UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jared Ali, associate professor of entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
“Chemical Ecology has its roots in plant and insect interactions and pheromones that animals use to communicate. This work has expanded to striving to understand the chemical connections between many other organisms. There are so many unknowns that connect and unite all organisms, which I’ve always been interested in,” said Ali. “Huck connects so many nodes across the institutions, and chemical ecology does this across so many sectors. This Huck endowed chair will allow me to go deeper into these connections.”
Ali’s research interests center on the behavior and chemical ecology of multi-trophic interactions. These include plant responses to herbivory, nematode and insect community ecology, chemical ecology, and coevolution. His research projects include trophic cascades, above-belowground interactions, chemotaxis of soil nematodes, and the evolution of plant defense strategies.
"Jared possesses a very broad knowledge of the field of chemical ecology that is remarkable for someone at his career stage. This is one of many reasons he was named the Huck Chair for Chemical Ecology,” said Gary Felton, professor and department head of entomology.
With affiliations in the Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs in Ecology and Plant Biology, the Ecology Institute, the Center for Pollinator Research, the Plant Institute, and the Insect Biodiversity Center, Ali has established many relationships across the Huck and looks forward to continuing his work, gaining new collaborations, and expanding the breadth of his research.
“I am honored to be given this endowed chair to continue the legacy of research excellence at the Huck,” said Ali.
"We are excited to welcome Jared as the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology," said Andrew Read, director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. "Jared's work is internationally respected, and we are pleased to support his research as he takes it to the next level."
Ali earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 2005, and a master’s in entomology and applied ecology from the University of Delaware in 2008. After earning his doctorate in entomology and nematology from the University of Florida in 2011, Ali completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University in 2013. He held the position of assistant professor at Michigan State University before joining the Penn State faculty in 2016.