Brian Federici (left) and Alexander Raikhel of UC Riverside and Walter Leal (right) of UC Davis were inducted as fellows of the Entomological Society of America.

Three University of California professors were among the 10 inducted as fellows of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) at its annual meeting held Dec. 13-16 in Indianapolis.

The three are chemical ecologist Walter Leal of UC Davis and UC Riverside entomologists Brian Federici and Alexander Raikhel.

The election as ESA fellow acknowledges outstanding contributions in one or more of the following: research, teaching, extension, or administration, said ESA spokesperson Richard Levine.

Up to 10 members of the 6000-member organization are selected as fellows each year.

All three UC professors also are fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Walter Leal

Leal is internationally recognized for his pioneering and innovative work in insect olfaction. He has identified and synthesized complex pheromones from such insects as scarab beetles, true bugs, longhorn beetles, moths, and the naval orangeworm. He and his laboratory discovered the secret mode of the insect repellent DEET. The groundbreaking research, published Aug. 18, 2008 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is among the most widely downloaded and cited PNAS documents. His pheromone work has graced the cover of several journals, including Structure, and has been showcased in the general media, including the BBC, New York Times and National Public Radio.

His honors include the 2008 ESA Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology, and the 2007 Silverstein-Simeone Award from the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE). His native Brazil awarded him its Medal of the Entomological Society of Brazil, and the Medal of Science (equivalent of ESA Fellow). The Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology granted him its highest honor, Gakkaisho. Educated in Brazil and Japan, Leal holds a doctorate in applied biochemistry from Tsukuba University, Japan, with other degrees in chemical engineering and agricultural chemistry. He is a past president of ISCE and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. Under his tenure, the department was ranked No. 1 in the country by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Brian Federici

Federici, a distinguished professor of entomology at UC Riverside, focuses his research on the basic and applied biology of pathogens of insects, with the overall aim of developing these and their products as biological, environmentally safe insecticides. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and review articles. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology and a member of the editorial board of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Federici served as president of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology.

Among the awards he has received: ESA’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, a similar award from the UC Riverside’s Academic Senate, the Founders’ Memorial Research Lecturer Award from the Society of Invertebrate Pathology, the USDA Secretary’s Individual Honor Award, the C. W. Woodworth Award for research from ESA’s Pacific Branch and the Cook College Distinguished Alumni Award from Rutgers University. He has served on a variety of panels, including scientific advisory panels for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Vector Biology and Control.

Federici received his undergraduate training at Rutgers University and his master’s degree and doctorate in medical entomology from the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Alexander Raikhel

Raikhel, a member of the UC Riverside faculty since 2002, is recognized internationally for his significant contributions to insect science and vector biology. A leader in insect and mosquito reproduction and immunity, he received his master’s degree from St. Petersburg (Russia) State University in Russia and was awarded his doctorate from the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also in St. Petersburg. He immigrated to the United States and re-established his career in entomology, first at the University of Georgia, Athens, then at Michigan State University, and later at UC Riverside.

Raikhel has tackled, at multiple levels, the complicated task of dissecting the molecular basis of the immune response in A. aegypti.

His research has established a critical physiological and molecular linkage between the need for a female mosquito to imbibe blood and the ability of blood-borne pathogens to subsequently evade her immune response. His research has advanced scientific knowledge of critical genetic, biochemical, and physiological systems in mosquitoes.

Raikhel established the Center for Disease Vector Research at UC Riverside. Other credits include: former co-editor of Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; recipient of ESA’s Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology in 2001; and member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his pioneering research in mosquito physiology and molecular biology.