Naomi Pierce

American biologist

Naomi E. Pierce (born 1954) is an American entomologist and evolutionary biologist who studies plant-herbivore coevolution and is a world authority on butterflies.^[1] She is the Hessel Professor of Biology^[2] and Curator of Lepidoptera in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University.^[3]

Education

Pierce earned her B.S. in Biology at Yale (1972–76) and her Ph.D. in Biology at Harvard (1977–83). Pierce was a Fulbright Scholar in Zoology from Harvard University to Griffith University in 1983^[4] and a MacArthur Fellow in 1988 with Ecology and Evolutionary/Environmental Biology as area of focus.^[5]

Career

From 1984–86, Pierce was Research Lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford and a NATO Research Fellow at Oxford's Department of Zoology. In 1986 she moved to Princeton University as Assistant (1986–89) and Associate (1989–90) Professor of Biology. In 1991 Pierce was appointed Hessel Professor and Curator of Lepidoptera at Harvard University.^[6]

The Pierce Lab studies topics including the evolution of symbioses, phylogeny, biogeography, systematics, plant-insect-microbe interactions, and biodiversity and life history evolution of insects.^[7] Pierce is known for her research on the relationship between lycaenid butterfly larvae and ants, as well as the genetic trends within the species, in order to understand the process of evolution.^[7] Pierce and collaborators Corrie Moreau and Charles D. Bell were the first to establish the origin of ants at 140 to 168 million years ago using molecular sequence data, 40 million years older than previous estimates.^[8]

In 2018, the entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps naomipierceae was named in Pierce's honor. ^[9]

Selected Awards

Elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 2023 ^[10]^[11]
International Prize for Biology, 2019^[12]
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow, 2018^[13]^[14]
Entomological Society of America Fellow, 2011^[15]
American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, 2007^[16]
Senior Fellow of the Society of Fellows, Harvard University^[17]
MacArthur Fellow, 1988^[18]
Fulbright Scholar, 1983^[19]

References

^ De Cuevas, John (July–August 2001). "A Life with Lycaenids". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
^ Yoon, Carol Kaesuk (June 17, 2007). "Charles Lee Remington, Butterfly Expert, Dies at 85". The New York Times.
^ Stevens, William K. (August 6, 1991). "Seduced by Siren Song of Science". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
^ "Fulbright Scholars who have received the Mac Arthur Fellowship".
^ "Naomi Pierce - MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
^ "Naomi Pierce". Pierce Lab. Harvard Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
^ ^a ^b Pierce Laboratory and the history of the two species.
^ "Ancient Ants Arose 140-168 Million Years Ago; Insects Needed Flowering Plants To Flourish". Science Daily. April 7, 2006. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
^ Araújo, João Paulo Machado; Evans, H.C.; Kepler, R.; Hughes, D.P. (2018). "Zombie-ant fungi across continents: 15 new species and new combinations within Ophiocordyceps. I. Myrmecophilous hirsutelloid species". Studies in Mycology. 90: 1–42. doi:10.1016/j.simyco.2017.12.002. PMC 6002356. PMID 29910522.
^ "Naomi Pierce elected to the National Academy of Sciences". mcz.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "2023 NAS Election".
^ "The 35th (2019) International Prize for Biology is awarded to Dr. Naomi Ellen Pierce". Japan Society for Promotsion of Science. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
^ "Naomi E. Pierce". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "Naomi Pierce Elected 2018 Class Member of American Academy of Arts & Sciences". oeb.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "Naomi E. Pierce, ESA Fellow (2011) | Entomological Society of America". www.entsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "AAAS selects four faculty members as fellows". Harvard Gazette. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "Naomi E. Pierce". oeb.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "Naomi Pierce". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
^ "Naomi Pierce | Fulbright Scholar Program". fulbrightscholars.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.