Cary is the President of the Food Security Leadership Council. He was U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security in the Biden Administration. He headed the first UN assessment of the state of the world's plant genetic resources and oversaw negotiations for an associated 150-country Global Plan of Action. Considered the ?father? of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, he is the author of Seeds on Ice about this initiative. He has an earned doctorate from Uppsala University in Sweden and several honorary doctorates including from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences where he is Professor Emeritus of Environment and Development Studies. In 2024, he was awarded the World Food Prize.