Janet W. Hartley (born March 25, 1928) is an American virologist who worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

A Washingtonian, she received degrees in bacteriology and virology research before graduating with a Ph.D. and joining the National Institutes of Health lab of Bob Huebner.

Born on March 25, 1928 in Washington, D.C.,[1] Hartley started her education in the aftermath of World War Two, joining the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and completing a Bachelor's degree in bacteriology in 1949.

For her final retirement from scientific work, she established the Wallace Prescott Rowe Memorial Award in 2009 to help fund future virologists from the University of Maryland.

[4] The 1969 annual awards for the Washington Academy of Sciences saw Hartley named among six for outstanding scientific achievements for her "contributions to animal virology".