Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes named the Wharton Institute Professor
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology is the recipient of the 2026 Charles E. Wharton Institute Professor Award from the UT Institute of Agriculture. The award is UTIA’s greatest honor and is named for the benefactor who made it possible.
UTIA Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver announced Jurat-Fuentes’ award on August 4 during the institute’s annual awards luncheon. The luncheon celebrates the accomplishments of the institute’s faculty and staff.
Carver praised all the honorees for their devotion to the land-grant mission. “Our UTIA staff and faculty continue to overwhelm me with their enthusiasm and unparalleled expertise,” he said. “I am always in awe of their dedication to providing Real. Life. Solutions. to the people of Tennessee. These award winners represent the efforts and accomplishments this past year that will most benefit all Tennesseans and society – impacts that will have lasting benefits through teaching, research and Extension for years to come.” He noted that the Charles E. Wharton Institute Professor Award is UTIA’s highest honor.
The Charles E. Wharton Institute Professor Award is granted to a faculty member who has served at the rank of professor for a period of at least seven years and is a recognition of consistent outstanding performance over this period. The award recognizes excellence in teaching, research and Extension or clinical practice. Leadership and reputation through service at the national or international levels is also expected.
Jurat-Fuentes leads the Insect Molecular Pathology and Resistance (IMPaR) Laboratory – where his research focuses on insecticidal proteins from bacteria and gene silencing biotechnologies designed to control destructive pests in the USA and globally, such as plant borers and armyworms. He collaborates globally with scientists across academia, industry and government in advancing innovative and environmentally responsible pest management technologies to help protect crops, improve yields and support safer food and fiber production.
While pleased with the honor, Jurat-Fuentes is quick to acknowledge the contributions of his colleagues and students. “I’m deeply grateful for this recognition and humbled to receive this distinguished award. I also would like to dedicate this award to all the outstanding students and scientists with whom I have had the privilege to work over the years,” he said.
The Wharton Institute Professor award adds to a growing list of distinctions recognizing Jurat-Fuentes’ leadership and impact. In 2025, he received the UT AgResearch Dean’s Professor Award, which recognizes highly productive and impactful faculty members who demonstrate well-documented, consistent and outstanding research products and key program impacts.
A native of Valencia, Spain, Jurat-Fuentes earned his B.S. in biology and M.S. in genetics from the University of Valencia before completing his Ph.D. in entomology at the University of Georgia in 2002. He continued his training there as a postdoctoral and assistant research scientist before joining the University of Tennessee in 2006 as a faculty member in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Over the course of his career, Jurat-Fuentes has built an internationally recognized research program through numerous publications, awards and professional achievements. He currently serves as elected president of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology, reflecting his leadership in the global scientific community.
Among his personal hobbies are dancing the Argentine tango, soccer and playing the guitar. He has danced tango on every continent except Antarctica and has served as Rocky Top’s faculty advisor and teacher for the Vol Tango student club since its foundation. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.