Biosafety Officer
About the job
- A Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences or a related field and five or more years of prior biosafety experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
- Experience with Biosafety Level 3 and Animal Biosafety Level 3 environments is required.
- Expert knowledge of the National Institutes of Health Guidelines; CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories guidelines; Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations; CDC/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Select Agents and Toxins regulations; Department of Transportation regulations; International Air Transport Association Guidelines; and other relevant regulations, guidelines, and standards.
- Professional-level written and verbal communication skills, professionalism, diplomacy, discretion, judgment, problem-solving, decision-making, and customer-service skills.
- Ability to manage complex tasks and projects simultaneously while meeting multiple deadlines.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality, handle sensitive situations, and perform duties independently.
- Professional-level general computer skills and ability to learn department-specific computer systems.
- Successful completion of required background checks and the National Select Agent Registration security risk assessment.
- Ability to maintain a final United States Government security clearance if required.
- Ability to work onsite in laboratory and vivarium/animal housing environments; wear personal protective equipment, potentially including a respirator; work near research animals and hazardous or infectious materials; and meet the stated physical demands.
- Protect employees, contractors, visitors, the public, and the environment from potential exposure to biohazardous materials and toxins.
- Ensure Institute compliance with Select Agents and Toxins regulations and other applicable governmental regulations, guidelines, and internal requirements.
- Conduct risk assessments and laboratory inspections.
- Participate in Institutional Biosafety Committee activities and protocol review.
- Develop training and biological waste management programs.
- Provide on-call emergency response and occupational health or incident response.
- Serve as Responsible Official and ensure compliance with all aspects of the Institute's Select Agent Program under CDC and APHIS regulations.
- Develop and implement supporting health and safety programs.
- Review and update the Institute's Select Agents Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Plan, Security Plan, and Incident and Emergency Response Plan.
- Review research involving human and animal pathogens, biological toxins, select agents, recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids, and transgenic plants and animals.
- Advise researchers on appropriate biocontainment levels, safety practices, and regulatory guidelines.
- Assist researchers in obtaining and maintaining import or interstate transport permits for biological materials.
- Transport infectious materials between campuses as needed.
- Perform other related duties and tasks as assigned.
- Experience as a Responsible Official, Alternate Responsible Official, Certified Biosafety Professional, or Registered Biosafety Professional.
- A Master's degree in microbiology, virology, public health, biosafety, or environmental health.
About the company
Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute is a biomedical research organization focused on advancing medical knowledge through scientific studies and experiments conducted at its facilities. It does not market consumer products; its outputs include research findings, publications, and collaborations that contribute to the field of biomedicine. The institute differentiates itself by operating as a dedicated research institution (not a product-oriented company) and continuing the legacy of LRRI under its current name. Its goal is to improve human health by expanding understanding of biology and medicine.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Founded
N/A
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- August 2026 BARDA award added $3.7 million for lethal H5N1 influenza models.
- September 2025 FDA ENDS toxicology contract kept high-value regulatory work flowing through 2027.
- 2026 blog cadence and leadership hires signal active expansion across toxicology, bioanalysis, and respiratory programs.
What critics are saying
- September 2025 USDA warning and April 2026 PETA attack damage animal-research credibility.
- Federal-award dependence leaves Lovelace exposed if NIH or BARDA reallocate budgets in 2027.
- A major protocol failure or license action would cripple primate and containment-study revenue.
What makes Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute unique
- Not-for-profit CRO model and centralized high-containment campus anchor Lovelace’s niche.
- August 2026 BARDA H5N1 animal-model contract shows deep biodefense and infectious-disease capability.
- February 2026 hiring Andrew Alexander strengthens toxicology throughput and study execution.
