Distinguished Professor Walter Leal Receives Academic Senate's 2024 Faculty Research Award

Distinguished Professor Walter Leal has made history as the first UC Davis faculty member to be honored by the Academic Senate with all three of its awards, which celebrate outstanding teaching, public service and research.

In 2020, the Academic Senate awarded Leal the Distinguished Teaching Award for undergraduate teaching, and in 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award. Known internationally for his groundbreaking work in insect olfaction and chemical ecology, Leal's achievements have now earned him the 2024 Faculty Distinguished Research Award.

Leal, a distinguished professor in the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Entomology and Nematology, attributed the honor to the collaborative efforts of his team. He emphasized the importance of balancing teaching, service, and research responsibilities, comparing it to the “teamwork within a honey bee colony.”

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