A Full Day in Global Food Systems: Join Us for IAD Prospective Student Day on October 26th

Join us for IAD Prospective Student Day on Monday, October 26, 2026. This is a full day on the UC Davis campus — visits to research facilities, conversations with faculty from across disciplines, a keynote from university leadership, and an evening to connect with current students.

Whether you're seriously considering applying or just starting to explore your options, this day is designed to give you a real and honest picture of what the IAD program is, who it's for, and what your graduate experience could look like.

Register here by October 20, 2026.

Full Program

9:00 – 10:15 AM | Welcome & Community Food Systems

UC Davis Student Farm Classroom

We begin the morning at the UC Davis Student Farm — one of the most distinctive teaching environments on campus and a fitting place to start a conversation about where food comes from and who gets to shape food systems.

After a welcome and overview of the day, a panel of UC Davis faculty will set the stage for what it means to study agricultural development here.

Panelists:

• Corrie Decker, Professor of African History, UC Davis — will offer perspective on IAD's place in global history and the intellectual frameworks that shape how we understand development.
• Ryan Galt, UC Davis Student Farm — will discuss the farm's role as a living laboratory for sustainable agriculture and food systems, and what applied learning looks like at Davis.
• Amelie Gaudin, Endowed Chair in Agroecology and Chair of the Department of Horticulture & Agronomy — will speak on agroecological approaches and UC Davis's research strengths in sustainable production systems.

Moderated by Cameron Pittelkow, Professor of Sustainable Agricultural Production and Former Chair of the IAD Graduate Group.

10:30 – 11:15 AM | The Mars Wrigley Plant Sciences Laboratory

UC Davis Plant Sciences

Next, we'll visit the Mars Wrigley Plant Sciences Laboratory — a research partnership between UC Davis and Mars, Inc. focused on breeding sustainable, disease-resistant cacao plants. This facility represents the kind of public-private research collaboration that the IAD program engages with, bringing together science, industry, and global development goals.

You'll meet Ben Knollenberg, a scientist at the lab and an IAD graduate himself, who will share how his IAD training shapes the work he does today.

11:15 – 11:45 AM | The Resnick Innovation Center

A short walk away, we'll tour the Resnick Innovation Center — a state-of-the-art facility designed to transform agricultural research, teaching, and outreach while accelerating solutions to the world's most pressing challenges in food systems and sustainability. It's a window into the kind of infrastructure and institutional commitment that makes UC Davis one of the leading agricultural universities in the world.

12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch Seminar: "Scaling for Impact in Agriculture"

Plant Sciences Building, Room 3001 (PLS 3001)
Hosted by Amanda Crump, Chair of the IAD Graduate Group

Over lunch, IAD Chair Amanda Crump and Director Erin McGuire will lead a seminar on one of the most important and underexplored questions in agricultural development: how do we take what works and make it reach more people? This conversation will draw on real examples from the field and is designed to spark the kind of thinking IAD students do throughout their time in the program. Lunch is provided.

1:30 – 3:00 PM | Interdisciplinary Research for Global Impact

Global Affairs Building

One of IAD's distinctive strengths is its connection to disciplines across the university. This session brings together faculty from several of UC Davis's most globally engaged departments and institutes for an honest conversation about what interdisciplinary research actually looks like — and why it matters for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Welcome and framing: Michael Lazzara, UC Davis Global Affairs, will open the session by connecting IAD's mission to the broader landscape of internationally engaged scholarship at UC Davis.

Faculty Dialogue — moderated by Amanda Crump, IAD Chair:

• Shuchi Anand, UC Davis School of Medicine, Global Health — will discuss the intersections between global health, agriculture, and development from a medical research perspective.
• Christine Stewart, Institute for Global Nutrition, UC Davis — will speak on the nutrition-agriculture interface and what it means to design research and programs with nutritional outcomes at the center.

The session will close with a brief presentation from Michael Lazzara on the Global Learning Hub.

3:30 PM | Keynote: The Role of UC Davis in Global Agricultural Development

Plant Sciences Building, Room 3001 (PLS 3001)

The afternoon closes with a keynote bringing together the three leaders most directly shaping IAD's future.

5:00 PM | Reception

Plant Sciences Building, Room 3001 (PLS 3001)

Stay for an informal reception with faculty, current students, and staff. This is the best part of the day — real conversations, real questions, and the chance to get a feel for the community you'd be joining.

5:30 PM | Close

6:00 PM | Student Social

Current IAD students will host an informal social event for prospective students in the evening — a chance to hear what graduate life in the program is really like, from the people living it.

Plan Your Visit

IAD Prospective Student Day is free and open to all prospective applicants. We welcome attendees from across the country and internationally.

Coming from out of town? UC Davis offers visitor housing options through the UC Davis Visitor Housing Program. We recommend booking early.

RSVP: Please register here so we can plan accordingly.

Deadline to register: October 20, 2026

About the IAD Program

The UC Davis Master of Science in International Agricultural Development is one of the only graduate programs of its kind in the United States. We train the next generation of agricultural development professionals — people who go on to work at organizations like FAO, CGIAR, the World Bank, and leading NGOs around the world.

IAD students don't just study development. Students spend a summer embedded with a partner organization in the field, complete applied capstone projects on real challenges, and graduate with the skills, networks, and experience that define careers in global agricultural development. Our alumni are active in more than 40 countries.

Whether you're coming from a background in agricultural science, international studies, economics, or field experience with an organization like the Peace Corps, there's a place for you here.

Applications for Fall 2027 are open now. Learn more at iad.ucdavis.edu.