UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Todd LaJeunesse, professor of biology at Penn State, has been appointed to the Wilson Hewitt Professorship in Biology in the Eberly College of Science. The professorship is part of a $3 million estate gift to promote research, belonging and academic excellence at Penn State established by Penn State Dickinson Law alumni Patrick Hewitt and Jennifer Wilson Hewitt.
The Wilson Hewitt Professorship in Biology in the Eberly College of Science makes available resources at the discretion of a select faculty member in the Department of Biology to advance teaching, accelerate research and promote public engagement, which may take the form of conference travel, laboratory projects or on-site field experiences.
“I am delighted that we can recognize Todd’s research accomplishments with this well-deserved appointment,” said Mary Beth Williams, acting dean of the Eberly College of Science, James and Alvina Balog Faculty Fellow in Science and professor of chemistry. “Todd was selected because of his career of distinguished work in evolutionary biology, focusing on coral systems and with applications to understanding how corals adapt to climate change. As an integral part of the college’s commitment to excellence in education, I especially appreciate his mentorship of students both in the classroom and his lab. The professorship provides funding that Todd can use to continue to expand his research investigations, including opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research in his lab.”
The Hewitts’ child, Michael, worked in the LaJeunesse laboratory in an undergraduate research position for two years. Their research in that role formed the backbone of their Schreyer thesis and a conference presentation in Key West, Florida. Michael graduated in 2023 and now performs research and quality control at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Seattle, Washington, one of the oldest and largest aquaculture companies in the United States.
LaJeunesse noted that not only does experience working in a lab provide undergraduate students with valuable skills that can help prepare them for careers, but their efforts also contribute significantly to advancing Penn State’s research programs.
“Michael was the top student in my invertebrate zoology course before joining the lab,” LaJeunesse said. “Moreover, once we are able to publish their honors thesis work, it will significantly advance understanding of animal-microbe interactions. I was happily surprised and rather shocked by the news of the endowed chair. Ultimately, the generosity of Michael’s family will enable additional laboratory experiences to many other undergraduate students as well as expand research and mentoring opportunities for graduate students in Penn State’s biology department.”
Kira Turnham, a graduate student in the LaJeunesse lab, was responsible for training Michael in the various genetic techniques they employed during their thesis project and worked closely with them for two years.
“Having exceptional graduate students, who are themselves good mentors, helps the college's mission of providing scientific training and laboratory experiences to undergraduates,” LaJeunesse said. “This professorship will enable me to continue to foster these relationships which are crucial to building careers in the sciences and vital for scientific progress.”
The Hewitts’ gift established three endowments that will support student research and programming in the Eberly College of Science, Penn State Dickinson Law and the Schreyer Honors College. While the endowments will not be funded until the Hewitts’ bequest is realized, they have “early activated” each fund by committing to annually fund them for the next five years with a total of $268,750 in additional support.
“Neither of us has met Dr. LaJeunesse, but he played such a powerful role in furthering our child’s passion for marine science that we could not think of anything better than to honor and empower the biology department with this infusion of resources,” Jennifer said.
Research in LaJeunesse’s lab currently focuses on the evolutionary ecology of mutualistic symbioses — interactions between two very different organisms in which both partners benefit. He mainly studies the relationship between coral and single-celled dinoflagellates, whose associations form the basis of one of the most biologically diverse and threatened marine ecosystems on the planet. LaJeunesse uses various molecular-genetic approaches in both his laboratory and at field sites around the world to examine how the various species of reef-building coral and dinoflagellate symbionts interact with each other, how the partnerships function in sustaining the health of numerous marine ecosystems and how they are distributed across Earth’s oceans. This research contributes significantly to understanding how coral communities globally are responding ecologically and evolutionarily to climate warming.
Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State, LaJeunesse was faculty member at Florida International University from 2004 to 2008. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Georgia from 2000 to 2004. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University in 1991 and a doctoral degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2000.