Dr. Nancy Connell

Dr. Nancy Connell is a Senior Scholar at the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in the International Networks and Collaborations section of the Division of Policy and Governmental Affairs. Trained in microbial genetics at Harvard, Dr. Connell was an investigator from 1992-2018 in microbial genetics and drug discovery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), finishing her long career there as Professor in the Division of Infectious Disease and Director of Research in the Department of Medicine. She was then Senior Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Professor in the Department of Environmental Health. Dr. Connell now focuses on advances in life sciences and technology and their application to developments in biosecurity, biosafety, and biodefense. She has had a long-standing interest in regulatory policies associated with biocontainment work and dual-use research of concern. and she currently serves as advisor to the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, putting her policy interests to work. Dr. Connell’s recent work has focused on AI and the life sciences.