Inspired by the farming communities where he grew up, electrical and computer engineering undergraduate Luis Blas developed an AI-powered platform that assesses crop quality in real time.
Innovations in agricultural technology have brought many benefits but have also introduced vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. UC Davis computer scientists are part of a team that has outlined a path forward for agricultural cybersecurity in a paper published in Nature Food.
White and rosé wines can turn cloudy due to protein instability, requiring time-consuming bentonite clay treatment. UC Davis chemical engineers are developing a faster, reusable resin-based method that reduces waste, minimizes wine loss and could transform how winemakers stabilize wines.
With cocoa crops increasingly threatened by climate change, UC Davis engineers are helping develop cultured chocolate grown directly from plant cells. The burgeoning technology could transform how chocolate is produced while making the treat more sustainable and resilient.
From GLP-1 treatment to upcycling coffee and legume waste streams, students tackled real food-related issues with an entrepreneurial mindset in Innovation for Impact: Food Systems, colloquially called “Hacking 4 Food.” Instructor and facilitator Alice Dien, a Ph.D. candidate in biological systems engineering, shares her reflections.
The American Chemical Society selected Distinguished Professor Emerita of Chemical Engineering Karen McDonald to receive the 2026 Biotechnology and Bioengineering Gaden Award, which honors exceptional work in the field and a paper detailing innovative research.
The Minnesota marshes Matthew Maciosek explored as a child are threatened by agricultural groundwater use. Now a UC Davis biological systems engineering student, he's researching sustainable irrigation practices in California's Central Valley to help protect wetlands for future generations.
Kaveh Madani, Ph.D. ’09 has been awarded the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize, known as the “Nobel Prize of Water.” Madani is recognized for his global leadership in water security, climate adaptation and the water-energy-food nexus.
Between her biological systems engineering research and her job as assistant grower at Gotham Greens, aka her “living lab,” master's student Grace Algeo is focused on developing practical tools that support growers, strengthen sustainability efforts and point toward a more resilient future for agriculture.
UC Davis will soon open the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation, where Fadi Fathallah, professor and chair of biological and agricultural engineering, is leading robotics research to develop practical, field-ready technologies that improve efficiency, sustainability and resilience in modern agriculture.
