CLEAR Conversations: Alison Van Eenennaam Reflects on a Career Shaped by Science and Communication
For decades, Alison Van Eenennaam has been at the forefront of some of the biggest advances—and biggest debates—in animal agriculture.
As a professor in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science and a Cooperative Extension Specialist in Animal Genomics and Biotechnology her career has spanned the rise of genomics, genetic selection and genome editing, helping producers understand emerging technologies while serving as one of agriculture's most recognizable voices in science communication.
Now, as she prepares for retirement from UC Davis, Van Eenennaam joined the CLEAR Conversations podcast to reflect on a career shaped by resilience and an unwavering commitment to helping people understand the science behind food.
Looking back, she says one of the most remarkable aspects of her career is how dramatically the field evolved alongside her.
"When I was an undergraduate, there really wasn't such a thing as being a biotechnology specialist," Van Eenennaam said. "The technology grew up alongside me."
Over the course of her career, the livestock industry moved from relying on individual genetic markers to using tens of thousands of DNA markers simultaneously to help identify animals with superior genetic merit. Those advances have accelerated genetic improvement in livestock, allowing producers to make more informed breeding decisions that improve productivity, animal health and sustainability. But scientific progress has not always followed a straight path.
Early in her career, Van Eenennaam's research focused on genetic engineering in livestock, including projects exploring whether dairy cows could produce milk naturally enriched with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. After successfully demonstrating the concept in mice, she submitted a proposal to expand the work into cattle. The science was praised. The project was not funded.
"The review basically said it was really good science, but they couldn't fund it because the public would never accept GMOs," she recalled.
For nearly 15 years, opportunities to secure federal funding for genetic engineering research in food animals largely disappeared, forcing her research program in a different direction. Rather than becoming discouraged, Van Eenennaam shifted her focus to validating genomic tools being introduced to livestock producers, ensuring that emerging technologies were backed by rigorous, independent science before producers relied on them to make breeding decisions.
"I've always felt that's one of Extension's most important roles," she said. "To provide objective, independent evidence about new technologies."
That commitment to evidence-based decision making would become one of the defining themes of her career. Whether discussing genome editing, biotechnology or genetic selection, Van Eenennaam believes scientific innovations should be evaluated based on data—not perception.
She also recognizes that generating good science is only half the job. Communicating it effectively has become equally important. And throughout her career, Van Eenennaam has embraced opportunities to bring agricultural science beyond university classrooms and scientific journals. From documentaries and public presentations to television appearances, she has consistently sought ways to explain complex topics in language that consumers can understand. She believes scientists can no longer assume that good research will naturally reach the public. Instead, they must compete in an information landscape increasingly shaped by opinions, mostly on social media.
"We need to change our communication style in order to get the same level of reach and influence that social influencers have," she said.
That message is especially important, Van Eenennaam says, because decisions about agricultural technology carry real-world consequences—not only for producers, but for consumers, food security and the environment. Throughout the podcast, Van Eenennaam repeatedly returned to one central idea: innovation should be guided by evidence and science rather than fear or ideology.
Many of the technologies used in agriculture today—from artificial insemination and genomic selection to emerging tools like CRISPR genome editing—have helped producers raise healthier animals while using fewer resources. Yet those benefits are often overlooked in public discussions about food production.
"I like talking about the trade-offs," she said. "Most people don't understand why we're using technology in agricultural production systems and the benefits that brings, not only to farmers, but also to the environment and consumers."
As she reflects on her time at UC Davis, Van Eenennaam hopes future scientists continue building bridges between research and the public. For her, the future of agriculture depends not only on scientific discovery, but on earning public trust through honest communication, transparency and evidence.
"At the end of the day," she said, "I hope my legacy is to help the general public to understand what actually is a sustainable production system and that their choices do matter. And that they need to have all the information to make an informed choices as to what the trade-offs might be in different production systems. It's all about knowledge."