Development Fund 2022/23: Responsible governance of gene drive
Professor Sarah Hartley (Management, ESE) - Responsible Governance of Gene Drive for Invasive Species in the UK.
Overview
Gene drive is one of the most powerful biotechnologies to date, designed to rapidly eliminate or alter an entire species within a few generations. Its supporters and developers argue that the potential benefits of gene drive for conservation may be significant. However, there has been little social science investigation into the governance of gene drive for conservation and very little engagement with conservationists and other invasive species experts in the design or appraisal of the technology.
This social science-led project will explore how gene drive can be governed in ways that are attentive to power relations, language/framing, and knowledge politics, include stakeholder and public engagement, and enable the opening up of problem definitions of invasive species in advance of or alongside discussions of gene drive’s potential at an early stage of its development.
Aims & Activities
Professor Hartley, with Dr Robert Smith (School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh), aim to co-develop a robust social science research proposal for ESRC on gene drive governance that is based on a sound understanding of 1) the challenges facing invasive species managers and other stakeholders in the UK; 2) the potential of conservation and environmental gene drive applications; and 3) the hopes for and concerns about gene drive’s potential role in managing invasive species.
