Virologist sees collaborative opportunity at Texas A&M Department of Entomology
Pénzes brings fundamental and applied research background to the study of animal viruses
Judit Pénzes, Ph.D., joined the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology as an assistant professor specializing in insect virology.
Pénzes’ position is 60% research, 30% teaching and 10% service.
“I established myself in the virus community with a strong background in virus evolution, and I want to run at the forefront of virus discovery,” she said. “How can we find new viruses in hosts and the environment and tackle the challenges they present?”
Pénzes sees endless collaborative possibilities
Pénzes’ primary research interests are viruses in animals and insects. Whether small invertebrates, pets or large animals, she is interested in understanding how viruses impact their hosts and are spread among the same species or across species.
She hopes to eventually bridge the relationship between viral diseases in pest insects and plants, including commodity and horticultural crops.
Pénzes sees ample research possibilities within the department and across Texas A&M University on pests like ticks, mosquitoes, locusts, fall armyworms and black soldier flies produced for feed and food.
She has already engaged with researchers at the Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming at Texas A&M.
“The collaborative opportunities seem endless,” she said. “Really, any aspect of invertebrate virology can be found in the department. That brought me here and is what I am most excited about.”
Some of Pénzes’ previous work is related to commercial farms for invertebrates like insects, oysters, shrimp and crawfish, and their biological stress and susceptibility to viral pathogens. The same concept also applies to larger animal production facilities where viruses can spread rapidly.
More about Pénzes
Pénzes said she is taking initial steps to establish her lab and research program, including seeking graduate student candidates. She will also be preparing to teach in spring 2026.
Before joining the department, Pénzes supervised undergraduate research projects at Rutgers University while conducting cryo-EM-based discovery of a pathogenic parvovirus causing epidemic mortality in farmed beetles.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and her doctorate from the University of Veterinary Medicine, and a master’s degree in biology from Eötvös Loránd University, all in Budapest, Hungary.
