Neil Harrison is a Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University and a former Director of Graduate Studies for Pharmacology at Columbia (2012-2017) and for Neuroscience at Weill-Cornell (2001-2005). He leads a research laboratory specializing in neurophysiology, biophysics, and pharmacology, with a focus on ion channels and their role in neurological disorders. He has published extensively in these fields, with over 160 scientific publications, many of which are highly cited. Harrison’s recent research has focused on viral ion channels, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, where his lab studied the SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein. In 2022, he co-authored an influential paper titled “A call for an independent inquiry into the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus” with economist Jeffrey Sachs on the origins of COVID-19, contributing to the global discourse on the pandemic and the importance of investigating its origins.