May Berenbaum ‘80
Mini-visit: March 16-18, 2026
Full visit: October 2-6, 2023

• Swanlund Endowed Chair; Head; and Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• ADW-PAL term: 2021-27
• Subject Area: Life Sciences
• Faculty host: Anurag Agrawal (James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
• Faculty co-host: Jennifer Thaler (Professor, Dept. of Entomology)

May Berenbaum is one of the most widely recognized entomologists and organismal biologists of our time, whose research focuses on the chemical interactions between insects and host plants and their implications in the organization of natural communities. She is the leading voice on honeybees and their welfare and has championed the cause of protection for pollinators, a vital issue in conservation and agricultural sustainability. Berenbaum has been a faculty member of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 1980—serving since as head (1992) and as Swanlund Chair of Entomology (1996).

Devoted to fostering scientific literacy, Berenbaum has authored six books about insects (for general audiences) and developed a variety of novel outreach initiatives, including the UI Pollinatarium, the nation’s first free-standing discovery science center devoted to pollinators. Under her leadership, UIUC expanded pollinator-friendly habitats to 55 campus sites (2024) and launched I‑Pollinate, a citizen science initiative engaging gardeners statewide to monitor pollinator populations (June 2025).

A member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996), Berenbaum chaired two National Research Council committees and testified before Congress on pollinator decline. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019) and previously advised the White House as part of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Scholarly Honors

• Sigma Xi John P. McGovern Science & Society Award (2015)
• National Medal of Science (2014)
• Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2011)
• AAAS Public Engagement with Science Award (2009)

Notable Fun Facts

• Founder, Insect Fear Film Festival (1984)
  Transformed Hollywood’s insect horror into an international science outreach phenomenon, mixing cult films, live insect encounters, and witty commentary, drawing thousands of people each year.

• Cockroach species: Xestoblatta berenbaumae (2014)
  A new Guianan cockroach species that she funded was named in Berenbaum’s honor and presented at the annual Entomological Society of America meeting.

• X-Files TV show (1996)
  The character “Bambi Berenbaum” – inspired by and named after Berenbaum – appeared in the episode, “War of the Coprophages,” as a playful nod celebrating her status in the insect world.

Berenbaum graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. and honors in Biology from Yale University (1975) and received a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University (1980).