Ed Vargo holds the Endowed Chair in Urban and Structural Entomology at Texas A&M. Before joining Texas A&M, Dr. Vargo was Professor at North Carolina State University. He received his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Georgia in 1986. The subject of his research was the physiology and behavior of the red imported fire ant. Dr. Vargo then spent two years abroad in Toulouse, France, where he studied the physiology and behavior of Argentine ants with Professor Luc Passera. He returned to the U.S. in 1989, at which time he resumed his studies on fire ants at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1998 he joined the faculty in the Department of Entomology at NC State University.

His present research focuses on the population genetics of urban pests, primarily termites and bed bugs. Dr. Vargo has published more than 100 scientific articles on urban pests and has given more than 180 talks at professional meetings and scientific conferences. In honor of his contributions to the field of urban entomology, Dr. Vargo was awarded the 2006 Entomological Foundation Recognition Award in Urban Entomology, the highest honor in this field conferred by the Entomological Society of America. He served at Interim Head of the Department of Entomology at NC State from 2013-2014.