Westerdahl retires after 40 years as UCCE nematology specialist

June 11, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey

A woman and a man dish up their plates at a buffet table — Becky Brown Westerdahl, left, and Steve Nadler, UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus, were feted by colleagues for their retirements.

Becky Brown Westerdahl, specializing in the interactive management of plant parasitic nematodes, joined the UC Davis Department of Nematology as an assistant professor and Cooperative Extension nematology specialist in 1986 and advanced to associate professor/Extension nematologist in 1995, and as professor/Extension nematologist in 2002.

She received her bachelor's degree in biology, cum laude, in 1972 from Chapman University in Orange, and her doctorate in biology and nematology in 1978 from UC Riverside.

Three people standing in a row — This 1978 image depicts Becky Westerdahl with the late UCCE apiculture specialist Eric Mussen (left) and UC Davis Professor Emeritus Norm Gary. The trio co-founded the Western Apicultural Society.

Westerdahl's highlights of her career:

Developing sustainable management scenarios for nematodes through working with 102 farm advisors from 41 counties on 99 crops.
Developing and teaching Nem204 Management of Plant Parasitic-Nematodes and the online course Nem10V General Biology.
Mentoring several post docs and graduate students who have succeeded in strategic private and public positions in agriculture. For example, Umesh Kodira and John Chitambar, California Department of Food and Agriculture; Kristi Sanchez at TriCal; and Jack Qiu with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Standing on a ship in front of snowy mountains, Becky holds a banner that reads: Antarctica, my 7th continent. January/February 2026 — Westerdahl, shown in Antarctica in February, enjoys traveling the world.

This story was originally published at https://entnem.ucdavis.edu/news/seventy-years-service-uc-davis.