UC Davis College of Biological Sciences

05/26/2026

We are thrilled to share that Frédéric Chédin has been named the next dean of the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences.

A professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chédin is an internationally recognized expert in genome biology and a dedicated leader, mentor and collaborator who has helped advance interdisciplinary life science research and training at UC Davis for more than two decades. He will begin serving as dean on Sept. 1.

“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve the College of Biological Sciences and the broader UC Davis community as dean,” Chédin said. “Over the past two decades, I have developed a profound respect for the college’s faculty, staff, and students, and I look forward to working collaboratively to build on our strengths and advance our mission of research, education, and service.”

Please join us in congratulating Dean-designate Chédin!

Read more: https://bit.ly/4faySf2

Frédéric Chédin, a professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and a renowned expert in genome biology, will be the next dean of the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan selected Chédin to lead the college follow...

05/21/2026

🎉 Meet the 2025–26 officers of Phi Sigma’s Gamma Delta chapter at UC Davis!

This year’s student leaders in the College of Biological Sciences represent the next generation of researchers, physicians, entrepreneurs and innovators. From cancer research and pharmacology to neurotechnology startups and student mentorship, these scholars are making an impact both inside and outside the classroom.

President Sohan Dhar is advancing pancreatic cancer and CRISPR research while leading healthcare outreach efforts across campus.

Co-secretary Evi Liu combines plant biochemistry research with mentorship for international and first-generation students.

Co-secretary Simran Lallian is helping develop seizure prediction technology through her startup, EpiSense, while supporting fellow student entrepreneurs at UC Davis.

Together, they helped foster a supportive community focused on leadership, research, professional development and service throughout the 2025–26 academic year.

Read more about the officers and their work: bit.ly/4tRG1Vf

The Phi Sigma Honor Society’s Gamma Delta chapter at UC Davis celebrates academic excellence and leadership among students in the College of Biological Sciences. Throughout the 2025-26 academic year, the chapter brought together students who are not only strong scholars, but also emerging leaders ...

05/20/2026

Happy World Bee Day! 🐝 New UC Davis research suggests queen bumblebees may have a cognitive edge when it matters most.

Unlike worker bees, queen bumblebees must start colonies entirely on their own each spring — foraging, building nests and raising the first generation of workers without help.

Researchers Felicity Muth and Melanie Kimball found that queens learn flower scents and colors faster than workers, a skill that could help them survive the high-stakes challenge of founding a colony.

Their findings were published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Read more: bit.ly/4tGjBGo

Image Descriptions:
Image 1) Melanie Kimball and Felicity Muth inspecting an insect sample vial outdoors.
Image 2) A fuzzy honeybee foraging on a purple and yellow wildflower in bright sunlight.
Image 3) Felicity Muth smiling while examining a captured bee inside a clear plastic tube.
Image 4) Felicity Muth and Melanie Kimball standing together in a grassy field holding insect nets.

05/19/2026

Male infertility isn’t always caused by changes in genes themselves. Sometimes, the problem lies in how DNA is packaged inside s***m cells — with consequences that can affect future generations.

UC Davis researchers Satoshi Namekawa and Ph.D. student Yu-Han Yeh identified a protein called DAXX that helps organize and “bookmark” s***m DNA during development. Their findings could improve understanding of male infertility, help refine fertility treatments and shed light on how a father’s health influences the long-term health of offspring.

Read more: bit.ly/4wDyhbV

Image Descriptions:Image Descriptions:
Image 1)PhD student Yu-Han Yeh pipettes a sample in a lab while Professor Namekawa observes her from behind.
Image 2) Yu-Han Yeh points at a cell image on a computer screen next to Professor Namekawa.
Image 3) Cross-section micrograph of seminiferous tubules stained in vibrant magenta and bright green fluorescent colors.
Image 3) Yu-Han Yeh carefully pipettes liquids into a tray under the supervision of Professor Namekawa.

05/18/2026

At a prison in Stockton, a garden has become something extraordinary: a thriving ecosystem, a science classroom and a place of transformation. 🌱

Through a collaboration between UC Davis and the nonprofit Land Together, incarcerated participants are learning natural history, documenting pollinators, identifying birds and earning certification as California naturalists — all while reconnecting with nature and themselves.

The partnership recently received a $1.9 million National Science Foundation grant to expand this innovative science education program statewide.

Read the story: bit.ly/49apbt9

Image Descriptions:
Image 1)UC Davis Professor Laci Gerhart speaks warmly with a participant in an outdoor prison agricultural yard.
Image 2)Professor Laci Gerhart watches an outdoor science experiment involving water and plastic bottle filters.
Image 3)Two men share a positive fist bump over a cardboard box packed with freshly harvested green produce.
Image 4)A crouched man wearing gardening gloves carefully inspects a blooming flower bush in an outdoor yard.
Image 5)A seated man presents his artwork and reference photos of birds inside a binder with a yellow cover.

