Kurt Hansen has worked at the US Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London since 1993, working on projects dealing with oil spill prevention and response since 1998.

He previously served as a sonar engineer and qualified US Navy SCUBA diver at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, formerly in New London and has over 33 years of government service.

He has an MS in Ocean Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware.

During the Deepwater Horizon Response, he served on the Alternative Response Technology Evaluation Team at the command post in Houma, LA.

He is a member of ASTM Committee F-20 on Committee F20 on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response. He is one of the Coast Guard’s Representatives to the National Response Team (NRT) Science and Technology Committee. He is also a member of the Marine Technology Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.