Riley Lawson, Ph.D.

Riley joined the Office of Science, Technology & Innovation (OSTI) in August 2026 as an NC STEM Policy Fellow through the NC Sea Grant program and will be with the OSTI team through July 2027.

Riley is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and moved to Raleigh in 2020 to pursue her PhD in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University, which she completed in summer 2026. Her graduate research focused on developing new soil sensing mechanisms to limit nutrient runoff and save farmers money.

During her graduate career, Riley also completed a Fulbright research grant in Rennes, France, where she studied differences in plant-soil-microbe interactions among rapeseed genotypes.

As a North Carolina STEM Policy Fellow, Riley is bringing her expertise in agricultural research innovation, technology commercialization, and end-user design to the OSTI team. She will help develop key technology reports and track industry partnership opportunities to support North Carolina's science, technology and innovation (STI) economy. Through this work, she hopes to gain more experience in science communication and state-level STI policymaking through direct engagement with stakeholders and policymakers. She can be reached at riley.lawson@commerce.nc.gov and 757-818-3483.