ANR hires expertise in urban pests, plants and small farms

From Siskiyou County through Riverside County, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has hired UC Cooperative Extension experts to help Californians address challenging issues.

The eight recently hired UC Cooperative Extension specialists, advisors and coordinators bring expertise in urban pest management, healthy families, regenerative agriculture, plant science, small farms and food safety to their communities.

Since 1914, UC Cooperative Extension researchers have been working directly with community members to improve their lives and livelihoods.

To see a list of UC Cooperative Extension experts who have joined in the past few months, visit https://ucanr.edu/About/DirectorySearch/Recent_Hires. The most recently hired scientists are introduced below.

Lee brings expertise in urban pest behavior to Capitol Corridor IPM role 

Sang-Bin Lee joined UC ANR as the urban integrated pest management advisor for the Capitol Corridor – comprising Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties – to help communities manage urban pests such as cockroaches, termites and ants. 

“My high-level hope is to improve public health and the well-being of people in the Capitol Corridor region by implementing and improving the IPM program,” Lee said.

A native of South Korea, Lee earned his bachelor's in biology from Pusan National University. After working in the food manufacturing sector (which included a stint in Brazil, where he learned basic Portuguese), Lee decided to pursue his passion for studying animal behaviors. During his master's program in ecology at Pusan National University, Lee investigated behavioral changes in zebrafish after pathogen infection.

“My goal was to detect fish with symptoms much earlier than conventional methods to prevent the spread of pathogens in fish farms,” he said.

Intrigued by research on social insects, Lee went on to earn a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Florida, where he studied the social behaviors of termites. Lee has published 34 peer-reviewed articles in professional journals and has received several awards from Entomological Society of America and other professional societies.

He said that he finds urban pest management to be a fascinating discipline – and a very rewarding endeavor – in the field of entomology.

“My interests lie in the behavior of urban pests, and studying their behavior often provides a great opportunity to improve control measures,” Lee explained. “I have had many opportunities to communicate with people from the pest control industry and homeowners; conversations with these people often inspire me to work harder to help those who need my assistance.”

Lee is based in Fairfield, at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Solano County, and can be reached at sablee@ucanr.edu and (530) 574-9835. He is on X/Twitter @SangBinLee4.

New farm advisor Singh to bring latest research to Siskiyou County 

Jagdeep Singh recently joined UC ANR as the agronomy advisor for Siskiyou County. In this capacity, Singh will primarily focus on crop production in alfalfa, pasture and small grains, as well as pest control and water management.

Originally from Punjab, India's agriculture-rich state, Singh brings a unique perspective to his work.

“My passion lies in directly impacting the lives of farmers who feed the world,” he said. “I'm driven by a constant thirst for knowledge and a commitment to bridging the gap between the most up-to-date research and practical, on-farm solutions. What motivates me is understanding farmers' needs and providing science-based answers to their questions.”

Singh earned a B.S. from Punjab Agricultural University, an M.S. from New Mexico State University, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University.

During his Ph.D. studies, he assessed 70 years of cotton breeding impacts on yield, nutrient relations and root architecture, while also studying cover crops for soil health improvement. His M.S. work focused on guar, evaluating its growth, yield, water extraction patterns and water use efficiency under deficit irrigation, as well as identifying cold-tolerant germplasm for cooler regions of the Southern High Plains.

In his new role at UC ANR, Singh aims to build strong relationships with the local community, certified crop advisers and industry groups, leveraging the well-established extension system.

Singh can be reached by email at fgssingh@ucanr.edu or by calling the UCCE Siskiyou office at (530) 842-2711.

Rosenberg joins UCCE as regenerative agriculture farm advisor 

Sara Rosenberg joined UCCE as a regenerative agriculture farm advisor for Mariposa, Merced and Stanislaus counties.

