Since 2010 Ulla Engelmann is Head of the International, Interinstitutional and Stakeholder Relations Unit of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Brussels.

Ulla Engelmann studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany and completed a PhD in analytical and radiochemistry at the National Research Centre in Karlsruhe in 1992. She started working at the JRC in Ispra, Italy in 1993, the first years in fusion research and from 1997 onwards she managed the public relations team. In 2004 she became JRC Head of the Internal and External Communications Unit, based in Ispra and Brussels, responsible for strategic communication for all JRC sites.