Erik is a human cell physiologist and pathophysiologist by training. In this new role, Erik has one foot back in academia working with UAB and SR on basic science projects focused on the early stages of drug discovery and the other foot in applied science commercialization of these projects into new ventures seeded by strong therapeutic assets and technologies. Erik has devoted equal portions of his 35-year career to basic and applied science in academia and in applied and translational science in the life sciences and biotechnology industry. He trained at Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins in diseased versus normal human cell signaling with a focus on ion channel and receptor channel function. Erik is excited to be back in early-stage life sciences and biotechnology activities.

Matt Dover is the Manager of Infrastructure and System Administration at Southern Research. He has almost two decades of experience in the IT field, with eight of those years at Southern Research. Matt is responsible for managing many of SR’s IT systems, including servers, storage, authentication, and application virtualization. He is also the technical lead for Southern Research’s Office 365 deployment and will be a leading contributor as the company continues to move into the cloud computing space. Matt is a Microsoft certified professional with MCP, MCDST, MCSA, MCSE, and MCAA certifications. When he’s not working, he enjoys running, working out, and spending time with his kids.

Mayfield manages a broad range of in vivo and dose formulations services that support various scientific programs within CRO Services. A Birmingham native, she graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor’s degree in biology. Prior to joining Southern Research, Mayfield worked as a Veterinary Assistant with large, small, and exotic animals where she gained 8 years of Veterinary Medicine and Emergency Veterinary Medicine experience. Mayfield joined the Southern Research team in 2013 and continues to use her talent and expertise with oversight of project and staff adherence to quality and safety.

Anderson’s focus is on transitioning Southern Research’s culture into a place where employees thrive because of the learning and development opportunities offered. She designs and implements comprehensive leadership and professional development initiatives that empower Southern Research’s staff to build their expertise and enhance organizational performance. Anderson is passionate about learning and has 15+ years of experience working in the talent development arena. A Georgia native, Anderson has a Ph.D. from Mercer University in higher education leadership. She is a member of the national and local chapter of the Association of Talent Development and a contributing member for the Senior Executive Learning & Development Think Tank.

McArthur oversees the recruitment function at Southern Research. She has over 10 years of experience in Human Resources/Recruitment as a staffing leader. She formerly worked with international technology start-ups as the team lead, as well as running large scale RPO initiatives. McArthur graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Auburn University. She recently earned her Scrum Master Certification and is an active member of Church of the Highlands.

Curtis leads the maintenance and housekeeping teams at Southern Research. He has over 20 years of experience in facilities management and is committed to providing exceptional customer service while supporting the functional needs of Southern Research. Curtis is also involved in the implementation of the Master Campus Plan and upkeep and improvement of existing spaces. He is skilled in delivering projects on time and within budget. Curtis is a native of Birmingham and is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration. He has been with Southern Research for 13 years. In his personal time, he enjoys volunteering in the audio and media departments at his church.

Erin Luea is the Senior Scientist in the Toxicology Department. She brings more than 13 years of drug development experience in the execution, design, conduction, project management and reporting of regulated toxicology studies in support of IND applications for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Luea’s experience includes in vivo toxicology studies, safety pharmacology, safety pharmacology, and pharmacokinetic assessments in multiple species. She has detailed knowledge of FDA and OECD guidances that pertain to the design and conduct of general and specialized toxicology studies. Her areas of expertise include the safety assessment of oncolytic therapeutics and viral vectors. Luea also has more than 11 years of project team experience and has managed many outsourced bioanalytical, pharmacokinetic, and GLP toxicology studies. She has been on the project teams for more than 20 IND submissions for regulatory approval and has successfully fielded investigator questions during the approval process.

McQuilling leads the energy and environment research team, focusing on energy transition, energy storage testing and other environmental challenges. She has nearly 10 years of research experience in air quality, energy and agricultural topics, and her scientific record includes peer-reviewed publications and presentations on a wide range of topics. McQuilling joined Southern Research in 2016, where she oversaw the operation and commissioning of two energy storage systems. Her current focus includes proposals to improve air quality monitoring in underserved communities, ensure rural communities are included in electrification efforts, and prepare Alabama’s workforce to meet demands from the energy storage and electric vehicle sectors. McQuilling received a doctorate and a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from North Carolina State University.

Bao is a research scientist in the Chemistry Department at Southern Research. His main research interests are ADME, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, and bioanalytical chemistry.

Bao received a doctorate in chemistry from Rutgers University, after which he completed a two-year, post-doctoral study at Pfizer Inc. (formerly Parke-Davis). Before joining Southern Research in 2014, he held research & development positions at several pharmaceutical companies, including Wyeth, Cumbre, and Pharmasset, where he contributed to the discovery/development of Sofosbuvir (PSI-7977) and several other compounds that went into clinical trials.