Her disciplinary focuses are agroecology, sustainable nutrient management, and extension research and methodology. Her past research centers on understanding the implications of diversification (with a focus on crop rotations and cover crops) for California rice systems. For her master's program thesis, she conducted a countywide assessment to learn from rice growers about their experiences with crop rotations and understand barriers to adoption, opportunities, and required resources for successful implementation. This two-year study engaged grower communities to help develop research goals for her Ph.D. studies.

Her doctoral research explored how different summer crop rotations affect multiple sustainability factors including soil health, crop yields, weeds, input use and economics. She also assessed different cover-crop species performance in rice environments and their carbon and nitrogen contributions. 

She earned a master's in international agriculture development and a Ph.D. in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis.

Prior to working on her Ph.D., Rosenberg was an agriculture advisor in the Peace Corps for more than three years. She worked closely with smallholder farmers in West Africa, implementing conservation agriculture programs and increasing agricultural resilience in both annual crops and tree crops, mainly in the cashew forestry sector. In California, she has worked on farms for more than eight years, including running her own small, diversified farm in Woodland.

She is passionate about community-led development and using participatory research as a powerful tool for developing sustainable solutions. Her aim is to develop collaborative programming that will support a wide range of farm types, including commercial and small-scale, organic and conventional, annual crops, tree and vine crops, and livestock production systems.

She is developing a robust research program aimed at assessing farm sustainability impact across ecological, agronomic, social and economic factors. She will be collaborating with farmers to help overcome barriers to adopting regenerative practices and build their capacity to advance sustainability goals. Rosenberg also will be developing and promoting tested integrative management practices that increase climate resilience and ecosystem sustainability across diverse farming environments. 

Rosenberg is based in Mariposa and can be reached at srosenberg@ucanr.edu and (209) 966-2417 ext. 1417.

Sangha joins UCCE as community water systems advisor 

Laljeet Sangha joined UCCE as a community water systems advisor for Kern, Tulare and Kings counties.

To enhance community resilience, Sangha will lead an integrated extension education and applied research program in water resource management and community development.

He will address critical questions regarding the impacts of environmental stressors, such as chronic long-term droughts, water contamination and increased groundwater demand. Additionally, he will assist in water system consolidations and help communities meet regulatory goals such as those set by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP).

Originally from Punjab, India, Sangha earned his undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from Punjab Agricultural University. He received his M.S. in biosystems engineering from Auburn University and his Ph.D. in biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech.

Sangha's early research focused on the influence of climate variability on ecologically sustainable water withdrawals from streams for irrigation. For his doctoral studies, he evaluated the impact of permit exemptions, climate change and demand growth on water supply. Additionally, he developed methods to quantify unreported water use for crop irrigation.

Sangha also has collaborated on projects in the Colorado River Basin, which explore why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. His work includes evaluating the effects of limited water availability on irrigation operations and developing adaptive options for farming communities in the basin.

Sangha is based in Bakersfield and can be reached at lsangha@ucanr.edu.

Beveridge joins ANR's Small Farms team 

Claire Beveridge joined UC ANR as a small farms water-conservation academic coordinator for Fresno, Tulare and Madera counties. She is also part of the statewide UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, or SAREP.

As an academic coordinator, Beveridge supports small-scale, diversified and socially disadvantaged farmers in Fresno and surrounding areas in on-farm water conservation through education, technical assistance, outreach and research activities. This encompasses aiding farmers with improved irrigation practices and technologies, groundwater regulation compliance and on-farm groundwater recharge.

She also facilitates small-scale farmer access to state incentives for water and energy efficiency, as well as drought and flood relief programs. Beveridge also helps to inform state water policy on the unique needs of small-scale farms.

She is broadly interested in fostering sustainable water resource management through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches among communities, decisionmakers and researchers. 

Beveridge holds a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering with an emphasis in hydrology from the University of Washington. She conducted postdoctoral research at Florida International University and earned her bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from UC Berkeley. She is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in California, an inaugural editor of the Community Science Exchange journal and resource hub, and recently completed a USDA International Agriculture Education Fellowship in Uganda.

