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Unity, Compassion and Hope

closing out another year

California’s Tule Fog is always thick, but not always as persistent as it has been lately. With finals concluded last week and the students home, campus has been grey, cold and dreary – until today. For the first time in almost two weeks, blue sky was visible, the sun was out, and we were reminded of how beautiful our region is.

2025 was a busy year. As you can see on our year in review webpage, we’ve had a number of remarkable highlights. This year was certainly not without challenges, but we saw many new discoveries (including a parasite that dresses in the remains of the cells it kills), impressive rankings (UC Davis in the top 10 public universities in the nation, and in the top 40 for biological sciences globally) and many (many) outstanding achievements from our faculty and staff.

As we wind down 2025, we will be with friends and loved ones. Wherever you are, this is a time for unity, compassion and hope. In that spirit, it is my hope that the close of 2025 is happy, and the start of 2026 auspicious.

Happy New Year!

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Mark Winey, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Biological Sciences

Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Featured image above: New research from the Department of Plant Biology reveals how plants – such as potato plants – control mutation rates in different stem cells to balance adaptability with safety and stability.

"Our 2025 in Review" text over blue graphic

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Take a Look at Our Year in Review

A re-cap of some of our biggest news, coolest discoveries and most notable achievements shows the breadth of impact and the importance of basic research in the life sciences.

Research & Discovery

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Plants Balance Adaptability in Skin Cells with Stability in Sex Cells

Hand in blue protective glove holding three small potatos

By examining decades-old clonally grown potatoes, Department of Plant Biology researchers found striking differences in how mutations build up across stem cell layers in potato plants. Their findings could help shape future crop breeding and plant biotechnology.

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New Field of Ecological Medicine Emphasizes Health Benefits of Connectedness

Sheep and onlookers on the UC Davis campus

Researchers in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior have found that the benefits of fresh air, trees, animal companions, purpose, and reciprocity have a basis in peer-reviewed science.

Student Spotlight

Two smiling people in a living room one seated and one standing

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From Air Force to Plant Biology: Veteran Reimagines His Future at UC Davis

Sebastian Smith is making less of a career pivot than a total revamp. At age 48, he is getting his B.S. in plant biology, with the goal of earning a doctorate and becoming a scientific researcher. Just three years ago, he was retiring after a 20-year career in the Air Force.

Awards & Laurels

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Plant Biologists Win VinFuture Prize for Developing Self-Cloning Crops

Two researchers standing in a greenhouse next to rice plants

Department of Plant Biology researchers have created rice plants that can clone themselves and retain high yields from generation to generation. This could make hybrid seeds accessible to farmers around the world.

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CBS Faculty Receive Hellman Fellowship and STAIR Grant

Portraits of a woman and man cropped into a single image

Lara Bogar, Department of Plant Biology, and Keith Baar, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, were recognized for early-career excellence and research with market appeal, respectively.

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CBS 20th Anniversary Matching Initiative

To celebrate the college's 20th anniversary, we’ve launched an exciting matching gift initiative — a unique opportunity to double your impact. Every gift to the CBS Dean’s Innovation Fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $202,500 from now through June 30, 2026.

When you support UC Davis with a gift to the College of Biological Sciences, you are making an investment in the continued exploration of life sciences by a new generation of researchers and future leaders.

Give to the CBS Dean's Innovation Fund

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Land Acknowledgement Statement

UC Davis acknowledges the land on which it stands. For thousands of years, this land has been the home of the Patwin people, who have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries. We are honored and grateful to be here today on their traditional lands.

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