05/14/2026

🪴 What if peppermint could become more disease resistant — and even mintier?

UC Davis researchers created more than 250 genetically distinct peppermint variants by exposing sterile peppermint clones to radiation-induced mutations, opening new possibilities for improving flavor, yield and disease resistance in one of the world’s most widely used mint varieties.

The research could help protect peppermint crops threatened by Verticillium wilt and provides a roadmap for improving other clonal crops like potatoes and fruit trees.

“Black Mitcham peppermint oil is used by companies from all over the world for candy, chewing gum and toothpaste,” said Distinguished Professor Luca Comai of the UC Davis Genome Center.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4eNgCZ4



Image 1) Luca Comai and researchers stand over greenhouse benches, gesturing toward a variety of vibrant potted mint plants.
Image 2) A close-up of a researcher holding a black pot of Peppermint. Another person pinches a leaf while a woman in the background smells a crushed sample.
Image 3) Distinguished Professor Luca Comai and a research team stand outside UC Davis greenhouses with a mint specimen.
Image 4) A detailed view of several potted mint varieties on a greenhouse bench, showing different leaf shapes and stem colors, including one with dark purple stems.
Image 5) A man in a blue shirt gestures broadly toward a row of mint plants while Professor Luca Comai and a female colleague listen intently in a modern greenhouse.

05/13/2026

A new UC Davis study found that weather extremes during the first days of life can strongly affect chick growth and development, offering insight into how climate change may affect birds’ survival and reproduction.

Researchers studying barn swallows found that cold spells were especially harmful to chicks shortly after hatching, while heat stress negatively affected growth throughout development.

The findings highlight how even brief periods of extreme weather can shape survival from the very start of life.

Read more: bit.ly/4eCdizN

Image Descriptions:
Image 1) Undergraduate researcher Sage Madden carefully handles a young bird outside.
Undergraduate Sage Madden examining a small bird in her hands at a field station workstation.
Image 2) An adult barn swallow perches alertly on a metal railing
Image 3) Sage Madden examining a small bird in her hands at a field station workstation.
Image 4)A young barn swallow displaying its characteristic dark and buff plumage.
Image 5) Researchers use a tall ladder inside a barn to inspect nests
Image 6) Three pink, featherless bird hatchlings resting in a human palm

05/12/2026

Today is International Day of Plant Health 🌱

Researchers in the Shabek Lab at UC Davis have uncovered a surprising built-in system that helps plants balance disease defense with healthy growth.

The study focuses on salicylic acid — a key plant defense hormone related to aspirin — and reveals how plants keep their immune systems from becoming either too weak or too aggressive.

The findings could eventually help researchers develop crops that are more resilient to disease and environmental stress.

Read more : bit.ly/4tQVENq

Image Descriptions:
Image 1)A healthy young plant seedling growing in a potting container
Image 2) Researchers from the Shabek lab in white lab coats collaborate on plant biology experiments in a professional laboratory.
Image 3) Members of the Shabel lab posing confidently together in a sunny outdoor setting on a university campus.
Image 3) A small green Arabidopsis plant with thin, flowering stems in a black plastic pot.
Image 4) Professor Shabek performing microscopic analysis on plant tissue, with the magnified results displayed on a digital screen.

05/11/2026

When children are born with rare neurological disorders, families are often left searching for answers.

UC Davis researchers Jawdat Al-Bassam and former undergraduate researcher A***n Taheri have uncovered how a tiny cellular machine helps build the structures needed for healthy brain and nervous system development. Their discovery could help scientists better understand — and eventually diagnose or treat — devastating genetic disorders linked to this process.

The research, published in Nature Communications and Science Advances, used advanced cryo-electron microscopy to reveal how these proteins work at the atomic level.
Taheri, now a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, led key experiments as an undergraduate researcher at UC Davis.

Read more: bit.ly/4cYMzw3

Image descriptions:
Image 1) A***n Taheri performs a critical pipetting procedure under the watchful eye of mentor Jawdat Al-Bassam in a biochemistry lab.
Image 2) Jawdat Al-Bassam(L) and A***n Taheri (R) pose together, smiling, against a background of campus trees and architecture.
Image 3) At a dual-monitor workstation, A***n Taheri analyzes detailed protein structures as Jawdat Al-Bassam offers guidance.

05/06/2026

Big congratulations to Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra, professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology on being elected to the National Academy of Sciences — one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve.

Ross-Ibarra studies the genetics, evolution and domestication of maize and its wild relatives. His research explores how crops adapt to different environments and climates, with important implications for agricultural sustainability, biodiversity and future crop resilience.

His groundbreaking work has reshaped scientific understanding of maize evolution, including a landmark 2023 paper in Science tracing the origins of modern maize.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4uiclkA

Image Descriptions: A researcher in a hat examines corn stalks in a sun-drenched field, focusing on the health of the green foliage.