Wendell L. Roelofs, is the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Insect Biochemistry in the Department of Entomology at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. Roelofs also has served as chair of the department since 1991 to July 1, 2007.

Roelofs has been instrumental in establishing Cornell as a leader in the field of chemical ecology and in maintaining Cornell’s preeminence in the field to this day. Roelofs and those who work in his laboratory have contributed greatly to our understanding and practical use of chemical insect communication systems over the past four decades. He and his co-workers have been key in developing our understanding of biochemical pathways for the synthesis of insect pheromones, male behavioral responses to female-produced pheromones, and the evolution of chemical communication systems.

Roelofs has made prodigious contributions in the fields of chemical ecology, insect chemical communication systems, insect behavior and physiology, and insect pest management. He is considered the patriarch of the nexus of these subject domains. Roelofs has made important contributions in extension by advocating for and exemplifying linkages among fundamental science, applied research, and extension. He has played important roles in fostering an environment that has led to the department being recognized as one of the top in the field. During his tenure as chair, the department has become a vibrant and successful unit with several new faculty and a clear sense of mission and purpose.

Roelofs has authored nearly 400 publications, many of which have appeared in prestigious journals including: Science,, Nature, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). Roelofs’s research has been routinely funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the USDA. His research has been widely acclaimed by his peers, resulting in him being awarded the Wolf Prize for International Agriculture in 1982 (some consider this the Nobel Prize in Agriculture), and the National Medal of Science in 1983. In addition, he has also been awarded the Spencer Award in 2001 by the American Chemical Society and the USDA Distinguished Service Award in 1986. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a recognition few scientists achieve (and fewer entomologists!). There can be no doubt that Roelofs’s contributions to science have been outstanding and significant.

The success of Roelofs’s research program clearly involves his unique insights and intellect, but also involves his interactions with, and treatment of, the various technicians, graduate students, post-doc fellows, and visiting scientists who have passed through his laboratory. He has been able to attract talented individuals and provide them with the environment and encouragement to achieve at the highest level. Many have gone on to establish research and teaching programs that continue to be at the cutting edge. This success has resulted in active collaborations with many researchers from around the world. His program has had collaborations and exchanges of personnel with labs in Sweden, Canada, France, Israel, and New Zealand and visiting scientists from China, Japan, and many places in Europe. Roelofs also collaborates with many scientists in the U.S., as well as his own department. He has maintained an outstanding research program because of his personal desire for excellence as a scientist, and for the field at large, rather than personal acclaim and recognition.

In a very specific context, Roelofs and his team identified over 50 new species-specific pheromones that have been used to construct insect lures that in turn have changed the way in which farmers practice pest management. These lures have been responsible for greatly reducing the use of chemical pesticide in several cropping systems.

Roelofs has an outstanding record of achievement and leadership in administrative duties in the Department of Entomology and CALS. As an important member of the faculty, he has taken an active interest in all of the research programs, and as department chair, guided the department through some difficult issues. Recent years have seen significant changes in budget structures and a call to integrate the two entomology departments at Cornell. Throughout this period, Roelofs demonstrated a high level of leadership, which secured the trust of the faculty and staff and fostered an atmosphere that promoted and maintained the department’s position and progress.

Roelofs is one of the foremost leaders in his field, one who has made many of the discoveries and developed the techniques used today by people around the world. His guidance and insights are sought by many and he continues to actively participate at the highest level of achievement. In July 2007, he became president of the International Society of Chemical Ecology—a group and research field he helped to create.

Roelofs lives in Geneva, N.Y., with his wife, Joanna.