Built for Big Ideas
The Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation gives students and researchers a place where ideas move from imagination to prototype, to real world impact.
The ribbon cutting in May 2026 marked more than the opening of a new building. It launched a new hub for discovery. This fall, the Center is bustling with students, faculty and researchers working side by side to develop solutions across agriculture, the environment and our communities.
Here, innovation is hands-on. A researcher can test a sensor on a potted tree, refine the technology and deploy it into an orchard. Agricultural byproducts such as grape pomace and almond hulls can be transformed into valuable new materials. Students can harness robotics, artificial intelligence and large datasets alongside world-renowned faculty and researchers advancing these technologies.
The new facility makes it possible to pursue this work at a scale, and with collaboration, that wasn’t previously possible. Flexible laboratories, classrooms and shared spaces bring together experts from across disciplines, accelerating the journey from promising idea to practical solution.
And students are involved in all of it. In the Resnick Center, they learn by doing, building prototypes, testing emerging technologies and applying research to real-world challenges. Through the Student Success Hub, they also gain mentorship and academic and career guidance as they prepare to become the next generation of innovators and leaders.
A $50 million gift from Lynda and Stewart Resnick made the Resnick Center possible, including $40 million for the facility and $10 million for the Resnick Agricultural Innovation Research Fund. Their generosity gave UC Davis the chance to create a place where people can try something new and work toward a more sustainable, resilient and productive future.
“The new Resnick Center strengthens our ability to integrate research, teaching and extension in ways that directly serve California and beyond. It creates a dynamic environment where discovery, learning and community engagement come together—accelerating innovation, deepening partnerships with industry, and translating knowledge into real-world solutions.” – Dean Ashley M. Stokes, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
