Pamela Ronald, distinguished plant pathology professor at the University of California, Davis, will present the annual Jack and Pat Bryan Life Sciences Lecture. Ronald, a rice geneticist and advocate of ecologically responsible crop development, will speak about the future of genetic technology in agriculture.

Ronald will deliver a public lecture, “The Future of Food: Advances in Plant Genetics” Wednesday, April 26, in Life Sciences Complex room 001 at 4 p.m. A reception with refreshments and a poster session will follow immediately in the Lundgren Room (106 LSC), where attendees will have the opportunity to speak with Ronald.

World renowned for her work on rice genetics, Ronald has genetically developed rice strains that are resistant to disease and tolerant of flooding. Disease and flooding are two challenges facing efficient production of rice, which is the world’s largest food staple.

Ronald is a proponent of using genetic engineering and sustainable farming practices to feed the ever-expanding world population. Her TED Talk on the subject has nearly 1.5 million views. Additionally, Ronald and her husband, organic farmer Raoul Adamchak, coauthored the book “Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food.”

Ronald also founded the Genetic Resources Recognition Fund (GRRF) at UC Davis to give back to developing nations. On numerous occasions, plant material from such countries has led to major research breakthroughs. The GRRF collects licensing fees associated with these breakthroughs and directs a portion of the royalties back to source countries in the form of fellowships, land conservation efforts or other supportive projects.

For those who wish to learn more about plant genetics and pathology, Ronald will also deliver a research lecture, “The rice immune receptor XA21 recognizes a tyrosine-sulfated protein from a Gram-negative bacterium,” on Thursday, April 27, in the Lundgren Room at 10 a.m.

Both lectures are free and open to the public. If you require accommodations please contact Caitlin McDonough.

The lectures are co-presented by the Biology Graduate Student Organization and the Department of Biology. Ronald’s visit and lectures are made possible by a generous gift from Pat Bryan in memory of her husband, Jack, a longtime member of the department’s faculty who was deeply committed to graduate education and research.