Toggle – Becky Mackelprang

Becky Mackelprang, PhD, is the Director for Security Programs at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC). Becky leads EBRC’s Security Focus Area, bringing stakeholders across academia, industry, and government together to integrate security awareness into the policy and practice of engineering biology. She is committed to domestic and international efforts to develop biosecurity standards, including for nucleic acid synthesis screening and intersection of AI and bio. She believes that effective, fit-for-purpose “top-down” biosecurity policy must be informed by “bottom-up” engagement and technical understanding. Globally, she leads regional workshops to support the integration of regional contexts and considerations into policy and standards development for a secure and resilient global bioeconomy. Dr. Mackelprang holds a PhD in Plant Biology from UC Berkeley, where she researched plant-pathogen interactions, and a BS from the University of Utah. Interested in the interface between science and society, she next completed a postdoctoral appointment in science communication, followed by the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship. She then transitioned toward science policy, beginning with a postdoctoral appointment at EBRC and growing to lead and build EBRC’s Security Focus Area.