Barbara Karn

Dr. Barbara Karn is currently Co-founder and Executive Director of The Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) and adjunct faculty at George Washington University.  She recently retired as a program director at the National Science Foundation, managing research grants in the environment, health and safety of nanotechnology.  Prior to joining NSF, she was an environmental scientist at EPA where she built and managed a research grant program in nanotechnology and the environment–both applications and implications-and brought nanotechnology into EPA’s programs and mission.
Dr. Karn was named one of the Top Ten Experts in nanotechnology environment, health and safety issues by Nanotechnology Law and Business.  Recently she was given an ACS award for her 10 years in leading the symposium on Nanotechnology and the Environment and co-founded SNO.  She continues to serve as a senior advisor to the project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.