Frank Zalom Receives CA&ES Exceptional Emeritus Faculty Award
Ceremony Takes Place in Newly Completed Resnick Center
UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus (on recall) Frank Zalom, a legend in the world of integrated pest management and entomology for his research, teaching, mentoring and leadership, drew cheers and applause as a recipient of a 2026 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Exceptional Emeritus Award.
The awards ceremony took place in the newly completed Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Renovation, a 34,000 square-foot facility at 1050 Extension Center Drive. The hub unites research, teaching, and student support to advance sustainable farming, climate-resilient crops, and agricultural technology.
Dean Ashley Stokes of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences presented the awards.
Zalom, who joined the UC Davis faculty in 1980, officially retired Jan. 30, 2018, but has continued his research since then. His peers praise how he built a world-renowned and vigorous research and extension program that continues to draw national and international acclaim.
Joining Zalom in receiving an Exceptional Emeriti Award: sociology emeritus professor William Lacy, former UC Davis Vice Provost for University Outreach and International Programs.
A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Zalom is a past president of the 7000-member Entomological Society of America (ESA), and an Honorary Member, ESA's highest honor.
ESA recognized Zalom as a “Legend” in 2024 in the publication, American Entomologist.
In her letter of nomination, Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, described Zalom as "a nationally and globally respected agricultural entomologist who works on tree, vine, small fruit and fruiting vegetable crops. He is an important liaison for our department and the college to commodity groups, public and private sector organizations, and agricultural entomology agencies—and beyond. Frank’s expertise in agricultural entomology is very sought after, and more importantly he has earned the trust and respect of colleagues and stakeholders."
"As emeritus, Dr. Zalom has worked on numerous invasive or newly identified pest and disease issues, including brown marmorated stink bug, spotted wing drosophila, olive fruit fly, bagrada bug, South American tomato leafminer, and grapevine red blotch virus (and its treehopper vectors), and is actively engaged with mentorship, professional activities, and pest management policy," Chiu wrote. "Frank continues to support these activities with extramural grants and contracts, and actively publishes his work in scientific journals, book chapters, and various reports and outreach venues. His work as emeritus has resulted in scores of awards and honors."
More than $3 Million in New Grant Funding
"After retiring, Frank saw five active grants totaling more than $1.3 million through to their completion," Chiu shared. "And since retiring, he has received more than $3 million in new grant funding to support his research and extension activities." These include competitive grants from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture-NIFA and California Department of Food and Agriculture.
During his long academic career, Zalom authored 387 journal articles and book chapters, and hundreds of technical proceedings as well as extension, trade journal and commodity group publications. As an emeritus, he has, as of July 2026, co-authored 42 journal articles, 4 book chapters and an ‘R’ software package, Chiu wrote. His career publications have been cited more than 13,870 times, resulting in a publication H-factor of 54 (54 papers have been cited at least 54 times) and i10-index of 221.
Zalom continues to be active in ESA as an emeritus. After retiring, he became editor-in-chief of the Journal of Economic Entomology, ESA’s flagship journal, the most cited journal in entomology.
Zalom holds two degrees in zoology and ecology from Arizona State University: a bachelor's degree (1973) and a master's degree (1974). He received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1978. He went on to serve as director of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) from 1986 to 2002.
In addition to Zalom and Lacy, the other 2026 CA&ES award recipients celebrated were:
- Alumnus of the Year: Kathleen Nelson Feicht '73
- Early Career Alumnus: Guillermo Garcia Zamora ’21
- Distinguished Friends: Marvin Shanken, Jacque Bartholomew and Wayne Barthlomew
- Exceptional Faculty: Huaijun Zhou
- Exceptional Staff: Melissa Haworth
Resources:
- Frank Zalom: Entomologist Extraordinaire, July 28, 2023, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT-NEM) website
- Frank Zalom: Lifetime Achievement Award from California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Feb. 27, 2024, ENT-NEM website
- 'Entomological Giant' Frank Zalom Receives ESA's Highest Honor, Oct. 13, 2021, ENT-NEM website