The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has selected Joe Parker, assistant professor of biology and biological engineering, Chen Scholar, and director of Caltech’s Center for Evolutionary Science, as a 2024 MacArthur Fellow. The MacArthur Fellowship is an $800,000, “no strings attached” grant awarded to individuals in a variety of fields who have shown “exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits.”
Parker is an evolutionary biologist and entomologist whose work focuses on understanding the origins of symbiotic relationships between different species of organisms, with a specific focus on insects. He has pioneered the study of tiny insects called rove beetles in order to illuminate fundamental questions regarding the evolution of interspecies interactions.