At an upcoming UC Davis commencement ceremony, biological systems engineering major Atmaja Patil will speak on what she takes away from her education: “The confidence to question the status quo. To look at a problem and ask, ‘Why does it have to be this way?’”
A team of biological and agricultural engineering students from the University of California, Davis, won the Western Growers Award for Excellence in Specialty Crops during the 2026 Farm Robotics Challenge.
What began as an unexpected major change became a defining path for UC Davis senior Nikolas Chupkin. Through sustainable engineering research, meaningful mentorship and close friendships, he discovered a deep interest in circular-economy research.
Farzaneh Khorsandi, associate professor of cooperative extension in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, has been recognized for her groundbreaking work improving agricultural safety through engineering innovations, AI-driven approaches and advancements in ATV and machinery safety.
Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Ruihong Zhang has received the 2026 Yolo County Climate Crisis Champion award from Rep. Mike Thompson. The annual award honors the outstanding efforts to address climate change from community members in California’s fourth congressional district.
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 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.
Fungi and yeast as architects for cultured meat? Ph.D. candidate Begum Koysuren engineers living scaffolds that allow cells to attach, grow and organize naturally. Her work could transform how we produce sustainable food — by letting nature do what it does best.
The University of California, Davis, has received a gift of more than $25 million that will transform the advancement of agricultural technology and innovation for generations to come, made possible by a bequest from late philanthropist and local businessman Dan G. Best II.
R. Paul Singh is a distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Since joining UC Davis in 1975, he has worked on ways to transport and preserve food, studied how food changes when it freezes and thaws, and developed models to predict how nutrients from food will be absorbed into the body. Many of his biggest projects received federal funding and led to increased efficiency for farmers and processors.
