About

Khara Grieger is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Health & Risk Assessment at NC State University, serving as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator on various federally-funded projects. Her research focuses on investigating potential risks and impacts of new technologies, including nanotechnology and genetic engineering, in food and agriculture, with an emphasis on developing sustainable, responsible, and inclusive solutions. She is involved in multiple initiatives such as the USDA/NIFA-funded project on societal implications of emerging technologies, the NSF-funded Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center, and the Bezos Center for Sustainable Proteins, where she serves as Co-Director of Knowledge Transfer and Co-PI. Grieger has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and 13 book chapters on risk analysis, risk assessment, risk governance, decision-making, and stakeholder engagement in complex technological contexts. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, a M.S. in Plant Biology and Ecology, and a B.Sc. in Zoology from Michigan State University. Her work has earned her numerous awards, including the NC State Faculty Scholar Award and the Goodnight Early Career Innovator Award.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Environmental science
• Environmental chemistry
• Ecology
• Biology
• Organic chemistry
• Political Science
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Business
• Knowledge management
• Agronomy
• Public relations
• Soil science
• Nuclear chemistry
• Geology
• Inorganic chemistry

Selected publications

• Key Challenges to Stakeholder Engagement in Sustainability Contexts: Insights from Researchers and Practitioners

  Sustainability · 2026-04-04

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Stakeholder engagement is increasingly recognized as vital to developing interdisciplinary solutions to complex sustainability problems, such as phosphorus management. At the same time, several challenges and barriers may arise when engaging stakeholders in practice. This study identifies key challenges in engagement and explores how they may be addressed. Using an online survey of 121 researchers and practitioners engaged in sustainability work in the U.S., along with 10 interviewees, data were analyzed using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Key results from this study identify two main sets of challenges and needs, as well as the relationships between them. First, participants identified “top down” challenges to engagement, including limited funding, resources, organizational support, and time, alongside “bottom up” challenges related to recruitment and retention, inclusive representation, trust-building, facilitation skills, and balancing stakeholder expectations. While prior studies have noted important factors and case-specific challenges, this study is the first to systematically document these challenges and needs across a range of fields and highlight interconnections between structural resource limitations and practitioners’ ability to build and sustain meaningful stakeholder relationships. Future research can build on these findings to enhance the field of engagement by advocating for more resources to conduct engagement and developing methods to better assess success of engagement practices.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Engaging U.S. experts in environmental oversight of GE crops as it relates to novel biotechnologies

  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · 2026-03-30

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Advances in agricultural biotechnologies, including gene editing and other new genomic techniques, are expanding the range of organisms, traits, and applications being released into the environment. Questions have been raised about the adequacy of the existing U.S. environmental governance frameworks. This study investigates U.S. expert stakeholder perspectives on the environmental oversight of genetically engineered crops and emerging biotechnologies using a qualitative methodology rooted in a systems-thinking approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 experts in biotechnology oversight from industry, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations. Transcripts were analyzed thematically to identify perceptions related to strengths, limitations, and future needs of the oversight, especially in the wake of emerging technologies. Findings from the interviews indicate broad confidence in the scientific rigor and environmental safety for established genetic engineering applications, particularly in controlled agricultural contexts, contrary to the authors' initial expectations. At the same time, concerns were raised about the statutory limitations, regulatory burden, and the capacity of the current oversight system to evaluate more novel biotechnologies. Participants consistently emphasized recommendations for more centralized and proactive governance, risk-proportionate assessments, and adaptive management that is more grounded in the trait and impact of new agricultural biotechnologies. These findings highlight the importance of systems-oriented approaches for environmental oversight that supports innovation while protecting ecological sustainability.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Trends, challenges, and opportunities for the United States alternative meat and seafood sector: stakeholder-informed perspectives

  npj Science of Food · 2026-04-17

  articleOpen access

  Growing global protein demand has fueled innovation and investment in alternative protein (AP) products, including plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultivated products. Through interviews with AP stakeholders in the United States (U.S.), we explored the sector's evolution, challenges, opportunities, and trends. Interviewees described a boom from 2009 to 2021 followed by a decline, which the sector is now working to reverse. Achieving taste and price parity, attracting a broad consumer base, producing at scale, and navigating a charged policy environment remain key sector challenges. Looking forward, stakeholders were optimistic, noting opportunities including collaborations within and across sectors; workforce development; innovative financing, scalability models, and products; and increased policy engagement. Findings indicate that the U.S. AP sector is at a critical inflection point. This study points to future research, financing, and innovation that could help AP products become a mainstay in the food system.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Exploring awareness, implementation, and future use of urine diversion systems in U.S. university buildings

  Environment Systems & Decisions · 2025-04-05 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Urine diversion systems, which include waterless urinals and urine-diverting flush toilets, offer opportunities to conserve water, recover nutrients, promote circular economies, and improve sustainability. While technical development of these systems is critical, understanding stakeholder perceptions is equally important for their successful innovation, implementation, and adoption. This study conducts an exploratory analysis of stakeholder perceptions at U.S. academic institutions regarding how urine diversion technologies fit within the broader array of water conservation technologies and factors that influence decision-making related to urine diversion in buildings. We surveyed 65 stakeholders, including executive leaders, administrators, facilities managers, building managers, and sustainability professionals—key groups responsible for the adoption and maintenance of such systems but underrepresented in prior research. Participants reported a high level of awareness of water conservation technologies and varying degrees of implementation. Across all technologies, low-flush fixtures had the highest rate of implementation and waterless urinals had the highest rate of implementation and subsequent removal due to maintenance and infrastructure challenges. Participants also indicated that compliance with plumbing codes was the most critical factor when considering the implementation of urine diversion systems, followed by efficacy and cost-savings, and water conservation and nutrient recovery were among the least important factors. Future studies should focus on aligning urine diversion systems with building codes and regulations, mitigating clogging and odors to improve acceptance and adoption, and estimating costs and benefits when deciding on their implementation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Engaging stakeholders in phosphorus sustainability: Challenges, lessons learned, and implications for addressing other wicked problems

  Elementa Science of the Anthropocene · 2025-01-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  To address wicked problems, particularly in sustainability, interdisciplinary solutions that bridge science and society are essential. These solutions inevitably require the involvement of diverse stakeholders. However, the field of stakeholder engagement includes a wide range of approaches, and there is no universally agreed-upon set of standard practices for engagement, particularly in wicked problem contexts. This article addresses this gap by connecting scientific knowledge on stakeholder engagement with an exploration of its challenges, drawing from both the broader literature and the authors’ own experiences in sustainability contexts. In particular, this article first identifies and briefly reviews 6 key steps and best practices for stakeholder engagement, and then discusses challenges and lessons learned from engaging stakeholders in the context of phosphorus sustainability largely within U.S. contexts. Phosphorus sustainability is a valuable case study due to its vital role in supporting global agriculture and societal functioning, while also contributing to environmental challenges caused by excess runoff, among other issues. Reflecting on both best practices and our own experiences, we identify 3 key challenges to engaging stakeholders in phosphorus sustainability: (i) managing the inherent tensions between breadth and depth of engagement, (ii) difficulties in evaluating the collective impact of engagement, and (iii) building sufficient capacity in carrying out engagement. To address these limitations, we highlight lessons we have learned in our own engagement efforts and provide recommendations for future research on stakeholder engagement, particularly in the context of wicked sustainability problems.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Beyond the Hype: Stakeholder Perceptions of Nanotechnology and Genetic Engineering for Sustainable Food Production

  Sustainability · 2025-07-25 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Ensuring sustainable food systems is an urgent global priority as populations grow and environmental pressures mount. Technological innovations such as genetic engineering (GE) and nanotechnology (nano) have been promoted as promising pathways for achieving greater sustainability in agriculture and food production. Yet, the sustainability of these technologies is not defined by technical performance alone; it hinges on how they are perceived by key stakeholders and how well they align with broader societal values. This study addresses the critical question of how expert stakeholders evaluate the sustainability of GE and nano-based food and agriculture (agrifood) products. Using a multi-method online platform, we engaged 42 experts across academia, government, industry, and NGOs in the United States to assess six real-world case studies—three using GE and three using nano—across ten different dimensions of sustainability. We show that nano-based products were consistently rated more favorably than their GE counterparts in terms of environmental, economic, and social sustainability, as well as across ethical and societal dimensions. Like prior studies, our results reveal that stakeholders see meaningful distinctions between nanotechnology and biotechnology, likely due to underlying value-based concerns about animal welfare, perceived naturalness, or corporate control of agrifood systems. The fruit coating and flu vaccine—both nano-enabled—received the most positive ratings, while GE mustard greens and salmon were the most polarizing. These results underscore the importance of incorporating stakeholder perspectives in technology assessment and innovation governance. These results also suggest that responsible innovation efforts in agrifood systems should prioritize communication, addressing meaningful societal needs, and the contextual understanding of societal values to build trust and legitimacy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Surface waters in socially vulnerable areas are disproportionately under-monitored for nutrients in the US South Atlantic-Gulf region

