Professor Warren is the executive director of the NC Collaboratory and a professor of the practice in the Department of Public Policy. Formally trained as a marine geologist, Warren has spent the past 15 years in State-level science policy positions, including the coastal hazards policy specialist for the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (2004 to 2010) and the science advisor for the North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore (2011 to 2017). Warren earned his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2006). His academic research included field sites in the southeastern US, northern Mexico, the East and South China Seas, and Antarctica.