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Lois K. Miller, one of the world’s leading experts on the use of insect viruses for controlling agricultural pests, died in Athens Nov. 9 following a long illness.
 Miller, 54, was Distinguished Research Professor of Genetics and Entomology at UGA and one of nine active or retired UGA faculty members elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a scientist can attain.
Miller, who joined the UGA faculty in 1986, conducted ground-breaking research on the molecular genetics of insect viruses, work that had a significant impact on many areas of basic and applied biology. One result of her research was development of genetically improved viruses for pesticides to control harmful pests with minimal effects on beneficial insect species.
She was also noted for research on a biological process known as programmed cell death, which has been implicated in the development of many human diseases, including cancer and AIDS. Miller and her students discovered two classes of genes that could help inhibit programmed cell death.
She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1997. She was also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and several other scientific organizations.
Miller was author of some 150 journal articles and made presentations at scores of scientific seminars and programs throughout the world. She was on the editorial boards of several major professional publications. |
