About

Jason A. Delborne is Professor of Science, Policy, and Society at North Carolina State University. With appointments in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, Delborne teaches and conducts research at the intersection of environmental policy, biotechnology, and public engagement. He draws upon the highly interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies (STS) to engage qualitative research methodologies to explore how policymakers, stakeholders, and members of the public interface with emerging biotechnologies designed for environmental benefit. He was named a University Faculty Scholar in 2019, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2021, and a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in 2023. On scholarly reassignment (sabbatical) August 2023-August 2024, Delborne will serve as Staff Scientist at the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office in Washington, D.C.

Recent projects have focused on the genetically engineered American chestnut tree, a gene drive mouse for biodiversity conservation, and the genetic biocontrol of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes Region. Delborne was twice appointed to expert committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which published Gene Drives on the Horizon (2016) and Forest Health and Biotechnology (2019). He also served on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Task Force on Synthetic Biology and Biodiversity Conservation, which published Genetic Frontiers for Conservation (2019). His academic scholarship includes over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, appearing in journals such as Science, Social Studies of Science, BioScience, and Public Understanding of Science.

Delborne holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University (1993) and a doctorate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley (2005). He completed an NSF-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006-08) and served as Assistant Professor of Liberal Arts and International Studies at Colorado School of Mines (2008-13). Delborne joined the faculty at NC State in 2013 as part of the Chancellor's Faculty Excellence Program.