant professor of environmental justice in education at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, Jadallah was recognized for his project, “Cultivating political, ethical, and relational horizons in garden-based learning.” The research examines the political, ethical, and relational dimensions of young people’s learning and identity formation through participation in a summer garden-based learning program at an urban farm in Los Angeles.

“I am deeply humbled to have been awarded a 2026 National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, and grateful for the opportunity to pursue research in partnership with youth and community-based organizations in Los Angeles who are working toward building more just and sustainable worlds,” says Professor Jadallah.

Jadallah’s work focuses on creating and deepening opportunities for individuals to leverage their knowledge, practices, and perspectives toward projects of climate and environmental justice. Through research-practice partnerships, he collaborates with educators, youth, and community organizations to co-design, implement, and study learning environments that expand possibilities for critical engagement in science and environmental education.

Across his scholarship, Jadallah foregrounds and honors the knowledge and practices of diverse communities, working from the premise that everyday community practices provide fertile ground for future-oriented approaches to learning, problem-solving, and socio-ecological transformation.

His research has been published in leading journals including the Journal of the Learning Sciences, Science Education, and Environmental Education Research. Jadallah earned his B.S. in conservation and resource studies from University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. in education from University of California, Davis.

In addition to his role with CSWAC, Jadallah is affiliated with the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the UCLA Center for Community Engagement. Outside of academia, he is also a seed saver, growing and sharing Palestinian heirloom seeds with farmers and land workers across California.

Read the full feature from UCLA School of Education & Information Studies.