Engel studied physics and mathematics in Bern (PhD 1972) and at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

[1] After becoming professor emeritus in 2010,[2] Engel joined the Case Western Reserve University, to build up the Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology.

[3] He worked at the Department of Bionanoscience,[4] part of the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience and TU Delft until his retirement in 2018.

Mass measurements using STEM, 2-dimensional crystallization of membrane proteins, cryo-electron crystallography and AFM were applied to study the structure of supramolecular assemblies [5].

[6] Engel developed the first curriculum in nanoscale sciences that attracted many young talents to the University of Basel.