She has held several other leadership positions, including the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Council Member and Secretary, Chair of the Gordon Conference on Science & Technology Policy, Member of the US FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee, and a Member of the UN WHO-FAO Expert Group for Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture. In 2014, she received the SRA Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer Award for recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of risk analysis and in 2017-2018 she was awarded the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Science Policy at the University of Ottawa.  She is cited and interviewed frequently in the media for her expertise in biotechnology policy, including the New York Times, Science, Nature, NPR, Washington Post, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, PBS Nova, Wired, and ABC & NBC News.

Her research focuses on governance systems for emerging technologies, particularly genetic engineering for environmental, agricultural, health and industrial applications. Currently, emerging technologies are moving at a rapid pace, but often societal responses lag behind. Understanding the social-ecological-technological systems and the underlying dynamics can help to guide decisions-makers and the public towards better governance models. With these goals in mind, she explores the values, organizations, and outcomes associated with existing oversight systems in order to inform future policy-making. Her work draws on developing methods for integrating multiple disciplines in a policy sciences approach. It is also translational, striving to engage and serve stakeholders and citizens who come from a variety of perspectives and expertise areas. As such, she and colleague Professor Fred Gould founded the Genetic Engineering and Society Center to help support bi-directional learning and communication among academe and public and private organizations.

Jennifer earned her B.A. with high honors from the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN in Chemistry and Biology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She went on to become a Life Science Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Molecular Biology at The Rockefeller University in New York. Prior to moving into public policy and social science in 1997, from 1986 to 1997, she was a natural scientist doing research in microbiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. She holds a patent for the discovery of bacterial isoprene emission from her Ph.D. work, and her postdoctoral work resulted in a publication in the journal Science.

He serves on the National Academy of Sciences committee on “Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences.” He also serves on the National Research Council Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources. One of his research projects involves genetically modified mosquitoes that have reduced capacity to carry and spread dengue fever. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, among others, for his work.Gould participated in policy development for transgenic crops at the national and international level. He sees a need to develop more inclusive and transparent approaches for building, assessing and regulating transgenic pests. Gould has authored or co-authored more than 160 refereed publications. He has been invited to present papers at numerous conferences, symposia and seminars.

In 2007, he won the George Bugliarello Prize from Sigma Xi for his article on genetic manipulation of pests for control of human disease vectors. In 2004, Gould received the Alexander von Humboldt Award, which is presented annually to the person judged to have made the most significant contribution to American agriculture during the previous five years.

In 2011, Gould received NC State’s Holladay Medal, the university’s highest award for faculty achievement. Gould has served on National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council committees to study the environmental effects of the commercialization of genetically modified plants and develop recommendations on genetically modified pest-protected crops. He has also served on Environmental Protection Agency panels on genetically modified crops. Gould is a member of the Entomological Society of America, the Society for the Study of Evolution and Sigma Xi.

He has worked on biosafety regulatory issues in the U.S. and throughout the world. He was a member of the Secretary of Agriculture’s Advisory Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture from 2003-2008 and was reappointed to a new term in 2011. He was also a member of FDA’s Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee from 2004-2008. In addition, he has provided his biosafety expertise for projects involving the International Food Policy Research Institute, the World Bank, and the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Project. Jaffe earned his BA with High Honors from Wesleyan University in Biology and Government and then received a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Since 2006 and concurrent to his role with Sustainable Oils, he founded and operated Augment Services LLC, an agricultural management and marketing consultancy. Mr. Johnson’s career has kept him at the forefront of agricultural innovation. He worked for more than two decades with global research-based agriculture companies in various executive roles including business development, marketing and general management. He was also a principal in forming a wholesale/retail food business in California as well as joining his brothers as a partner in the family farm – the fifth generation of family operators.

A recipient of the Montana Prospera Business Network “Entrepreneur of the Year 2010” award and numerous corporate recognitions, he received his MBA at California State University, Stanislaus and his bachelor’s degree in entomology at the University of California, Davis.

Pam was elected by her fellow Cornell alumni to Cornell University’s Board of Trustees. Pam also serves on the UC Davis College of Ag and Environmental Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council. She is the Treasurer of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS).

Dr. Marrone has a B.S. in entomology with Honors and Distinction from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University. She is a Fellow of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).

Medley has served as chairman and vice chairman of the USDA Biotechnology Council; as a member of the Federal Biotechnology Research Subcommittee; and as a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Advisory Committee that reviewed the first genetically engineered crop. In 1989, Medley received the Department of Agriculture’s Superior Service Award for his major role in the development and implementation of biotechnology regulatory policy. In addition, he was conferred the rank of Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service by President Clinton in April 1997.

Medley graduated cum laude from Amherst College and received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Virginia.

Mellon has published widely on the potential environmental impacts of biotechnology applications. She is co-author of Ecological Risks of Engineered Crops and Hogging It!: Estimates of Antimicrobial Abuse in Livestock and co-editor of Now or Never: Serious New Plans to Save a Natural Pest Control. She serves on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture and teaches a course in biotechnology and the law at the Vermont Law School. In 1993 she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Purdue University’s School of Science.

Her laboratory has genetically engineered rice for resistance to diseases and tolerance to flooding, which are serious problems of rice crops in Asia and Africa. Ronald’s research has been published in Science, Nature and other leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has also been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times and NPR.

Dr. Ryals has 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, including senior research positions at Novartis and Ciba-Geigy. He currently serves on the board of directors at AgBiome, a provider of early-stage R&D for agriculture, and the advisory board of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. He earned a BA in biology and chemistry from the University of North Texas and MS and PhD degrees in molecular biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Previously, Scott has designed, developed, administered, and implemented strategies, plans, and procedures for regulatory compliance and approval of genetically modified crop plants and enzyme products for Syngenta, Vector Tobacco, and Novozymes. Scott was the Biotechnologist for the NC Department of Agriculture and was responsible for the development and administration of the regulations to implement the NC Genetically Engineered Organisms Act. Scott received his B.S. in cell biology from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, his Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and was a USDA-ARS postdoctoral research plant pathologist at Purdue University. He taught microbiology, molecular genetics, biotechnology, and cell biology at NC State University and continues as an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Microbiology Department.

Previously he held positions as Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director, Center for Food Animal Productivity and Well-Being, at Purdue University, and prior to that positions as Professor of Philosophy and Agricultural Economics and Director, Center for Science and Technology Policy and Ethics, at Texas A&M University.

Paul Thompson’s research has centered on ethical and philosophical questions associated with agriculture and food, and especially concerning the guidance and development of agricultural technoscience. This research has led him to undertake a series of projects on the application of recombinant DNA techniques to agricultural crops and food animals. His new work focuses on nanotechnology in the agrifood system. See also Paul’s Blog at Thornapple CSA.

Dr. Zilberman is a Fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) and the Association of Environmental and Resource economics (AERE) and am the recipient of the 2000 Cannes Water and the Economy Award. He won the AAEA 2002 and 2007 Quality of Research Discovery Award and the 2005 and 2009 AAEA Publication of Enduring quality award.

Davis has edited 17 books and coauthored over 300 papers in refereed journals. He received a B.A. in Economics & Statistics at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and Ph.D. at the UC, Berkeley, in 1979. David has served as a consultant to the World Bank, FAO, USDA, EPA, and CDFA.