Dr. Marcel Dicke is a distinguished Dutch entomologist whose pioneering work has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of ecological interactions between plants and insects. He currently serves as Professor of Entomology at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, where he has been a faculty member since 2002 after completing his PhD at the same institution in 1988. Born in Dordrecht on November 28, 1957, he received his Master's degree in Biology from Leiden University in 1982, graduating cum laude before embarking on his doctoral research. Prior to his professorship, Dicke held the prestigious Uyttenboogaart-Eliasen chair within the Entomology chair group from 1997 to 2001, establishing himself as a leading voice in chemical ecology and insect-plant interactions.
Professor Dicke's groundbreaking research in the 1980s revolutionized the field when he demonstrated that plants respond to herbivorous insect attacks by secreting chemical substances that specifically attract predatory insects, a discovery he published during his PhD work in 1988. This seminal finding catalyzed a paradigm shift in the research field of plant-animal interactions, creating an entirely new research domain focused on multitrophic interactions and community ecology. His subsequent work has been instrumental in integrating community ecology with analytical chemistry and molecular biology, resulting in over 30 high-impact publications in journals including Science, Nature, and PNAS. With more than 70,000 citations to his name, Dicke's research has provided the foundation for developing more sustainable pest management strategies that reduce reliance on chemical pesticides in agricultural systems worldwide.
In recognition of his exceptional contributions to science, Professor Dicke received the Spinoza Prize in 2007, often referred to as the 'Dutch Nobel Prize,' along with the Eureka Prize for science communication and the Academic Year Prize for translating scientific research to the general public. He has leveraged his expertise to address global food security challenges through his leadership in research on edible insects, authoring 'The Insect Cookbook' and delivering influential TED talks promoting insects as sustainable food sources. Professor Dicke actively engages the public through initiatives such as the 'Wageningen City of Insects' science festival, which attracted over 20,000 visitors, and his bi-annual 'Insects and Society' lecture series covering diverse topics from insect-based medicine to cultural perceptions of insects. As an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, he continues to pioneer approaches that harness insect ecosystem services for circular agriculture and sustainable food systems, positioning his work at the forefront of addressing pressing global environmental challenges.
