Laura C. Harrington, Ph.D., is a professor and former chair of Cornell University's Department of Entomology. An internationally recognized leader in medical entomology, Harrington's research focuses on critical gaps in the biology, ecology, and behavior of arthropods that transmit human pathogens. She also is an award-winning mentor and teacher, offering courses at Cornell University in the fields of vector biology and global health. Harrington was designated an ESA Fellow in 2025.
Harrington grew up on a farm where there was an abundance of insects to discover. As a young 4-H member, she learned to build an insect collection. She earned her M.S. in entomology from North Carolina State University and then worked in industry as an agricultural biologist developing biorational pesticides for BASF. Realizing that she wanted to learn more, Harrington earned her Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Massachusetts in 1999, when she moved to the University of California at Davis for postdoctoral training. Harrington spent several years of graduate school living and working in rural Thailand, where she contracted both dengue and malaria. The experience increased her resolve to work toward identifying new ways to reduce disease burden. In 2001, she joined the Cornell entomology faculty as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2013.
Harrington has published more than 123 peer-reviewed articles. To date, she has garnered more than $29 million in extramural funding to support her program. Her pioneering research has advanced our understanding of mosquito biology and disease transmission. Notably, her studies on Aedes aegypti—the mosquito that spreads dengue, Zika, and yellow fever—have revealed how their preference for human blood feeding accelerates disease transmission, helping explain its high efficiency as a vector. Her research on mosquito dispersal guided public health responses during the 2016 Zika outbreak in Florida and internationally. Harrington's research also has advanced understanding of mosquito reproductive physiology and fitness.
As director of the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEVBD) since 2016, Harrington has strengthened the workforce pipeline in public health entomology across the Northeast. Under her leadership, NEVBD has trained thousands of students and professionals in vector surveillance and control and published numerous peer-reviewed papers and technical reports, toolkits, and training resources. Harrington created a unique M.S. program in vector-borne diseases and public health, the first U.S. regional insecticide resistance monitoring service, and an intensive "Vector Biology Boot Camp" to train public health practitioners—initiatives that have become hallmarks of the Center's mission.
An ESA member since 1990, Harrington has served the society as a Journal of Medical Entomology subject editor for nearly a decade, the Section D/MUVE secretary (2006), and a member of two committees: the Young Investigator Award Committee (2008-2017) and the Early Career Innovation Award Committee (2008-2010). She is an active member of the Vector-Borne Disease Network, led by ESA, to advocate for vector-borne disease funding.
Harrington lives with her husband, Sam, and their two Siamese cats near Ithaca, New York. They enjoy playing music together, hiking, fishing, and spending time with family.