Being a biologist is both a curse and a blessing, according to Dr. Anurag Agrawal, the most recent addition to the ARCS National Hall of Fame.
Biology is “wildly diverse” with two million known species, but each species has rules onto itself, he says. “Ecology is complicated,” he explained during a recent ARCS Forward talk.  
Agrawal is renowned for discovering how plants and their predator insects evolve in a rapid “arms race,” with each surviving by rapidly adapting, at the molecular level, to the other’s threat. Specifically, he is best known for his research on the relationship between Monarch butterflies and the milk weed plants they are dependent upon.  
He is the James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University.  He has over 300 peer-reviewed articles with over 38,000 citations and is a fellow of the National Academy of Science, the Ecological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
 Agrawal was an ARCS Scholar in 1998-1999 while attending UC Davis, where he completed his PhD in 1999. 
He acknowledged the current uncertainty in government funding for scientific research. “The uncertainty causes many people a level of stress,” he said.  “We need people who will be deep scholars in all areas. Yes, we need you” he said to current scholars, and those considering pursuing a PhD. 
Listen to his recent conversation with ARCS National, including his notable work in ecology, the current funding uncertainty, and his gratitude that “ARCS is a leader in scientific philanthropy.”