Dale Karlson is a plant molecular biologist with more than 25 years of experience spanning both academic and industrial research. He is currently a Principal Scientist and Head of Trait Sciences at Terrana Biosciences, where he focuses on advancing crop trait development using innovative molecular strategies.

After earning his Ph.D., Dale completed postdoctoral training in Japan, investigating molecular mechanisms of plant responses to cold stress. He later led a federally funded research program as a faculty member prior to moving into the biotech sector, where he held scientific leadership roles at Monsanto, Pairwise, and GreenLight Biosciences. His work has supported the development of high-throughput platforms for trait discovery, gene expression modulation, gene editing and precision RNA technologies across multiple crop systems.

In addition to his industry role, Dale is an Adjunct Professor at NC State University, contributing to academic training and research collaboration. He is an inventor on several issued and pending patents and has authored peer-reviewed publications in plant molecular biology and crop improvement.