Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis (CSIA)

The Stable Isotope Facility (SIF) will be closing, effective July 26, 2026.

June 3, 2026
An Update on the Plant Sciences Stable Isotope Facility

Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, and Supporters,
After a lengthy review process and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to sunset the Stable Isotope Facility (SIF) in its current form, effective July 26, 2026.

The Department of Plant Sciences continues to face hard decisions surrounding funding allocation given the campus-wide request to reduce budgets. Over the past several years SIF has been operating with a significant and growing deficit and, despite extensive efforts over the last several months to find a solution that would allow the facility to continue to provide services to the research community, we have not found a model that is financially sustainable.

I want to thank SIF’s staff for their excellent work and dedication these past 25 years, and everyone who has played a role in supporting this facility.

We are committed to doing our best to support the researchers who rely on the facility during this transition, and will be in touch with individual clients about details of specific plans for handling existing orders over the next several weeks.

Sincerely,
Daniel Potter
Professor and Chair, Department of Plant Sciences
University of California, Davis

Original Letter

Other Compounds for CSIA by GC-C-IRMS

It is also possible to analyze other organic compounds, such as cholesterol, pheromones, and flavors. Generally, if a compound of interest can be analyzed by GC or GC-MS, we should be able to analyze its 2H, 13C, and/or 15N isotope-ratio with a specific GC column and oven program. We value the flexibility of our CSIA services in maintaining high quality analytical support. Please contact the SIF regarding these and other possible applications.


Important Information Regarding Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis