George Grills is the Director of Operations of Core Facilities in the Life Sciences and Director of Advanced Technology Assessment at Cornell University, New York. He is responsible for the operations of the eight biotechnology facility laboratories of the Cornell University Life Sciences Core Laboratories Center, including DNA sequencing and genotyping, microarrays, epigenomics, proteomics and mass spectrometry, microscopy and imaging, mouse transgenics, bio-IT, and bioinformatics. He was previously the Director of DNA Sequencing, Director of Protein Microarrays, and Co-Director of GeneChip Microarrays at the Harvard Medical School-Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and Genomics. He has extensive experience in setting up and running life sciences core facility laboratories, in using the latest genomic technologies, and in testing and developing new technologies.
Kevin L. Knudtson, Ph.D. is the Director of the DNA Facility at the University of Iowa. The DNA Facility provides DNA sequencing (using capillary-based instruments), real time quantitative PCR, and DNA microarray services. Dr. Knudtson has also been an active member of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) and has served on the ABRF’s DNA Sequencing, DNA Microarray (past chair), and Nucleic Acid (past chair) research groups. Recently, Dr. Knudtson has developed and has begun offering services utilizing the Genome Sequencer FLX and SOLiD v3-plus next generation sequencing technologies. Dr. Knudtson and his team continue to explore ways to improve NGS services provided to the users of the DNA Facility.
Mr. Joseph Boland has been working at the Core Genotyping Facility at the NCI during the past two years heading up the Scientific Operations group. His group is tasked with evaluating new technology and rigorous testing before transfer to the groups within the Core Genotyping Facility.
Previously Mr. Boland was employed at GeneLogic for 14 years at which he served in various roles in R&D, Production and Quality Control. Joe received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from The Catholic University of America and a Master’s degree in Bioscience Management George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Dr. Lisa D. White is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Molecular & Human Genetics and Molecular & Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine. She is also Technical Director of the Chromosomal Microarray Analysis clinical diagnostic lab, Molecular Genetics Laboratories at BCM. The Director for the BCM Microarray Core Facility since September 2001, Dr. White earned her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Houston and was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center for Agricultural Biotechnology where she contributed to the development of a genetics transformation system in insects of medical and agricultural importance. She then gained extensive experience in DNA microarray technology through post-graduate work in the Dept. of Molecular & Human Genetics at BCM where her primary interest was the development of arrayed primer extension (APEX) technology for SNP genotyping for human identification testing. While at Identigene, Inc., a company specializing in DNA identity testing, she developed a bi-allelic SNP APEX microarray to be used as an ancillary test in human paternity testing and forensic identification. Dr. White began offering next generation sequencing services utilizing Illumina sequencing technology to users of the BCM Microarray Core Facility in 2009.