Kirsten Engel

Kirsten Engel leads global strategic partnerships and clientengagement for the SecureDNA Foundation, a Swissnonprofit dedicated to safeguarding biotechnology throughfree, privacy-preserving DNA synthesis screening.SecureDNA provides free, ultra-fast, privacy-preservingDNA synthesis screening to detect regulated, controlled, orhazardous sequences, and is the only system that alsoscreens millions of predicted functional variants to preventevasion. The platform has been adopted by providersacross North America, Europe, and Asia, and uniquelycombines ultra-sensitive detection (down to 30 base pairs)with flexible integration for both commercial and benchtopsynthesis.In addition to supporting synthesis providers and benchtop manufacturers, Kirsten represents SecureDNA in international policy discussions and working groups, helping shape emerging best practices for responsible DNA synthesis oversight. She isparticularly focused on building international collaboration to close global screening gaps and ensure equitable access to security infrastructure. Kirsten’s work builds on a background spanning business development, international marketing and engagement, nonprofit partnerships, and strategic communications. AtSecureDNA, she is advancing the mission of making DNA synthesis both safe and accessible worldwide, with a vision of preventing misuse while enabling legitimate research to thrive.