Judit Penzes

Areas of Expertise

• Forensic Entomology
• Medical/Veterinary Entomology
• Urban Entomology
• Insect Microbiomes

Professional Summary

Judit Penzes, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. The main focus of her research program is the understanding of viral diversity, virus evolution and virus-host interactions through structural virology in an agricultural and environmental context. This encompasses the discovery and identification of new viral pathogens of mass-farmed invertebrates, pests, disease vectors and their presence in the environment of farmed animals. In order to understand the origin, evolution and management of these viruses she investigates multiple stages of viral trafficking, including host cell entry, assembly and egress. The most prominently featured tool in her research is cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET), which provide the possibility to discover and study viruses in their native biological context, frequently overcoming the limitations of metagenomics and indirect imaging methods. Her work on parvoviruses and adenoviruses has been published in high-impact journals and she also served as an expert in the Pandemic Prioritization and Preparedness initiative of the WHO. Furthermore, she is an elected member of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Executive Committee as well as serving as the study group chair of two virus families, the Parvoviridae and Bidnaviridae.