Karen Maschke is a Research Scholar at The Hastings Center and the Editor of IRB: Ethics & Human Research. She received a PhD in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University. She is interested in the ethics and politics of science and technology policy making, particularly policies involving human biotechnologies. While at The Hastings Center she has been active in research and public policy initiatives involving the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic research with human biospecimens. Prior to working at The Hastings Center she taught political science courses on law-related and criminal justice topics at Oakland University in Michigan and at the University of Georgia. She has worked on several community initiatives, including task forces on community policing and domestic violence. She was a board member of a non-profit organization that provided domestic violence services to women and children, and was the Executive Director of the Athens-Clarke County Homeless Shelter in Athens, Georgia.