Lynne McLandsborough to Serve as CAFE Director
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Lynne McLandsborough has been named director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE) and will also serve as assistant vice chancellor for research and engagement. She brings to her new roles 30 years of experience at UMass Amherst, where she bridged the academic and applied sciences, and gained deep expertise in working with the Commonwealth’s UMass Extension program, which reaches into every corner of agricultural life in Massachusetts.
“CAFE has a presence across the entire commonwealth, from the UMass Cranberry Station in East Wareham near the Cape to the Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown and UMass Equine and Livestock Research and Education Farm here in Hadley,” says McLandsborough. “We have extension specialists across the state who deliver educational seminars to support farmers and the horticultural industry, oversee the state’s 4-H program, support clean energy solutions, publish tipsheets on everything from dandelions to invasive jumping worms, offer soil testing and plant diagnostics…and we do this all using sound science to support the people of the commonwealth.”
A member of the UMass Amherst faculty since 1995, McLandsborough is a food microbiologist who has made significant contributions to the field. Her research has focused on food safety, including biofilm formation of pathogenic and spoilage organisms in the food processing environment and how to remove them. One of her major accomplishments is the development of antimicrobial delivery systems, and she is currently working to develop non-water-based cleaning and sanitation systems for use in the food industry. She recently published highly acclaimed work that describes a novel, water-free method of cleaning machinery for processing peanut butter and chocolate, reducing the high risk for Salmonella contamination, for which she received the UMass Amherst 2024 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize.
Michael Fox, dean of the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst, says, “I am delighted that McLandsborough has agreed to serve as the director of the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment. As the former department head of Food Science and having served as the interim CAFE director for two years, she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this role. Moreover, her temperament and skill as a compassionate leader will be critical to the success of bringing together the diverse group of constituents under CAFE. I very much look forward to working with McLandsborough to advance research and outreach education in agriculture, food systems, and the environment for the common good.”
“Extension is essential for the commonwealth,” says McLandsborough. “It’s a mechanism to translate modern science-backed information to support our constituents in areas such as environmental conservation, nutrition education, fruits and vegetables production, or turf management. Our educators build relationships with our constituents, identify needs and we determine how we can meet them, both through Extension education and funding applied research on campus.”
It’s the funding angle that McLandsborough will be addressing as assistant vice chancellor for research and engagement. “CAFE provides grant support to over 75 laboratories at UMass Amherst in the areas of agriculture, food and nutrition, and forestry,” she says.
“CAFE is an important organization working to advance agriculture, natural resources and youth development in the commonwealth,” says Karen Heymann, chair of the UMass Extension Board of Public Overseers. “McLandsborough brings a unique understanding of the populations served by the Center, along with firsthand knowledge of what is possible when extension professionals and researchers work together for the public good.”
“I’m thrilled to be taking on these two roles,” says McLandsborough, “especially as public funding is getting tighter. I have deep experience with all the players, and I’m going to fight because the state needs Extension.”
This story was originally published by the UMass News Office.