Evan Economo Joins UMD to Chair the Department of Entomology
Evan Economo will join the University of Maryland on September 1, 2024, as the James B. Gahan and Margaret H. Gahan Professor and chair of the Department of Entomology, following an international search. He is currently the dean of faculty affairs and professor at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) in Japan.
“The Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland has a proud 100-plus-year history, and I am excited to lead the department into its next phase,” Economo said. “I’ve spent much of my career in interdisciplinary environments, and I am really excited to strengthen connections between our department and units across the university.”
In his new role, Economo will oversee a department with 19 tenured/tenure-track faculty members, five professional-track faculty members and eight staff members, as well as more than 40 graduate students and numerous undergraduate researchers, research staff and postdoctoral fellows. The graduate students are typically enrolled in the entomology, biological sciences, or marine estuarine and environmental sciences programs, and the department advises undergraduates majoring in biological sciences—the third most popular major on campus.
“I am excited that we have appointed Dr. Economo to this important leadership position following an international search,” said Amitabh Varshney, dean of UMD’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, where the Department of Entomology is administratively housed. “Dr. Economo has a distinguished record of teaching, scholarship and service, and I look forward to working with him over the next five years.”
“As we work to solve agricultural issues related to pest management and environmental protection, it is important to have a leader in these disciplines that values research, collaboration and public service,” added Craig Beyrouty, dean of UMD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR). “Dr. Economo is the exact person for the job, with his impressive background and clear prioritization of solutions for the public good. I am confident he will effectively lead the outstanding entomology department filled with highly regarded scientists conducting impactful research and delivering cutting-edge education.”
As chair, Economo will report to both Varshney and Beyrouty as many faculty members in the department have joint appointments in the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station and University of Maryland Extension, which are administered by AGNR.
Economo will lead the department in its mission to improve the quality of life of the people of Maryland and the world by generating and applying information about insects.
“Entomologists address some of the most critical challenges facing humanity, such as the biodiversity crisis, the impacts of climate change, the burden of human disease and the security of the global food supply,” Economo said. “These are massive challenges, but we also have rapidly developing scientific and technological tools that we can bring to bear, so it is an exciting time.”
Economo’s research focuses on biodiversity science and combines traditional field and collections-based approaches with emerging technologies in computation, imaging and data science. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed research papers, led major projects on global ant diversity and evolution, and started a community collaborative environmental observation network in Okinawa, Japan. He has also mentored more than 50 postdoctoral fellows, staff scientists, Ph.D. students and student research interns since joining OIST in 2012.
In his current leadership role at OIST, Economo supports 90 faculty members and their research units and oversees teams responsible for faculty recruitment; faculty tenure promotions and research unit evaluations; space allocation; professional development; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and the university library.
Economo earned his B.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona in 2002 and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in ecology, evolution, and behavior in 2009. He was a Michigan Fellow at the University of Michigan from 2009 to 2012 and the Mary I. Bunting Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University from 2021 to 2022. His research has won awards including the 2024 Frontiers Planet Prize as the Japan National Champion and the 2013 Presidential Award from the American Society of Naturalists.
“One thing that attracted me to this position is how well-rounded UMD is as an institution,” Economo said. “It has world-class academic research and teaching programs and a network across the state to mobilize knowledge and improve people’s lives. The Department of Entomology embodies that tripartite mission of discovery, education and public service.”
Economo succeeds Leslie Pick, who has chaired the department since 2013. During her tenure, she hired 10 faculty members, including seven women, oversaw the promotions of 12 faculty members, and emphasized the professional development and career trajectories of staff members. As chair, Pick led the development of a new entomology minor and the expansion of the departmental honors program. She also supported the Entomology Student Organization and Bug Club, created an award that recognizes the importance of graduate students serving as mentors, continued the department’s successful Maryland Day exhibits and summer Bug Camp for kids, and expanded the Insect Zoo, among other accomplishments. While chair, Pick maintained an active National Institutes of Health-funded research program and was elected Fellow of the Entomological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
