Neal Willilams Inducted as ESA Fellow
Pollination Ecologist Celebrated at ESA Meeting
Professor Neal Williams, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, a pollinator ecologist internationally recognized for his research on bee and pollination biology, was inducted Sunday, Nov. 8, as a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) at its meeting in Columbus, Ohio.
His work emphasizes the role of bee biodiversity in providing critical ecosystem services in natural and agricultural systems and informing actionable strategies for conservation of wild insect pollinators in the face of global change.
Williams is the only Fellow inducted this year from California:
- Arthur Appel, Auburn University
- Tariq Butt, Swansea University
- Dave Crowder, Washington State University
- Daniel Hahn, University of Florida
- Deborah McCullough, Michigan State University
- Joseph Munyaneza, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
- Tom Phillips, Kansas State University
- Xuguo "Joe" Zhou, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Williams, a member of the Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT-NEM) faculty since 2004, was named a Chancellor’s Fellow (2015-2020), and a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences (2019).The eight other scientists inducted as Fellows for their outstanding contributions to entomology are
Born in Madison, Wisc., in 1969, Neal holds bachelor degrees in botany and zoology (1992) from the University of Wisconsin, where pivotal research experiences with Bob Jeanne, Ph.D., set him on a path studying pollinator-plant interactions. Williams went on to receive his doctorate in evolution and ecology in 1999 from the State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, where he also worked extensively with colleagues at the USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Lab in Logan, Utah. There he explored the evolution of foraging and pollen diet specialization in solitary bees.
Bolstering Pollination Services in Agroecosystems
As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Calgary and then Princeton University, Williams focused his research on applying basic concepts in pollination and insect ecology to pollinator conservation and the role of biodiversity in bolstering pollination services in agroecosystems.
Williams served on the faculty of Bryn Mawr College from 2004 to 2009, earning the Lindback Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008. He joined the UC Davis faculty in 2009, aiming "to develop a research program studying native pollinators and to help implement a new major in sustainable agriculture and food systems and graduate programs in agroecology and biodiversity."
Williams’ research continues to bridge fundamental and applied insect ecology. "Working across scales, from individual behavior and life-history to landscapes, he and his collaborators have quantified the impacts of land use change, agronomic management and environmental stressors on native bee populations, and community dynamics," the ESA announcement related. "His research has also revealed mechanisms by which diverse pollinator communities enhance pollination of multiple crops. Combining network and optimization approaches, his team identified the core set of native plant species widely used for pollinator habitats throughout California and other parts of the West Coast, as well as guidelines for monitoring their efficacy. His research is increasingly interdisciplinary, involving collaborations with agronomists, soil scientists, economists, computational modelers, and multiple stakeholders. His program has naturally moved to explore native pollinator and pollination responses to multiple environmental stressors, including extreme temperatures, nutritional stress, and pesticides."
Among his many honors, Williams received the A.G. Larsson Guest Research Fellowship at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2018-2023, and delivered the 2023 University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences' Annual Distinguished Lecture, and the inaugural R. Morse Lecture in Entomology at Cornell University in 2026. He and several UC Davis bee colleagues shared the 2013 Team Research Award from the Pacific Branch of ESA (PBESA). In 2019, he received the PBESA’s Plant-Insect Ecosystems Award.
Native Bees at Risk
Williams co-authored the landmark paper, “Crop Pollination from Native Bees at Risk from Agricultural Intensification,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that examines the effect of local management and landscape on pollination services. His resume includes more than 130 peer-reviewed publications.
"Few scientists have done more to advance our global understanding of pollination ecology and native bee conservation than Dr. Williams, a preeminent authority whose innovative research and public engagement have reshaped both science and policy," said UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus James R. Carey, an ESA Fellow since 2011.
Noting that Williams focuses his research on "the crucial importance of native bees, their impact, and why we should advocate for their conservation," Carey said: "His work is vital due to the alarmingly global decline of both native bees and managed bees, as well as other pollinators. Indeed, he is one of our nation’s strongest voices heralding the importance of pollinator diversity and conservation. His work has led to our understanding of the responses of bees to different environmental drivers and to develop practical, scientifically grounded actions to support resilient pollinator communities."
Outside of his scientific career, Williams is an accomplished classical musician and an active member (bassonist) with the Auburn Symphony. He and his wife Melissa, a physician specializing in hematology and oncology in Sacramento and Davis, are parents of Linnea and Lewis.
Williams joins 18 other entomologists from UC Davis as Fellows: The first was Richard M. Bohart (1913-2007), for whom the Bohart Museum of Entomology is named. He received the honor in 1947. Others followed: Donald McLean, elected in 1990; Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. (1907-2003), 1991; John Edman, 1994; Robert Washino, 1996; Bruce Eldridge, 2001; William Reisen, 2003; Harry Kaya, 2007; Frank Zalom and Michael Parrella, 2008; Walter Leal, 2009; Bruce Hammock and Thomas Scott, 2010; James R. Carey and Diane Ullman, 2011; Robert E. Page Jr., 2012; Jay Rosenheim, 2020; and Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, 2025.