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Dana Kühnel received her doctorate in the Department of Nutritional Toxicology of the University of Potsdam. Her doctoral thesis dealt with the development of colon cancer induced by polycyclic aromatic amines, formed during the heating of meat products. After finishing her PhD, in 2006 she joined the Department Cell Toxicology as a postdoctoral researcher (since 2009 the Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology). 

The focus of her research shifted to the assessment of potential (eco)toxicological effects of engineered nanomaterials. In several third-party funded projects (e.g. BMBF, EU-FP7, UBA), Dana tackled since then how technically produced nanomaterials affect the health of organisms, how they are internalized and distributed within organisms and how novel findings on nanomaterial-organism-interaction cans be communicated to outside the scientific world.
Specifically, the research activities focus on elucidating the influence of nanomaterial properties on the toxic outcome, the optimization and adaptation of test systems and protocols used in the risk assessment of chemicals for nanomaterials, and the development of analytical methods to gain qualitative and quantitative information on nanomaterial-organisms-interactions in a time- and space resolved manner. In addition, mixture effects between nanomaterials and chemicals are assessed. The outcomes of these activities feed into the development of risk assessment and grouping strategies for engineered nanomaterials.
Since 2009, Dana Kühnel also has been engaged in science communication by evaluating and summarizing scientific results dealing with the environmental impact of nanomaterials to a broad audience. This information is transported via the knowledgebase website www.nanoobjects.info. Starting in 2014, the research field on potential adverse of particles towards environmental organisms was expanded by including microplastic particles and aerosol particles into the research activities.