Jason Bond Named Recipient of PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award
Will Receive Award at Branch Meeting in Salt Lake City
Professor Jason Bond of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, described as “a powerhouse in the world of systematics and arachnology,” is the newly selected recipient of the 2025 Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).
Bond serves as the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He is president-elect of the American Arachnological Society.
Bond will receive the award at the PBESA conference, set March 30-April 2 in the Salt Lake City Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.
His colleagues and students praised his exemplary research, teaching, mentoring, public service, and outreach activities
“Jason is an internationally acclaimed, cutting-edge researcher known as an exemplary professor, mentor and collaborator, and hailed for his highly successful outreach efforts that stretch across the state, nation and beyond,” wrote nominator molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology. “He is a powerhouse in the world of systematics and arachnology.”
In his research, Bond specializes in the evolutionary diversification of terrestrial arthropods, specifically spiders, millipedes, and tenebrionid beetles; and researches the landscape scale genomics of California species, with an emphasis on understanding the impact of global change on biodiversity He is also a principal investigator associated with the California Conservation Genomics Project, a state-funded initiative with a single goal: to produce the most comprehensive, multispecies, genomic dataset ever assembled to help manage regional biodiversity.
Bond is the co-editor-in-chief of the ESA journal Insect Systematics and Diversity (ISD), He is also associate editor of Systematic Biology; academic editor of PeerJ; and former associate editor of numerous other journals. Colleague, Professor Christiane Weirauch of UC Riverside, commented: “Dr. Bond has served as a reviewer for virtually every journal in the area of systematic biology and taxonomy and is called upon as a panel member by the National Science Foundation on a regular basis, speaking to his national and international reputation in the field of systematics.”
Bond is the third UC Davis recipient of the award since 2014 when UC Davis distinguished professor (now emerita) Lynn Kimsey, then director of the Bohart Museum, won. UC Davis doctoral alumnus (2016) Marek Boroweic of the Phil Ward lab and now an assistant professor in insect systematics at Colorado State University, won it in 2017.
Judges score the applicants on insect morphology, ecology, genetics, phylogeny, nomenclature, biogeography, and/or other related areas; extent and quality of work within the Pacific Branch region; and extent and quality of impacts of work on students, stakeholders, colleges and others.
Bond joined the UC Davis faculty in 2018 from Auburn University, where he directed the Auburn University Museum of Natural History (2011–2016) and served as professor and chair of the Auburn Department of Biological Sciences (2016–2018). He played a major role in the design and construction of a new state-of-the-art collections facility. He also directed the Alabama Natural Heritage Program, guiding its conservation activities of endangered and threatened species in the Southeast.
A native of Tennessee, Jason received his bachelor's degree in biological sciences, cum laude, in 1993 from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, and his master's degree in biology in 1995 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg. He earned his doctorate in evolutionary systematics and genetics in 1999 from Virginia Tech. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief.
“Jason’s modern biodiversity research program is cutting-edge and of general importance, as Jason relentlessly learns and incorporates novel techniques and analyses into his research efforts,” wrote Professor Marshal Hedin, director of the San Diego State University Museum, in his letter of support. “He is as good as they come in the realm of Arthropod diversity and evolution, has a strong record of student mentorship and teaching, and is uniquely devoted in his service to academics, the Entomological Society of America, the American Arachnological Society, and the broader scientific community.”
Professor Weirauch wrote that Dr. Bond “maintains a vibrant research program with excellent productivity, has secured a phenomenal amount of research funds for his program, mentored graduate students and postdocs, engaged in substantial classroom teaching, and maintained an excellent service record. Curation and maintenance of online databases have become an important part of 21st century biodiversity research and systematics; Dr. Bond supports these initiatives by coordinating and curating Mygalomorpha and all Araneae for two online portals, Tree of Life and Encyclopedia of Life, respectively.”
Professor Bond hosted the 56th annual meeting of the American Arachnological Society (AAS) at UC Davis in June of 2022, drawing national and international attention. He had earlier hosted the 34th annual meeting of AAS in East Carolina University in June of 2010.
In the letters of support, it was noted that Jason has a knack of honoring many celebrities by naming species after them. For instance, he named a trapdoor spider after Stephen Colbert, Aptostchus stephencolberti. He named Aptostchus barakobamai as a tribute to former President Barack Obama. Others include Aptostchus dorothealangeae, named for Great Depression photographer and journalist Dorothea Lange; Aptostchus chavezi named after labor leader and civil rights activist César Chávez; and Aptostchus muiri, named for naturalist and environmental protector John Muir.
Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, a UC Davis lecturer and alumna who collaborates with Bond, wrote that "Jason’s passion for research is obvious. One simply needs to look at his publications, his grants awarded and the success of his post-docs and graduate students, and their subsequent publications. But what many people don’t see is the arduous behind-the-scenes work to continually provide funding and support for graduate and undergraduate students in entomology and arachnology."
Bond has mentored numerous undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students, with his graduate students all advancing to postdoctoral positions and professorships. Three of his 15 PhDs (since 2002) now hold faculty positions at colleges or universities. Under his mentoring, his students have received numerous honors and awards.
Doctoral student Iris Quayle, who received a 2023 ESA President’s Prize for her research presentation (see news story), wrote that. “The impact that Dr. Bond has had on my current and future endeavors in the scientific community has changed the trajectory of my life. Dr. Bond is passionately concerned with the success of his students, both during their time in his lab and after. He is excellent at seeing where people are getting bogged down with too many research questions and helping us narrow our focus to get to the heart of our research interests. The sheer depth of his knowledge regarding systematics as well as the taxa that his students study makes every meeting informative and exciting, and his door is always open to both grad and undergraduate students alike. He is quick to alert us to opportunities for research, funding, and outreach and actively encourages us to also seek these opportunities as well. I am forever grateful to be a part of the Bond Lab and to have Dr. Bond as my advisor through my graduate degree journey.”
Doctoral alumna Lacie Newton, now a postdoctoral fellow in the Ware Lab, American Museum of Natural History, wrote: “Jason's mentorship had a huge impact on me as a graduate student. His work ethic and passion for evolutionary diversification of terrestrial arthropods has greatly influenced my career as an evolutionary biologist. Throughout my time as his student, he provided the foundation of knowledge, both from his mentorship and from his own work as examples, that I needed to become a well-rounded researcher.”
Postdoctoral scholar and project scientist James Starrett of the Bond Lab, noted that “Professor Bond maintains a highly productive lab and is dedicated to advancing the understanding of arthropod systematics, evolution, and biodiversity. He puts in a tremendous effort to help maintain productivity in his lab by acquiring funding and project opportunities for his graduate students and postdocs, as well as for undergraduate research assistants.”
The list of 2025 PBESA winners:
- C. W. Woodworth Award, Douglas Walsh, Washington State University (UC Davis alumnus)
- Excellence in Integrated Pest Management Award, Ary Faraji, University of Utah
- Distinction in Student Mentoring Award: Lauren Weidner, Arizona State University
- Distinguished Achievement in Extension Award: Houston Wilson, UC Riverside
- Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award: Javier Gutierrez Illan, Washington State University
- Entomology Team Work Award: Dong-Hwan Choe (Ant IPM Alliance Team), Cooperative Extension specialist, UC Riverside with UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM)
- Excellence in Early Career Award: Christopher Bibbs, Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District
- Medical, Urban and Veterinary Entomology Award: Amy Murillo, UC Riverside
- Plant-Insect Ecosystems Award: Patrick Moran, Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS
- Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity Award: Jason Bond, UC Davis
- John Henry Comstock Award: Hanna Chu, UC Riverside
- Student Leadership Award, Mia Lippey, UC Davis
- Dr. Stephen Garcyznski Undergraduate Research Scholarship: Kaitai Liu, UC Davis
PBESA encompasses 11 Western states, plus parts of Canada and Mexico, and U.S. territories.