Dean Neal Van Alfen

Neal Van Alfen is dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis — the leading college of its kind in the nation. Van Alfen oversees cutting-edge research and top-ranked education programs addressing critical issues related to agriculture and food systems, the environment, and human and social sciences.

Van Alfen was named Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1999, and was appointed in 2009 by the chancellor to a third term as dean. Under his leadership, numerous academic programs within the college have risen to, and maintained, top national rankings; undergraduate and graduate student enrollments in the college have increased; public and private research funding and fundraising dollars have significantly increased; and the college’s research and outreach programs have expanded to most continents, earning it global recognition for excellence.

Van Alfen has established numerous institutes and centers in the college, which serve as statewide, national, and international centers for interdisciplinary research and information outreach on critical topics such as food safety, agricultural and food sustainability, health and nutrition, demographic and regional change, environmental change and stewardship, and urban horticulture. The centers and institutes encourage collaborative partnerships with academic institutions, government and nongovernment organizations, private industries, donors, and individuals.

Prior to earning a doctoral degree in plant pathology from UC Davis, Van Alfen earned bachelor’s (chemistry) and master’s (botany) degrees from Brigham Young University. His research focuses on fungal molecular biology with the goal of controlling plant diseases using low-input, sustainable methods such as biological control. He also has expertise on the effects of air pollution on environmental health.

An elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Phytopathological Society, Van Alfen has served on numerous national committees and boards, including a number of National Research Council studies on biological control. He is the editor of the Annual Review of Phytopathology, and served as president of the American Phytopathological Society. Dean Van Alfen chaired the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council and was a founder of the Agricultural Biotechnology Communicators group.

With extensive international experience, Van Alfen serves on the board of directors for the Binational Agricultural Research and Development program between the United States and Israel, and has served as a member of a Vietnam Education Foundation team to help the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam improve higher education.

Van Alfen’s prior appointments include head of the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M University; professor of biology and molecular biology and biochemistry at Utah State University; and plant pathology research scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.