Bio

Jill Furgurson, PhD, is an environmental social scientist and Research Scholar with NC State University’s Genetic Engineering and Society Center. With a background spanning ecology, environmental science, and experiential education, Furgurson brings an interdisciplinary perspective to her social science research on emerging biotechnologies. Her research examines the societal and ethical dimensions of emerging environmental biotechnologies, with particular attention to governance, engagement, and the relationships among science, communities, and decision-making.

Furgurson’s doctoral research examined engagement and governance surrounding environmental biotechnology, including the genetically engineered American chestnut and genetic biocontrol of invasive species in the Great Lakes. Her work with Tribal and Indigenous partners explores how sovereignty, relationships, and plural knowledge systems shape the governance of emerging technologies. She is particularly interested in approaches to engagement and governance that move beyond seeking public acceptance or focusing primarily on technical risk, and instead emphasize meaningful deliberation, shared authority, and respect for differing environmental futures.

At the GES Center, Furgurson contributes to interdisciplinary research and engagement on emerging biotechnologies through the Societal and Ethical Implications Core of the NSF-funded PreMiEr Engineering Research Center and ongoing work with Tribal and Indigenous partners in the Great Lakes region on the governance of genetic biocontrol.

Area(s) of Expertise

- Ecology
- Environmental science
- Biotechnology governance
- Experiential education
- Responsible Innovation

Publications

• Bridging Knowledges to learn from Tribal Perspectives on Aquatic Genetic Biocontrol in the Great Lakes , International Association of Great Lake Research (2025)
• Questions and Consequences of Omics in Genetically Engineered Crop Regulation , Plant-Environment Interactions (2025)
• Bringing in Indigenous perspectives on synthetic biology for conservation , Genetic Engineering & Society Center Blog (2024)
• (Bio)Engineered Futures and Endangered Ecologies , 4S 2023 Honolulu (2023)
• Impressions from the field: Biotechnology, scale, and change , Genetic Engineering & Society Center Blog (2023)
• Seizing the policy moment in crop biotech regulation: an interdisciplinary response to the Executive Order on biotechnology , Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2023)
• Spirits of Western Conservation: Transgenic American Chestnut Trees and the Colonization of Restoration , 4S 2023 Honolulu (2023)
• Stakeholder Engagement in Gene Drive Research , 4S / ESOCITE (2022)
• Ethical issues in gene drive research , Gene Drive Research Forum Report (2021)
• Stakeholder engagement in gene drive research , Gene Drive Research Forum Report (2021)