Safre joins UCCE as specialist in ag tech and innovation
Anderson Safre joined UC ANR on Dec. 1 as a UC Cooperative Extension specialist with a statewide appointment in agricultural technology and innovation. He is working at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier and West Side Research and Extension Center in Five Points.
Safre’s research focuses on precision agriculture applications in specialty crops, including the development of low-cost sensing hardware and computer vision approaches for yield mapping, as well as plant water stress estimation and evapotranspiration using UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) imagery.
Safre integrates satellite, UAV and ground-based sensing systems with data analytics to support irrigation scheduling, improve water-use efficiency, and accelerate technology adoption in agriculture.
Originally from Brazil, Safre holds two Ph.D. degrees, one in civil and environmental engineering from Utah State University and another in agronomy from São Paulo State University, as well as a master’s degree in agronomy from São Paulo State University.
In recognition of his research excellence, Safre was named Ph.D. Student of the Year (2025) by both the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the College of Engineering at Utah State University.
Safre is based at Kearney REC and can be reached at andersonsafre@ucanr.edu and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersonsafre/.
Tymon brings environmental horticulture expertise to Inland Empire
Lydia Tymon joined UC ANR on Oct. 1 as the new UCCE environmental horticulture advisor serving San Bernardino and Riverside counties. She will be developing and extending horticultural knowledge in areas such as climate-adapted landscape trees and integrated pest management to nursery, landscape and urban forestry professionals, as well as community organizations.
Tymon brings extensive experience in applied pathology and nursery production. She previously held research and leadership roles at Washington State University, where her work focused on the management of fungal and bacterial pathogens and pests affecting vegetable and small fruit growers in the state.
Most recently, she was the senior director of Bio R&D at Mast Reforestation, where she worked with nursery growers and foresters on projects focused on seedling survival, drought tolerance, and disease and pest management.
Tymon holds a Ph.D. in plant pathology from Washington State University and a master’s degree in forestry and bachelor’s degree in botany, both from the University of Washington.
Throughout her career, she has emphasized translating science into practical solutions and she is looking forward to applying that approach to her work in California.
Tymon is based at the UCCE office in Riverside and can be reached at ltymon@ucanr.edu and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-tymon-5473b734/.