College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Entomology

Bio

Hannah Burrack is an applied ecologist with a focus on integrated pest management (IPM) in specialty crops. During her 14-year career at North Carolina State University, Burrack led entomology research and extension efforts for blueberries, caneberries, grapes, tobacco and industrial hemp. She generated $10.8 million in funding to support these efforts, authored 71 peer reviewed articles or book chapters, and developed a wide-ranging extension program, including delivering over 500 extension presentations to audiences totally over 28,000 stakeholders. Burrack has a particular interest in the monitoring and management of invasive agricultural pests. Since 2010, she has been an international leader in coordinating research, education and extension efforts on Drosophila suzukii, the spotted-wing drosophila.

Mentorship is a high priority for Burrack. She has advised or served on committees for 5 post-doctoral scholars, 5 international visiting scholars, 13 undergraduate research projects, 13 PhD students and 17 MS students.

Burrack served as the inaugural Director for Education and Outreach with the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative at NC State University from 2020 to 2021. She became chairperson of Michigan State University’s Department of Entomology on January 1, 2022.

Current assignment: Research 10% | Administration 90%

Program Description

As department chairperson, Burrack serves as chief academic and administrative officer of the Department of Entomology and provides leadership in developing, budgeting and administering teaching, research, extension/outreach and international activities. She manages positions and resources, and communicates with faculty, students, staff and MSU administration. She also works closely with industry leaders, clientele groups, professional organizations and the public. She pursues endowment and other funding opportunities and provides vision and leadership for long-term planning. She reports to the dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and work with the dean’s office and the directors of MSU AgBioResearch, MSU Extension and the associate dean and director for Academic Student Affairs to accomplish departmental goals and objectives.

The Department of Entomology includes over 145 faculty, staff, post-docs and students.  Meet them in the People section of our website. Areas of departmental emphasis include:

• Securing the world’s food, fuel and fiber
• Improving human health
• Supporting natural resources and biodiversity
• Bridging fundamental to applied research.

We have major teaching, research, and extension programs in: ecology of pest and beneficial insects and nematodes; integrated pest management; pesticides, toxicology, and resistance; pollinator management and ecology; invasive species ecology and management; chemical ecology of insects and nematodes; aquatic entomology; forensic entomology; systematics and evolution; biomedical entomology; and molecular entomology.

The MSU Department of Entomology has strong linkages across campus to interdisciplinary programs, including: Neuroscience; Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior; The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center; Kellogg Biological Station, Long-Term Ecological Research; Environmental Science and Policy; Center for Watershed Studies; Center for Global Change and Earth Observations Sustainable Agriculture; Integrated Pest Management; Pesticide Safety Education Program; Institute for International Agriculture; IR-4; and the US Forest Service. The annual departmental budget is approximately $19 million, with over two-thirds coming from extramural funding. More information is available at the Department of Entomology website.

Concentrations

• Integrated pest management
• Invasive species biology
• Insect-plant interactions
• Stakeholder engagement

Professional Experience

• 2022-present – Professor & Chairperson, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University
• 2020-2021 - Director, Education & Outreach, North Carolina Plant Sciences Initative
• 2017-2021 – Professor, Dept. of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University
• 2013-2017 – Associate Professor, Dept. of Entomology, North Carolina State University
• 2007-2013 - Assistant Professor, Dept. of Entomology, North Carolina State University