Vanessa Lynch is the Regional Director of DNAforAfrica, and a Senior Government Affairs Consultant, based in South Africa. Vanessa has extensive experience leading nationwide policy initiatives and working with governments to advance dynamic DNA legislative and policy changes.

Vanessa founded The DNA Project in 2005, and in 2021 launched @DNAforAfrica, dedicated to the use of advocacy outreach and  forensic expertise  to aid the development of DNA databases and casework programs throughout Africa.

Vanessa is regarded as a key opinion leader in the field of Forensic DNA policy and has been lauded for her leadership in driving the adoption of legislation to administer South Africa’s National Foremsic DNA Database, the first of its kind on the African continent. Serving as Deputy Chair of the National Forensic Oversight and Ethics Board (SA), she monitored the implementation of the provisions of the DNA Act in its first five years and now serves on the DNA Forensic DNA Policy Board for Africa as well as the Forensic Databasing Advisory Board (FDAB) for the Internatioanl Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG).

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Vanessa obtained her Law degree (LLB) at the University of Cape Town in and completed her Doctorate of Laws (LLD) at the University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town.