Walter S. Leal (USA) born in 1954 is Distinguished Professor at the University of California-Davis (UC Davis), Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. He is former professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. Leal received his BEng in chemical engineering from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, MSc in agricultural chemisty from Mie University, Japan, and PhD in applied biochemistry from Tsukuba University, Japan. He received postgraduate training in entomology and chemical ecology at the National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science, Japan and Cornell University, USA, respectively. Leal distinguished himself as the first non-Japanese scientist to earn tenure in the Japan Ministry of Agriculture. He joined the faculty at UC Davis in 2000. Leal's research is focused on insect chemical communication and olfaction. His laboratory discovered a mosquito receptor for the insect repellent DEET and published about 200 peer-reviewed papers. Leal is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Entomological Society of America. He is a recipient of prestigious awards from three different countries, including the Nan Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology and the Silver Medal of the International Society of Chemical Ecology. Leal served (with Dr. Alvin M. Simmons, USDA-ARS) as Co-Chair of the 2016 International Congress of Entomology.
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