Dr. Simon Zebelo an associate professor of entomology and plant biology and director of UMES’ Center for Integrated Pest Management, is one of four recipients of the 2021 New Investigator Award by the FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The researchers joining Zebelo in the honor this year represent the University of Houston, Purdue University and Cornell University.
The awards highlight outstanding early career professors who are within the first six years of their independent academic research careers in disciplines aligned with FMC science. Recipients receive an unrestricted, two-year, $25,000-per-year research grant.
“The awardees are from different science disciplines, but are united in their pursuit of innovative approaches to address challenges in agriculture,” said Dr. Kathleen Shelton, vice president and chief technology officer at FMC. “The FMC New Investigator Awards program creates exciting opportunities to exchange ideas and consider possible research collaborations with universities.”
Zebelo was lauded for his knowledge in plant and environmental ecology, agricultural entomology and dry land farming. FMC recognized his research focus on a broad-based multidisciplinary approach to develop and evaluate ecologically based integrated pest management programs and to deliver practical programs to growers. The company pointed to his being “uniquely positioned to support the development of environmentally sustainable alternative management practices, both in Maryland and in global areas with severe climate implications.”
Zebelo came to UMES in October 2015. He is currently funded by grants totaling around $9 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Soybean Board and FMC. He serves as the IR-4 Northeast Region director. His research focuses on the fundamental and applied aspects of plant-insect interactions, insect behavior, chemical ecology and integrated pest management.
Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, gcstephens@umes.edu, 410-621-3850.
Photos by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, tdudek@umes.edu.
