July 12, 2022 — Florida’s year-round insect population might pester some residents, but the critters persuaded Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D., to pursue protecting life on Earth through insect research.

“I was always the kid out foraging and digging up stuff,” Dossey said. “I would mix stuff in buckets and make concoctions, almost like I was interested in chemistry before I knew what it was.”

The University of Florida College of Medicine class of 2006 Ph.D. graduate, entrepreneur and nonprofit founder made his lifelong fascination with insects his livelihood. Now, he hopes to channel that childhood enthusiasm into tackling the issue of decreased biodiversity.

Dossey’s affinity for insects has only grown since his youth. He recalls creating insect collections for honors biology and zoology in high school, which solidified his academic interest. His undergraduate studies at Oklahoma State University saw him spending hours in the entomology department despite his major in biochemistry and molecular biology. Ultimately, the insect population of the swamp and the opportunity to study invertebrates brought Dossey to Gainesville for his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology.

The UF College of Medicine’s doctoral program allowed Dossey to rotate labs in different departments, exposing him to neuroscience, virology, immunology and more, but he found his home in a lab working on invertebrates in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology. He was also briefly granted a tiny lab room in the entomology department, where he bred insects.

“If insects weren’t that interesting or cool, I probably would have dropped it at some point,” Dossey said. “But they’re the most diverse group. The majority of life on Earth consists of insects, so anything you want to do with biology, it’s hard to avoid insects or at least some kind of invertebrate.”

While seeking a faculty appointment post-graduation and conducting postdoctoral research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dossey attended a conference in 2010 where he encountered the idea of leveraging insects as a sustainable food source.

“I thought, ‘This makes a lot of sense; insects are very efficient,’” he said. “I knew about their biochemistry. They’re coldblooded and they’re the most successful organisms on Earth, and some of them need very little feed or water to survive.”

This conference sparked ideas for Dossey’s future. A professor he’d met sent him a two-page application for a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, which contained hope for research. Dossey applied and, to his surprise, was awarded $100,000 to explore his proposal to develop a sustainable product made from insects to help alleviate malnutrition in children in areas struck by famine.

To accept the funds, Dossey had to provide his employment, and with his position at the USDA set to expire in a few months, he needed a way to secure the grant. So, he formed his own business, All Things Bugs LLC, in 2011.

All Things Bugs aims to provide sustainable ways to use insects to improve food security. Through the company and with USDA funding, Dossey invented a cricket powder called Griopro and patented the process. The powdered ingredient can be used to make pasta, baked goods, smoothies and more.

Over the last decade, Dossey’s business obtained over $5 million in research funding from the USDA, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 2016, he published “Insects as Sustainable Food Ingredients,” one of the first textbooks in the field of insects as food. As he continues his work, he hopes to commercialize his business through patent licensing and product sales.

But his passion for insects goes beyond business. In 2018, Dossey founded the Invertebrate Studies Institute, a nonprofit focused on invertebrate research, education and outreach. Its goal is to explore insect-based drug discovery and genome sequencing. He envisions the world’s largest insect zoo and biodome where he could someday sequence the genomes of every species on the planet.

“Increasing biodiversity is my goal,” Dossey said. “I’m focused on improving life on Earth.”