Helen Anne Curry

Helen Anne Curry is the Melvin Kranzberg Professor in the History of Technology and Director of Graduate Studies at the School of History and Sociology, Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the history of science and technology related to food and agriculture, emphasizing crop diversity, genetic conservation, and industrial agriculture's environmental impacts. She leads the Wellcome Trust-funded project 'From Collection to Cultivation,' re-examining the origins of modern food crops, based at the University of Cambridge (2012–2022).

Key areas of expertise include environmental history, agricultural history, and the history of science, technology, and medicine. Her 2022 book Endangered Maize explores industrial agriculture’s role in genetic erosion. Curry has held a Pro Futura Scientia Fellowship (2017–2020) and a Wellcome Seed Award (2016–17). Her work bridges academic research with public engagement, including collaborations on the virtual reality game Seed, which educates on plant breeding history.

Her research also examines seed banking, mutation breeding techniques (e.g., x-rays, colchicine), and the intersection of natural history with modern agricultural practices. She co-edited Worlds of Natural History (2018), exploring the global evolution of natural history disciplines. Current projects emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to food security and biodiversity preservation.