Jason A. Delborne

Biography

Jason Delborne joined the La Follette School’s faculty in spring 2025 as an associate professor of public affairs, specializing in science and technology policy. His research focuses on stakeholder and public engagement in the governance of emerging technologies, particularly highly debated areas such as agricultural biotechnology, nanotechnology, biofuels, climate change, gene drives, and the genetic biocontrol of invasive species. His work has also examined the development of the genetically engineered American chestnut tree.

Drawing on the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), Delborne uses qualitative research methods to explore how policymakers, stakeholders, and members of the public engage with controversial scientific issues. His work considers how society governs, promotes, and develops emerging technologies—and how those decisions may shape our collective future.

In 2024, Delborne completed an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office. Before joining the La Follette School, he was a professor at North Carolina State University, where he served in the Genetic Engineering and Society Center and directed the Science, Technology, and Society program. He also taught and advised students in the NSF-funded doctoral minor in Genetic Engineering and Society: The Case of Genetic Pest Management.

Delborne previously served on the faculty of the Colorado School of Mines in the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies. There, he launched an undergraduate minor and graduate certificate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Policy, served as the program’s advisor, and taught its annual capstone course. He also served on the executive committee of an NSF-funded project in Intelligent Geosystems, coordinating social science research and education for doctoral students in engineering and applied sciences.

In collaboration with colleagues from Arizona State University, Delborne helped lead two-week workshops in Washington, D.C., introducing graduate students in science and engineering to the intersections of science and public policy. His research has appeared in journals including Social Studies of Science, Public Understanding of Science, and Science and Public Policy. He also co-edited Controversies in Science and Technology: From Evolution to Energy (Mary Ann Liebert, 2010).

In 2010, Delborne received the David Edge Prize from the Society for Social Studies of Science for the best journal article in the field of science and technology studies. He also chaired the 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Science and Technology Policy, which brought together scholars and practitioners to discuss emerging research and contemporary policy challenges.