Four researchers with the UC Davis Department of Nutrition are being recognized for their contributions to advancing nutrition science and health.

For more than a decade, the Feed the Future Innovation Labs at UC Davis have strengthened America’s leadership in agricultural innovation and reduced global hunger and malnutrition by empowering people in low-income regions worldwide. In response to recent funding decisions made at the federal level, UC Davis will suspend operations of its final two Feed the Future Innovation Labs by the end of April 2025. The campus is exploring all methods for restoring federal funding for these labs and continuing this important work.

The UC Davis Olive Center is rolling out a new line of table olives – savory and ideal for snacking, culinary creations and cocktails. The center, known for its expertise in olive oil research and production, is now offering canned and packaged table olives, featuring both California-grown and internationally sourced varieties.

$5 cans of Classic Black or Fresh-cured Green
$13 jars of Kalamata or Martini
Available for purchase at:
 

Spring has arrived on campus! The trees are blooming and there are vibrant flowers everywhere. The sky is a brilliant bright blue, and the sun finally feels warm. Spring is one of the most tangible examples of change and a reminder that we are firmly rooted in growth and rebirth. As an institution, it is our business to facilitate growth and change in ways that inspire faculty to encourage greater understanding and expanding thought, while creating impactful solutions that educate and support our students and the communities we serve.  

Eight faculty from UC Davis – including three from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – are among 471 scientists, engineers and innovators newly elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the society announced today, March 27. AAAS fellows are recognized for their exceptional achievements in science, including research, teaching, administration and science communication.

Here are the new fellows from UC Davis, with their fellowship citations:

Ashley Stokes, professor and dean emeritus at the University of Tennessee, will join UC Davis as its new dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on July 1. 

Stokes, a professor of veterinary large animal clinical sciences, served as dean of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s UT Extension, overseeing a budget of $100 million and 1,000 faculty and staff. She also has held leadership roles at Colorado State University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. 

It was the late 1970s, and a young Chris van Kessel was at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, working on his doctoral degree in the field of nitrogen fixation in plants. His co-supervisor Robert H. Burris, a biochemist known for important contributions to the field, offered him a chance to continue his research with additional financial support. 

The global leadership of the University of California, Davis, in the fields of veterinary science, and agriculture and forestry continues to be recognized in rankings released today (March 12).

Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS, considered one of the most influential international authorities on university rankings, placed UC Davis second in the world in both subjects in its QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. The campus was first in the nation in the two subjects.

For Sue Ebeler, M.S. ’85, Ph.D. ’93, the most rewarding part of her career isn’t the research awards or the international recognition — it’s the students whose lives she has changed.

As a professor of viticulture and enology and associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ebeler has spent more than 30 years at UC Davis building a culture of belonging, mentorship and opportunity. Her leadership has empowered countless students — especially women — to find their place and thrive.

Warming weather, water scarcity and a loss of winter fog threaten pistachio production in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, potentially disrupting one of the state’s most valuable crops.  

The University of California, Davis, is enhancing and expanding its Pistachio Breeding Program after a generous gift from philanthropist and pistachio farmer Rod Stiefvater, who is donating more than $335,000 over three years to develop new rootstocks that thrive under changing climate conditions.