Jane Maienschein

At Arizona State university, Jane Maienschein is University Professor, Regents Professor, and President’s Professor, and serves as Director for the Center for Biology and Society. She also serves as Fellow and directs the History and Philosophy of Science Project and the McDonnell Project on Regeneration at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Maienschein specializes in the history and philosophy of biology and the way biology, bioethics, and bio-policy play out in society.

Maienschein and her team focus on the history and underlying assumptions in development and cell biology. They analyze epistemological standards, theories, and laboratory practices and combine that with their studies of people and institutions, as well as the changing social, political, and legal context in which science thrives.

She served as a fellow with the U.S. House of Representatives during the 105th Congress, which addressed issues of climate change and stem cell research. Maienschein has filled many leadership roles at ASU and with professional societies including as president of two international organizations, panels with NIH, NSF, NEH, committees at the National Academy of Sciences, and Board member of many organizations. Through the Center for Biology and Society and the Embryo Project that she runs and that produces The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, she promotes education and research at the intersection of biological science and society, with an emphasis on effective communication about science.

Maienschein received a B.A. in History from Yale University and a Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from Indiana University.