May Berenbaum

May Berenbaum
May Berenbaum, 2014
Born	(1953-07-22) July 22, 1953 (age 71) Trenton, New Jersey
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Yale University Cornell University
Awards	National Medal of Science (2014) Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2011) Public Engagement with Science (2009)
Scientific career
Fields	Entomology
Institutions	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Thesis	Furanocoumarin Chemistry, Insect Herbivory, and Coevolution in the Umbelliferae (1980)
Doctoral advisor	Paul Feeny
Website	https://sib.illinois.edu/profile/maybe

May Roberta Berenbaum (born July 22, 1953) is an American entomologist, who is a professor of entomology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on the chemical interactions between herbivorous insects and their host plants, and the implications of these interactions on the organization of natural communities and the evolution of species. She is particularly interested in nectar, plant phytochemicals, honey and bees, and her research has important implications for beekeeping.^[1]

She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was named editor-in-chief of its journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019;^[2] she is also a member of the American Philosophical Society (1996), and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996). She has held a Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair in entomology since 2012, which is the highest title a professor can hold at the University of Illinois.^[3] In 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Science.