ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn, dʒˈɛfɚsən wʌz ɐpˈɔɪntᵻd æz ˈɔːθɚɹɪntʃˈiːf tə ðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd nˈeɪʃənz kənvˈɛnʃən ˌɔn bˌaɪəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl daɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi fɚðə lˈændmɑːɹk stˈʌdi, səbmˈɪɾᵻd tə ðə jˌuːˈɛn dʒˈɛnɚɹəl ɐsˈɛmbli, ɔnðə kəntˈɛnʃəs dʒɪnˈɛɾɪk tɛknˈɑːlədʒi, kəlˈoʊkwɪəli kˈɔːld tˈɜːmᵻnˌeɪɾɚ tɛknˈɑːlədʒi.
In 1999, Jefferson was appointed as Author-in-Chief to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity for the landmark study, submitted to the UN General Assembly, on the contentious genetic technology, colloquially called 'Terminator Technology'.