About

IFAL’s Mission

To cultivate a community of researchers dedicated to making scientific research accessible, relevant, and interesting to everyone. IFAL draws on the expertise of UC faculty and affiliates worldwide to provide the next generation of scientists with the training, support, and tools they need to become effective communicators and infuse scientifically sound information into the public discourse.

IFAL’s Vision

To provide students with opportunities and training in science communication.

Our Team

Director

Professor Pamela Ronald

Dr. Ronald is the founding Director of IFAL, and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center at the University of California, Davis. Her laboratory has engineered rice for resistance to disease and tolerance to flooding. She is a coauthor of Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food. Find out more about her work on her website, and follow her on Twitter @pcronald.

Program, Educational, and Outreach Coordinator

Hanna Bartram

Hanna joined IFAL in January 2019 as the Program, Educational, and Outreach Coordinator. She serves as the facilitator of the graduate student group Science Says and is excited to support and grow the group in conjunction with the awesome student leaders. Additionally, she organizes science literacy and communication events, social media outreach, grant writing, building collaborations with other organizations focused on science literacy, and serves as a liaison between the campus and community. Follow her on Twitter @hanna_bartram.

Communication Intern

Emily Steliotes

Emily joined the IFAL team in February of 2020 as a Science Communication Intern. She is a second year PhD student in the Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry Graduate Group with a previous master's degree in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition from Tufts University. Her current research combines techniques in metabolomics and microbial ecology to optimize the conversion of nutrient-dense food waste into biobased products (i.e. biofertilizers, biopesticides, biofuels) during anaerobic digestion. She is passionate about science communication because she views it as an integral component of translating research into practical solutions that benefit society. Recently, she began co-hosting a podcast called Evolution Eats, where she interviews experts in the food and sustainability space. As a science communication intern, she will both produce podcast episodes and write blog posts about current trends in food science–from food waste reduction to the alternative protein industry. You can find her on Twitter as @emilysteliotes and her podcast as @evolution_eats.

Communication Intern

Mishi Vachev

Mishi Vachev joined IFAL in the spring of 2020 as a science communication intern. She is a first year Plant Biology PhD student and is currently a member of the Strawberry Breeding Program where she researches disease resistance to the fungal pathogen Fusarium wilt in strawberry. Since her research is meant to directly impact farmers and consumers, she views science communication as an essential skill for informing the public of ongoing research. She is excited to write blogs on food, sustainability, and health for ScienceSays, and you can follow her on Twitter @MishiVachev.

Past Intern

Jacklyn Woods

Jackie was the Summer/Fall 2019 Science Communication Intern. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2019, and was a student in Kent Leach’s lab. Her research focused on using adult stem cells to regenerate bone after trauma. Jackie believes science should be accessible and interesting to everyone so she blogs to help bridge the gap between the general public and scientific research. You can read more about easily attainable science in the Science Says blogs, and follow her on Twitter @JW_BME_7.

Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board includes global experts in food and agriculture, including the economic, social and policy impacts of food systems.

• Anne Barnhill, PhD, Research Scholar with the Global Food Ethics and Policy Program at the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University

• Kent Bradford, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Plant Sciences; Director, Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, Davis

• Sylvie M. Brouder, PhD, Professor of Agronomy, Purdue University

• Ettore Capri, PhD, Professor of Agricultural Chemistry, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Piacenza, Italy

• David Coil, PhD, Project Scientist, Genome Center, University of California, Davis

• Sarah Davidson-Evanega, PhD, International Professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics (adjunct), Cornell University; Director, Cornell Alliance for Science; Senior Associate Director, International Programs CALS

• Jessica Fanzo, PhD, Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Global Food & Agricultural Policy and Ethics, Johns Hopkins University

• Sir Charles Godfray, PhD, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford; Director, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food

• Clare Narrod, PhD, Research Scientist and Manager, Risk Analysis Program, University of Maryland

• Robert Paarlberg, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College; Associate, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard

• Matin Qaim, PhD, Professor of International Food Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August University

• Alison Van Eenennaam, PhD, Cooperative Extension Specialist Animal Genomics and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis

• Marc Van Montagu, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Plant Biotechnology for Developing Countries, Ghent University; President, European Federation of Biotechnology, Barcelona; President, Public Research and Regulation Initiative, Belgium

• Carl Winter, PhD, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis

• David Zilberman, PhD, Professor, Robinson Chair, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley; Co-Director, BEAHRS Environmental Leadership Program; Faculty Director, Master of Development Practice