May Berenbaum


May Roberta Berenbaum is an American entomologist whose research focuses on the chemical interactions between herbivorous insects and their host plants, and the implications of these interactions on the organization of natural communities and the evolution of species. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was named editor-in-chief of its journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019; she is also a member of the American Philosophical Society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has held a Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair in entomology since 2012, which is the highest title a professor can hold at the University of Illinois. In 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Science.

Early life and education

Berenbaum graduated summa cum laude, with a B.S. degree and honors in biology, from Yale University in 1975. Berenbaum discovered an interest in entomology after taking a course on terrestrial arthropods only because it fit her schedule, and found a second passion by taking an elective course in plant biochemistry. After attending a research seminar on chemical ecology by Paul Feeny, she decided to integrate her interests in entomology and botany, and began a PhD supervised by Feeny at Cornell University. Berenbaum received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology in 1980.

Career

Since 1980, Berenbaum has been a member of the faculty of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and has served as head of the department since 1992. In addition to her research, she is devoted to teaching and to fostering scientific literacy. Additionally, she teaches a course on Critical Evaluations of Herbal Remedies for advanced biology undergraduates. In 1996, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and she was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in the same year. She served as the editor of Annual Review of Entomology from 1997 until 2018, and was named editor-in-chief of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA in 2019. She has authored numerous magazine articles, as well as three books about insects for the general public. She has also gained some measure of fame as the organizer of the Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois, an annual celebration of Hollywood's entomological excesses.

Awards and honors