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Company News
MRIGlobal appoints Shannon Toma as Chief Operating Officer. Will lead operations to drive execution, efficiency, and organizational impact. Kansas City, Mo. (June 29, 2026) - MRIGlobal today announced the appointment of Shannon Toma as Chief Operating Officer, effective June 29. In this role, she will lead enterprise operations, ensuring alignment across the organization to strengthen strategic execution, operational efficiency, and organizational growth and impact in support of MRIGlobal's mission. Her leadership will further enable MRIGlobal to scale its impact across global health and national security sectors. "Shannon brings a proven ability to lead complex organizations and deliver results. We believe that she will empower employees and foster their growth, while creating an environment where scientists thrive and drive business development," said Ian Colrain, Ph.D., President & CEO, MRIGlobal. "As we continue to grow and expand our impact, I'm confident that her leadership will strengthen MRIGlobal and help us operate with the speed, discipline, and excellence our customers expect." Toma joins MRIGlobal from Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, where she served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. In that role, she held enterprise accountability for operations, profit and loss, infrastructure, business development, and program delivery across regulated applied research portfolios. During her tenure at Lovelace, Toma played a key role in diversifying the organization's business portfolio, establishing its first dedicated business development function, and significantly increasing commercial revenue while reducing reliance on government funding. She also led long-term infrastructure modernization initiatives for their facilities and served as a primary executive interface for senior officials across a range of federal agencies. "I'm excited to join MRIGlobal at such a pivotal time. The organization's mission, talent, and capabilities are exceptional," said Toma. "I look forward to working alongside the team to strengthen operations, enhance collaboration, and deliver meaningful impact for our clients and partners. The work MRIGlobal performs is critical to solving complex challenges in global health and national security, improving people's lives around the world." Earlier in her career, Toma held leadership and financial roles at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Computer Sciences Corporation, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and Kyocera Wireless. She brings more than 20 years of experience spanning not-for-profit research and commercial sectors. Toma holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Connecticut and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA), and the Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI). About MRIGlobal MRIGlobal is an independent, nonprofit research institute that delivers scientific and engineering solutions to improve lives, protect national security, and advance global health. Since 1943, MRIGlobal has performed customized research and development for government and commercial partners, including advanced diagnostics, chemical and biological threat detection and mitigation, engineering services, and mobile laboratory and transport solutions.
Preclinical CRO Lovelace Biomedical names Dr. Andrew Alexander Senior Director of Preclinical Toxicology. [Albuquerque, N.M. - 2/5/2026] - Lovelace Biomedical, a not-for-profit preclinical contract research organization (CRO) that helps pharma, biotech, and federal partners generate the early-stage data required to advance therapies toward clinical testing, has appointed Andrew Alexander, DVM, PhD, MBA, DABT, Senior Director of Preclinical Toxicology. In this role, he will focus on operations and scientific rigor across Lovelace's preclinical research programs. Dr. Alexander brings more than 30 years of experience in academic research and CROs, with a career centered on building efficient, scalable preclinical operations that deliver high-quality science on predictable timelines. His background spans exploratory, non-GLP, and GLP studies across a wide range of therapeutic modalities, species, and delivery routes. As Senior Director, Alexander will work closely with study directors, operations, and leadership teams to optimize study design workflows, streamline proposal, quoting, and reporting processes, and support the expansion of new service lines and preclinical research models. "CROs play a critical role in helping sponsors meet regulatory and development milestones, and execution matters," said Dr. Alexander. "My focus at Lovelace is on streamlining operational efficiencies, strengthening transparency and communication, and making sure we deliver high-quality science on the timelines our sponsors depend on." Prior to joining Lovelace, he held senior leadership roles at Covance (now Labcorp) and Inotiv, overseeing preclinical toxicology, pharmacology, surgical and medical device safety programs. His experience includes study direction, leadership of large multidisciplinary teams, site leadership, full P&L responsibility, capital expansion projects, regulatory inspections, and direct collaboration with sponsors, regulators, and internal scientific staff. He has worked with organizations ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 life science companies. Dr. Alexander holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, a PhD in Biomedical Science, and an MBA, all from the University of Wisconsin, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT). Lovelace Biomedical is a not-for-profit preclinical CRO that helps pharma, biotech, and federal partners generate the critical safety, PK/TK, pharmacology, and efficacy data required to advance therapies toward clinical testing. With a science-first ethos, deep multidisciplinary expertise, and a secure, centralized high-containment research campus, Lovelace Biomedical deliver rigorous, customized studies for programs ranging from gene therapy to infectious disease and medical countermeasures.
To further enhance their research capabilities, NYMC, a member of TU, formed an affiliation with Lovelace last year.
Lovelace Biomedical is working with the NIH and other biomedical research laboratories to help develop and evaluate novel treatments to help mitigate this devastating public health problem.