Onstad Named New Editor-in-Chief of Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Research scientist and professor to lead flagship ESA journal beginning in 2023

David W. Onstad, Ph.D.

David W. Onstad, Ph.D.

Annapolis, MD; November 2, 2022—David W. Onstad, Ph.D., senior research scientist at Corteva Agriscience, has been selected as the new editor-in-chief of the Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

The ESA Governing Board approved Onstad's selection in November after an open search. Onstad will succeed Lawrence E. Hurd, Ph.D., who will step down at the end of 2022 after 15 years of dedicated service in the role.

Onstad previously served as co-editor-in-chief of the ESA journal Environmental Entomology from 2000 to 2004 and as a subject editor from 2010 to 2019. He was named a Fellow of ESA in August.

"Annals of the ESA has long been the premier journal in our field for building connections among the various entomological disciplines," says ESA President Jessica Ware, Ph.D. "Dr. Onstad's experience and service to our scientific community will serve him well in carrying this tradition into the future, and my colleagues and I on the ESA Governing Board are pleased to welcome him into this role."

Annals of the Entomological Society of America has been the flagship publication of ESA's family of research journals since 1908, with a focus on cutting-edge entomological research, reviews, collections of articles, and discussions of topics of broad interest and national or international importance. Its impact factor in 2022 stands at 2.727, having more than doubled since 2016.

Annals of the ESA cover, featuring Common oblique syrphid, Allograpta obliquaJennifer Henke, ESA vice president-elect and chair of the search committee, lauded Onstad's commitment to advancing insect science through gathering diverse perspectives. "Dr. Onstad understands the power and potential of interdisciplinary science, and the search committee was impressed with his vision and ideas for growing the journal's influence across a variety of audiences," she says.

Onstad's term as editor-in-chief will last four years and begins January 1, 2023. He has announced his plans to retire from his full-time role at Corteva in April 2023 but to continue actively participating in the scientific community.

"I look forward to building on the strong foundation that Dr. Hurd and his team have created with the Annals," Onstad says. "The journal's published mission statement will be a great guide for us as we develop a publication that fully represents all the dynamic and diverse aspects of entomology including research, policy, outreach, and education."

Onstad began his career in entomology in 1985 at the University of Illinois, where he served as an associate professor and assistant professor for 26 years in the departments of natural resources and environmental sciences, crop sciences, and entomology. In 2011, he joined Corteva Agriscience in his current role as senior research scientist. He also currently serves as an affiliate professor of entomology at both the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University.

At ESA, in addition to his editor roles with Environmental Entomology, Onstad has served for the past four years on the governing council of the ESA Plant-Insect Ecosystems Section, including as president of the Section in 2021. He also served on the ESA Annual Meeting Program Committee in 2021 and the writing committee for ESA's position statement on insect resistance management for genetically modified crops.

Onstad earned a bachelor's degree in biology at California State University, Sacramento, in 1979, a master's degree in environmental systems engineering at Cornell University in 1982, and a Ph.D. in entomology at Cornell in 1985.

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CONTACT: Joe Rominiecki, jrominiecki@entsoc.org, 301-731-4535 x3009

ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit www.entsoc.org.

The Annals of the Entomological Society of America exists to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue across the entomological disciplines and to advance cooperative interaction among diverse groups of entomologists. It seeks to attract and publish cutting-edge research, reviews, collections of articles on a common topic of broad interest, and discussion of topics with national or international importance. The editors especially welcome articles covering developing areas of research, controversial issues or debate, and topics of importance to society. For more information, visit https://academic.oup.com/aesa, or visit www.insectscience.org to view the full portfolio of ESA journals and publications.