Cynthia Lord

Cynthia Lord is an Associate Professor at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, part of the University of Florida's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Her academic focus is on population modeling and vector-borne disease ecology, with a specialization in mosquito and tick-borne pathogens. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University (1991), an M.A. in Biology from Princeton (1988), and a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Vermont (1983).

Her research combines mathematical modeling and field studies to understand disease transmission dynamics, particularly for West Nile virus, Saint Louis encephalitis, and canine influenza. Key projects include investigating mosquito-bird interactions, pesticide efficacy, and non-pesticide control methods like barrier trapping. She has also explored how ecological factors like competition and environmental conditions influence disease spread.

Dr. Lord has secured grants from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), the Canine Health Foundation, and the NIH. Notable grants include studies on larval habitat distribution, improving pesticide control through density-dependent analysis, and developing non-pesticide control strategies. Her work emphasizes bridging ecological scales—from individual mosquito behavior to regional epidemiology—to enhance disease prediction and intervention.

Her academic contributions span over three decades, with publications in journals like Journal of Medical Entomology, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, and Physiological Entomology. Her research has informed public health policies on vector control and disease surveillance.