Gene E. Robinson
Encyclopedia
Gene Ezia Robinson is an eminent entomologist who pioneered the application of genomics to the study of social behavior and led the effort to sequence the honey bee genome. Currently, Robinson is the Director of the University of Illinois Bee Research Facility and a professor of entomology
. On February 10, 2009, his research was famously featured in an episode of The Colbert Report whose eponymous host referred to the honey Dr. Robinson sent him as "pharmaceutical-grade hive jive".
, Robinson went on to earn his Ph.D in entomology from Cornell in 1986. He joined the faculty of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1989 and holds a University Swanlund Chair and a Center for Advanced Study Professorship. Dr. Robinson also holds the following positions: Director of the Neuroscience Program; Leader of Neural and Behavioral Plasticity Theme at the Institute for Genomic Biology; and Professor of Entomology with affiliate appointments in the Departments of Cell & Development Biology, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, Animal Biology, and in the Beckman Institute of Science and Technology.
Robinson’s lab discovered the first gene known to be involved in regulating the bee colony’s famous division of labor, and in 2002 published this in Science. The very next year, Robinson’s lab was the first to show that social information causes mass changes in brain gene expression, also publishing this in Science
.
Robinson’s discovery on social regulation of brain gene expression has had a profound effect on understanding the roots of behavior. He developed a new paradigm to address the age-old “nature-nurture” problem, which was published in 2004 in an essay in Science and an Op-Ed in the New York Times.
In October 2006, a collection of biologists, led by Robinson, successfully published the sequence of the honey bee Apis mellifera together with the Baylor Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC). This discovery spurred an explosion of new bee research in molecular biology and genomics.
More recently, Robinson was part of a team that has discovered a plausible cause of colony collapse disorder
, a malady that in 2007-2008 killed off more than one third of commercial honey bees in the U.S. By analyzing differences in gene expression between healthy and infected honey bees, researchers learned that bees in CCD hives have unusually high levels of fragmented ribosomal RNA, a symptom of infection with multiple viruses.
(2004); Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
(2005).
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
. On February 10, 2009, his research was famously featured in an episode of The Colbert Report whose eponymous host referred to the honey Dr. Robinson sent him as "pharmaceutical-grade hive jive".
Life and education
After acquiring his bachelor's in biology from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Robinson went on to earn his Ph.D in entomology from Cornell in 1986. He joined the faculty of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1989 and holds a University Swanlund Chair and a Center for Advanced Study Professorship. Dr. Robinson also holds the following positions: Director of the Neuroscience Program; Leader of Neural and Behavioral Plasticity Theme at the Institute for Genomic Biology; and Professor of Entomology with affiliate appointments in the Departments of Cell & Development Biology, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, Animal Biology, and in the Beckman Institute of Science and Technology.
Work and discoveries
Authoring or co-authoring over 200 publications, Robinson has made a wide range of fundamental advances in understanding the endocrine, neural, and genetic regulation of behavior at the individual and colony levels in honey bees. His discoveries have significantly advanced the understanding of the role of genes, hormones, and neurochemicals in the mechanisms and evolution of social behavior.Robinson’s lab discovered the first gene known to be involved in regulating the bee colony’s famous division of labor, and in 2002 published this in Science. The very next year, Robinson’s lab was the first to show that social information causes mass changes in brain gene expression, also publishing this in Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
.
Robinson’s discovery on social regulation of brain gene expression has had a profound effect on understanding the roots of behavior. He developed a new paradigm to address the age-old “nature-nurture” problem, which was published in 2004 in an essay in Science and an Op-Ed in the New York Times.
In October 2006, a collection of biologists, led by Robinson, successfully published the sequence of the honey bee Apis mellifera together with the Baylor Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC). This discovery spurred an explosion of new bee research in molecular biology and genomics.
More recently, Robinson was part of a team that has discovered a plausible cause of colony collapse disorder
Colony Collapse Disorder
Colony collapse disorder is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear. While such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture, the term colony collapse disorder was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of...
, a malady that in 2007-2008 killed off more than one third of commercial honey bees in the U.S. By analyzing differences in gene expression between healthy and infected honey bees, researchers learned that bees in CCD hives have unusually high levels of fragmented ribosomal RNA, a symptom of infection with multiple viruses.
Honors and awards
University Scholar and member of the Center of Advanced Study at the University of Illinois; Burroughs Wellcome Innovation Award in Functional Genomics; Founders Memorial Award from the Entomological Society of America; Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship; Guggenheim Fellowship; NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2009); Fellow, Animal Behavior Society; Fellow, Entomological Society of America; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
(2004); Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(2005).