Sue Ebeler is the associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) and a professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology. She earned her Ph.D. in agricultural and environmental chemistry and an M.S. in food science from UC Davis, and her B.S. in food science from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.

Her research seeks to answer questions about food and beverage flavor, quality and health effects. In her research, she uses analytical tools including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to study the effects of agricultural practices, fermentation, processing, and storage on composition of grapes, wines, and other foods and beverages. By linking compositional and sensory information, this research reveals information about how aroma compounds interact with each other and with food matrix components to contribute to complex food and beverage flavors.

Ebeler currently teaches a lower division “Introduction to Winemaking” course and a graduate class on “Flavor Chemistry of Foods and Beverages.” As associate dean, she provides leadership on student support services, including academic advising and leadership development. She has enhanced outreach and recruitment programs for CA&ES majors and created a partnership with a local community college to provide research experiences and enhance retention in STEM fields for underrepresented students. She supports faculty development through a variety of workshops including programs to support growth mindset practices in the classroom. She has co-led the campus, ‘Belonging Project,’ which supports the academic and social transition of students to the university through evidence-based practices. In partnership with the campus Retention Centers and the Internship and Career Center, Ebeler is developing new programs to support the success of first generation, low income and underrepresented students at UC Davis and in CA&ES.