“I grew up in Madera and am excited to be serving my home region as part of UC ANR,” she said.

Beveridge is based in Fresno and can be reached at cbeveridge@ucanr.edu.

Pourkhalili to promote healthy families and communities 

Azin Pourkhalili joined UCCE as a youth, family and community advisor for Kern, Inyo and Mono counties. 

In her role, she will promote healthy families and communities by designing, delivering and evaluating strategies for encouraging nutrition and physical activity in youth and their families. Additionally, she will provide academic oversight of community education and outreach program staff who work with families and youth, including the UC 4-H Youth Development Program, CalFresh Healthy Living UC Nutrition Education Program, Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Juntos.

Pourkhalili brings over six years of experience in conducting health intervention research programs, including their development, implementation and evaluation. 

Before moving to California, Pourkhalili was a Virginia Cooperative Extension research scientist. She worked on multiple health intervention projects, including nutrition education for older adults through the Elder Nutrition and Food Safety program and the prevention and management of chronic diseases through programs such as the Lifestyle Change Program, Diabetes Prevention Program, Balance Living with Diabetes, and Kick'n Cancer. She also collaborated with the Virginia Department of Health on various projects.

Pourkhalili's academic background encompasses the latest research in nutrition and physical activity education programs, chronic disease prevention programs and health education programs for different age groups. Building on her experience in implementing and evaluating nutrition education programs, her future research aims to address the unique health education needs of diverse communities in California. She plans to continue researching the evaluation and effectiveness of health education programs, such as CalFresh Healthy Living UC, EFNEP and 4-H. 

She holds a Ph.D. in human nutrition, food and exercise, specializing in community and behavioral science, and a graduate certificate in gerontology from Virginia Tech.

Pourkhalili is based in Bakersfield and can be reached at apourkhalili@ucanr.edu.

Atume to provide small farms SGMA technical assistance 

Ngodoo Atume joined UC ANR as a Sustainable Groundwater Management Act small farms technical assistance coordinator in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

She will provide technical information, services, policy analysis and recommendations needed to engage and protect small-scale farmers in the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

Before joining UC ANR, Atume worked as a water policy analyst advocating for the implementation of the Human Right to Water in California. She also worked on the inclusion of underrepresented stakeholders in SGMA, Central Valley Salinity Alternative Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP).

Born and raised in Nigeria, Atume earned her bachelor's degree in water resources and environmental engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, where her research focused on the treatment and reuse of wastewater. She has a master's degree in sustainable water management from Tufts University.

Atume is based at the UC ANR office in Davis and can be reached at natume@ucanr.edu.

Fujiyoshi joins Capitol Corridor small farms team 

Phillip Fujiyoshi joined UCCE small farms team in the Capitol Corridor as an extension and research associate. Working with Margaret Lloyd, UCCE small farms advisor, Fujiyoshi supports underserved farmers in Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties by providing them with financial and agronomic technical assistance and making extension materials available in Spanish.

Born and raised in Santa Maria, Fujiyoshi earned his bachelor's degree in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His academic knowledge of Spanish transformed into bilingual proficiency thanks to his life experiences of living with Spanish roommates, participating in a tree-planting brigade in Nicaragua and setting up a Spanish-speaking household with a Nicaraguan partner. The Nicaragua trip also sparked his lasting interest in agriculture, leading him into doctoral studies in agroecology at UC Santa Cruz.

After completing his Ph.D., Fujiyoshi performed molecular assays, contributed to phylogenetic studies, and led a spore-trapping field study in a lab studying grapevine trunk diseases. In addition, he pursued outside interests in agriculture, including winning an individual grant to study cabbage aphid behavior, pursuing informal cover crop trials in a community garden plot, volunteering on the UC Davis Student Farm, and giving agronomic advice to growers at the farmers market.

Fujiyoshi is based in Woodland and can be reached at (530) 666-8143 and pfujiyoshi@ucanr.edu.

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