Anthony (Tony) Shelton

Tony Shelton retired in September 2020 after 41 years at Cornell where he led a diverse research/extension program that blended basic and applied research into integrated pest management (IPM) programs. His program hosted dozens of technicians, and he mentored > 40 graduate students and > 45 postdocs and visiting scientists who studied diverse areas of IPM. His program included work on host plant resistance; biological control; sampling and treatment strategies; insect movement in agroecosystems; insecticide resistance management; trap cropping; risk assessment of traditional and biotechnology approaches. Of particular interest was his program’s effort to bring biotechnology into IPM programs through the use of genetically engineered crops and insects. Additionally, his program emphasized educating the public about agriculture and biotechnology.

Tony taught various courses within and outside of the Entomology Department. He served eight years in CALS administration as the Associate Director of Research and Associate Director of the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station, and nearly 20 years as an Associate Director in International Programs. In retirement, Tony remains active on particular projects, including international activities. Since 2005, he has worked as a member of the USAID-funded project to bring insect-resistant eggplant (Bt eggplant) to resource-poor farmers in Bangladesh, India and the Philippines. From 2015 until his retirement, he was the Director of the Feed the Future South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership and he still remains involved in the project. During his leadership, adoption of Bt eggplant in Bangladesh grew from an initial 20 farmers in 2014 to > 65,000 farmers in 2021. Tony has published > 250 journal articles, four Annual Review of Entomology articles, 40 book chapters and > 220 other scientific articles. His awards include the Entomological Society of America (ESA) National Award for IPM (1995), the ESA National Recognition Award for Research (2005), New York State Award for Excellence in IPM (2007), Cornell (CALS) Award for Applied Research (2007), the ESA Eastern Branch L.O. Howard Award (2011) and the ESA National IPM Team Award (2013). In 2010 he was elected an ESA Fellow. In 2021 he was awarded the IPM Lifetime Achievement Award of Excellence.

For additional information on the program he led, including publications and other resources, see the Shelton Lab. For insights into the value of biotechnology for pest management, read Tony’s story on papaya in Hawaii, ‘Tragic Papaya’, and his 2021 article on Bt eggplant in Bangladesh.