Kara Laney is a Senior Program Officer with the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where she works with subject matter experts to research and respond to science policy questions. Since joining the National Academies in 2008, she has directed several consensus studies on biotechnology and plants, specifically on experiences with and prospects for genetically engineered crops, preparations needed by inventors and the federal government for the development and regulation of future biotechnology products, and the potential for biotechnology to address forest health. She has also organized workshops on the health effects of reactive nitrogen from agricultural sources in U.S. drinking water, the data collection and infrastructure needs for a dynamic soil information system in the United States, and long-term approaches for wildland fire management. Since 2018, her responsibilities also include leading a project at the National Academies to counter online misinformation related to science and health. Earlier in her career, Laney served as a policy associate on agricultural trade issues for the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council and as a program coordinator for the International Cooperation and Development branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She earned a master’s degree in international agriculture and rural development from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Brown University.