Past Award Recipients

Name and Department	Focus Area	Award
2023
Jinson Zhu	insect molecular physiology, defining changes in how the interactions between malarial parasites and the mosquito host are understood	Basic Research
Bo Zhang	research on nutritional and anti-nutritional factors of soybean seeds, internationally recognized soybean breeding program that applies traditional and modern breeding techniques to enhance the value of soybeans	Applied Research
2022
Alan Ealy	Developmental, cellular, and molecular regulation of early pregnancy in cattle and other ruminants	Basic Research
Mike Zhang	Developing vaccines against drugs of addiction	Applied Research
2021
Mark Hanigan, David R. and Margaret Lincicome Professor of Agriculture, Department of Dairy Science	Regulation of energy and nitrogen metabolism in the ruminant and the resulting impact on the environment	Basic Research
Jeffery Alwang, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics	Policies to alleviate poverty in rural areas, development of rural economies, and assessment of impacts of technologies, policies, and programs on rural residents	Applied Research
2020
Boris Vinatzer, Professor, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences	Molecular plant-microbe interactions and molecular evolution and taxonomy of plant pathogenic bacteria	Basic Research
Jacob Barney, Associate Professor, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences	Causes, consequences, epidemiology, and management of invasive plant species	Applied Research
2019
Kang Xia, Professor, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences	Environmental Chemistry	Basic Research
Zach Easton, Associate Professor, Extension Specialist, Department of Biological System Engineering	Water resource engineering and modeling	Applied Research
2018
David Schmale, Professor School of Plant and Environmental Sciences	Aerobiology	Basic Research
Greg Evanylo, Professor, Extension Specialist School of Plant and Environmental Sciences	Agricultural and urban nutrient management	Applied Research
2017
Elizabeth R. Gilbert, Associate Professor Animal and Poultry Sciences	Discoveries related to brain, fat, and appetite physiology	Basic Research
James "Jim" Owen Jr., Assistant Professor Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center	Improving resource (water and nutrients) efficiency	Applied Research
2016
Jim Westwood, Professor Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science	Parasitic plant biology	Basic Research
Lee Daniels, Professor Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences	Reclamation of disturbed lands	Applied Research
2015
Zach Adelman, Associate Professor Entomology	Molecular and vector biology	Basic Research
Percival Zhang, Professor Biological Systems Engineering	Applied sciences and disruptive biomanufacturing	Applied Research
2014
Pablo Sobrado, Associate Professor Biochemistry	Elucidation of novel enzyme mechanisms and drug discovery	Basic Research
George Davis, Professor Wen You, Associate Professor Agricultural and Applied Economics	Importance of incorporating time in the evaluation of the adequacy of SNAP benefits	Applied Research
2013
Richard Veilleux, Professor Horticulture	Genetic research horticulture crops	Basic Research
Wade Thomason, Associate Professor Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences	Science of crop production	Applied Research
2012
Igor Sharakhov, Associate Professor Entomology	Genomics, vector biology, and medical entomology	Basic Research
Jeffrey Derr, Professor Plant Pathology and Weed Science	Weed management	Applied Research
2011
Zhijian Jake Tu, Professor Biochemistry	Vector-borne diseases	Basic Research
James Christopher Bergh, Professor Entomology	Pest management	Applied Research
2010
Deborah Good, Associate Professor Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise	Molecular gene regulation	Basic Research
Thomas Kuhar, Associate Professor Entomology	Pest management	Applied Research