W. Joe Lewis, ESA Fellow (2008)

Dr. W. Joe Lewis, a scientist with USDA-ARS in Tifton, Georgia, has globally advanced the fundamental science of biological control, sustainable agriculture practices, and sustainable community development. The models for his studies have been behavioral and chemical interactions of parasitoids, insect herbivores, and plants, along with ecosystem principles, but the applications of his findings are of broad significance.

The impact of his research is evidenced by over 200 refereed scientific publications and book chapters, including five papers in the prestigious journals Nature and Science, three in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and an invitational paper in Scientific American. His work has been highlighted extensively in the popular press, including CNN, BBC, the Discovery Channel, Business Week, National Public Radio, Fortune Magazine, and NBC’s Today Show.

Dr. Lewis was recently named as recipient of the world renowned Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Additionally, his awards include ESA’s Founders’ Memorial Lecturer Award, the USDA-ARS Outstanding Scientist of the Year Award, the Jean-Marie Delwart Prize for the Science of Chemical Communications, and an Invitational Fellowship for Research by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

He has also received Special Congressional Recognition for Outstanding Achievement, Service and Public Distinction, and was appointed by Academic Press as charter editor of the international journal Biological Control: Theory and Applications in Pest Management. His extensive international influence is further evidenced by the numerous scientists and students who have come from all over the world to work in his lab under his guidance and training.

(updated September, 2008)