Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher is a biologist and molecular geneticist based in Oxford, UK. She received a PhD from the University of London, UK, and a first class honours M.Sc. from the University of Kiel, Germany.
First specialising in gene regulation and gene modification, she worked in the field of mutational analysis, gene identification and gene therapy. Since 1995 her focus has been on biosafety aspects of genetically modified organisms and their potential impacts. More recently her work focuses on synthetic biology, new genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9, and gene drive organisms.

Dr Steinbrecher is co-director of EcoNexus, a public interest research organisation consisting of scientists and dedicated experts focusing on new technologies and their impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, food security and agriculture.

She has been actively involved in UN-led international processes since 1996, especially of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its protocols, in particular the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB). She served on the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment and Risk Management of Genetically Modified Organisms (2009-2013) of the CPB and presently serves on the Technical Expert Group on Synthetic Biology of the CBD.

Dr Steinbrecher is a member of the Federation of German Scientists (FGS/VDW) whom she represents at the international UN negotiations, and a founding member and board member of the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER).

Selected publications

Steinbrecher, R.A. (2017). New Genetic Engineering Techniques: Precaution, Risk, and the Need to Develop Prior Societal Technology Assessment. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 59 (5): 38:47.

Steinbrecher, R.A. (2015). Genetic Engineering in Plants and the “New Breeding Techniques (NBTs)”. Inherent risks and the need to regulate. EcoNexus Briefing.

Hilbeck, A., Binimelis, R., Defarge, N., Steinbrecher, R.A., Székács, A., Wickson, F., Antoniou, M., Bereano, P.L., Clark, E.A., Hansen, M., Novotny, E., Heinemann, J., Meyer, H., Shiva, V., Wynne, B. (2015). No scientific consensus on GMO safety. Environmental Sci Eur, 27:4.