Kirsten Bos is a specialist in ancient DNA research, with a focus on bacterial genomics. She received her PhD from McMaster University in 2012, and after two postdoctoral appointments in Germany she joined the Archeogenetics Department of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Her research bridges archaeology and genomics research, where she analyses ancient bones and teeth to computationally reconstruct strains of infectious diseases that were once widespread in the past. Examples of her work include studies on plague, tuberculosis, and syphilis. In addition to her scientific work, she is passionate about music and has fond memories of her past experiences as an orchestral performer.