Screening only works as a biosecurity measure if it functions as routine infrastructure rather than exceptional intervention. The work of the DSSC is essential to turning high-level standards into guidance that the synthetic NA industry can actually implement, audit, and rely on across jurisdictions.

Kirsten Engel is Director of Strategic Partnerships and Client Engagement at SecureDNA, a nonprofit organization providing free, privacy-preserving DNA synthesis screening infrastructure. Her work focuses on supporting real-world adoption of screening across synthesis providers, benchtop manufacturers, and related stakeholders, with particular attention to compliance, implementation workflows, and cross-jurisdictional alignment.

At SecureDNA, Kirsten works at the interface of industry, regulators, and technical teams to translate emerging biosecurity norms and international standards into operationally usable practices. She engages closely with providers of different sizes and geographies to identify friction points in screening adoption and to inform the development of practical guidance, templates, and integration pathways that can scale globally.

Kirsten Engel is opinionated, chronically overcaffeinated, and reliably difficult to pin down. She is known for speaking quickly, moving frequently, and bringing Canadian sports into conversations where they may not strictly belong.