A Lasting Commitment to the Science of Food
Jacqueline H. Beckley and Leslie J. Herzog share a lifelong belief that food science has the power to improve lives. This year, the couple established a new endowed chair in the Department of Food Science and Technology to give researchers steady support to keep exploring new ideas in the field.
The “Beckley/Herzog Endowed Chair for Enduring Advancement in the Science of Food” will support a faculty member whose teaching, research and industry engagement address some of the food system’s most pressing challenges. Their work will focus on reducing food loss and waste, byproduct development, improving energy and water use in the food system, while also helping attract students eager to develop solutions to these needs.
As a teenager, Beckley was troubled by global food shortages, which inspired a lasting commitment to improving the food system through science. She earned her degree in food science from UC Davis and built a successful career in the food industry, including the launch of The Understanding & Insight Group, a consultancy she founded that is focused on business innovation and consumer insights. Herzog built a distinguished career as a product development scientist and manager in the global consumer products goods industry. Both are longtime members of the UC Davis Food Science and Technology Leadership Board, where they have helped advance the department’s mission through their mentorship, leadership and support.
Together, they established this endowed chair to invest in the next generation of food scientists and ensure UC Davis continues to lead the innovations driving the future of food.
“We’re producing enough food today to feed the world, we just don’t have it in the right places, and we waste an enormous amount, which is tragic. Helping with this effort of food waste, water waste and waste of efforts as it goes into the food system, that would really make a difference for the future.” -Jacqueline H. Beckley
As the nation’s number one agricultural university, UC Davis has the people, facilities and experience to make the most of this endowment. The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science has established a strong foundation in food sustainability and other disciplines, while the newly opened Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation expands capacity with dedicated space and equipment for converting waste materials from food production into valuable new products.
“The flexibility and the versatility of this endowed chair, coupled with our existing capabilities and the resources we now have in the Resnick Center, it really does create a critical mass of support for research in food byproduct development. I believe it will lead to some amazing new technologies and strategies that put recovered or inedible food materials to work in agriculture, biomaterials and biochemical production,” said Christopher Simmons, professor and chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology. “We’re in an opportune time where many researchers, companies and members of the public agree on the urgency of the work and also the potential widespread benefits.”
For Beckley and Herzog, the value of food science is easy to see. It’s part of culture, choice, products and all food we use daily.
“As I say to people who have never heard of food science, just walk down the grocery store aisle and you’ll see our work on the store shelves every day,” Herzog said. “That’s why the investment in food science is so important to us for the future of the science of food and society.”