Dr. Fred Gould

Dr. Fred Gould is Co-Director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center of North Carolina State University and Director of the NSF-sponsored, interdisciplinary, graduate training program on Agricultural Biotechnology. He conducts research on the application of evolutionary biology and population genetics to enable sustainable use of insect resistant crops and genetically engineered agricultural pests. He also does research on strategies for development and use of engineered mosquitoes to decrease human disease. In this regard, Dr. Gould and his colleague have studied the field ecology of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, that vectors dengue virus. They have also developed a range of mathematical models to assess current gene drive systems and to conceptualize novel gene drive mechanisms.  

In 2011, Dr. Gould was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS). He has served on several National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) committees, studying the environmental and health effects of the commercialization of genetically engineered crops. He chaired the 2014-2016 NASEM committee on “Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects” and was a reviewer of the NASEM 2016 report on Gene Drives. He served on the NASEM’s Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources from 2014-2020. Dr. Gould received his BS in biology from Queens College and a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.