  Nature Water · 2025-07-15

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Agricultural Systems

  Global Change Biology · 2025-04-01 · 13 citations

  articleOpen access

  Feeding the growing human population sustainably amidst climate change is one of the most important challenges in the 21st century. Current practices often lead to the overuse of agronomic inputs, such as synthetic fertilizers and water, resulting in environmental contamination and diminishing returns on crop productivity. The complexity of agricultural systems, involving plant-environment interactions and human management, presents significant scientific and technical challenges for developing sustainable practices. Addressing these challenges necessitates transdisciplinary research, involving intense collaboration among fields such as plant science, engineering, computer science, and social sciences. Five case studies are presented here demonstrating successful transdisciplinary approaches toward more sustainable water and fertilizer use. These case studies span multiple scales. By leveraging whole-plant signaling, reporter plants can transform our understanding of plant communication and enable efficient application of water and fertilizers. The use of new fertilizer technologies could increase the availability of phosphorus in the soil. To accelerate advancements in breeding new cultivars, robotic technologies for high-throughput plant screening in different environments at a population scale are discussed. At the ecosystem scale, phosphorus recovery from aquatic systems and methods to minimize phosphorus leaching are described. Finally, as agricultural outputs affect all people, integration of stakeholder perspectives and needs into research is outlined. These case studies highlight how transdisciplinary research and cross-training among biologists, engineers, and social scientists bring diverse expertise to tackling grand challenges in sustainable agriculture, driving discovery and innovation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Exploring the U.S. regulatory and legislative landscapes for cell-cultivated meat and seafood

  Trends in Food Science & Technology · 2025-12-31 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The Protection of Selectively Bred and Gene Edited Farm Animals under EU Law

  European Journal of Risk Regulation · 2025-03-17 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Since the eighteenth century, animal breeding has significantly evolved, culminating in the use of gene editing (GE) technologies like CRISPR-Cas9. These technologies offer unprecedented capabilities to modify animal genomes, potentially revolutionising breeding practices by achieving desired traits much faster compared to traditional selective breeding (SB). Because breeding programmes focussed on productivity traits have often compromised animal welfare, this article provides an analysis of the ethical issues underpinning the use of GE in animal breeding, and the current laws regulating such practices. In doing so, this article critically examines the European Union (EU)’s regulatory framework for SB and GE in farm animals, highlighting significant gaps and inconsistencies. Specifically, the use of GE animals is currently regulated under the EU’s GMO legislation, while SB is more loosely regulated, posing substantial risks to animal welfare. The authors advocate for a regulatory framework that prioritises animal welfare goals and proposes reforms to enhance animal protection objectives by ensuring a more consistent and humane approach to farm animal breeding.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Steffen Foss Hansen

  Technical University of Denmark

  30 shared

• Anders Baun

  Technical University of Denmark

  26 shared

• Jennifer Kuzma

  North Carolina State University

  22 shared

• Christopher Cummings

  Iowa State University

  14 shared

• Ashton Merck

  North Carolina State University

  13 shared

• Igor Linkov

  U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

  10 shared

• Marco Martuzzi

  Istituto Superiore di Sanità

  10 shared

• Yue Zhi

  Chongqing University

  10 shared

Labs

• Khara Grieger LabPI

Awards & honors

• NC State's Faculty Scholar Award
• Goodnight Early Career Innovator Award (2021)
• Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network Collaborative Award…
• American Society of Civil Engineers State-of-the-Art Civil E…
• University Faculty Scholar (2025)