UC Davis has recognized entomologist Frank Zalom with its 2026 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Exceptional Emeritus Award, highlighting continued work on pest problems affecting tree, vine, small-fruit and fruiting vegetable crops after his retirement.
The university’s Oct. 26 announcement describes a research and extension career that has continued well beyond Zalom’s formal retirement on Jan. 30, 2018. He joined the UC Davis faculty in 1980 and remains a distinguished professor emeritus on recall.
Pest research continues after retirement
In her nomination letter, Joanna Chiu, chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, said Zalom’s emeritus work has addressed invasive or newly identified pest and disease issues. Those include spotted wing drosophila, olive fruit fly, South American tomato leafminer and grapevine red blotch virus and its treehopper vectors.
Chiu also described his continued mentoring and pest-management policy work, along with his role connecting the department and college with commodity groups, public agencies and private organizations.
Since retiring, Zalom has received more than $3 million in new funding for research and extension, according to Chiu. Support has included competitive grants from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
As of July 2026, his emeritus work had also produced 42 co-authored journal articles, four book chapters and an R software package, Chiu reported.
A history of IPM and policy research
Zalom directed the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program from 1986 to 2002. A 2021 UC account also documented his collaboration with agricultural economist Rachael Goodhue on economic and pest-management analyses of potential pesticide regulations affecting strawberries, tomatoes and other fruiting crops.
That policy project involved CDFA’s Office of Pesticide Policy and Analysis. The earlier account places his work at the intersection of crop protection and agricultural economics, alongside the research, extension and mentoring recognized in the latest award.
