Dr.
Gene Ezia Robinson
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Behavioral and evolutionary biologist; Entomologist; Educator
Area
Biological Sciences
Specialty
Evolution and Ecology
Elected
2004
Gene E. Robinson holds a University Swanlund Chair in Entomology and Neuroscience and is also the director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) and director of the Bee Research Facility. He also holds affiliate appointments in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Department of Political Science, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Robinson pioneered the application of genomics to the study of social behavior, led the effort to gain approval from the National Institutes of Health for sequencing the honey bee genome, and founded the Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium. Robinson’s research uses genomics and systems biology to study the mechanisms and evolution of social life, using the Western honeybee, Apis mellifera, as the principal model system along with other species of bees. The research is integrative, involving perspectives from evolutionary biology, behavior, neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics. Robinson’s accolades include: University Scholar and member of the Center of Advanced Study at the University of Illinois; Burroughs Wellcome Innovation Award in Functional Genomics; Founders Memorial Award from the Entomological Society of America; Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship; Guggenheim Fellowship; NIH Pioneer Award; Honorary Doctorate from Hebrew University; Fellow, Animal Behavior Society; Fellow, Entomological Society of America, Fellow, American Academy of Arts & Sciences; and member of the US National Academy of Sciences.
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