Mann has been a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Medicine since 2002 and has worked at Southern Research since 2003. Mann has served as a study pathologist for numerous studies involving potential treatments for cancer and infectious diseases. Sponsors of the studies have included government agencies and commercial companies. Mann has served as the chair and vice chair of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. Mann received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Eastern Kentucky University and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Missouri. She completed two fellowships at Johns Hopkins University, one in comparative medicine and the other in radiation oncology.
Archives: Team Member
Kathryn Lanier
Lanier joined Southern Research in 2017 as the first STEM Education Outreach Director. She directs a statewide program that aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in science and engineering, in addition to training teachers involved in these fields. In addition to her role at Southern Research, Lanier represents Alabama’s 6th congressional district on the Mathematics Course of Study Committee and Alabama’s 7th congressional district on the Career Technical Education Course of Study Committee. She also serves on the Governor’s Advisory Council for Excellence in STEM. Lanier received her doctorate in chemistry from Georgia Tech, where she worked in the laboratory as part of the NASA Center for the Origin of Life. Lanier received the Georgia Tech Presidential Fellowship, an award allocated to the top 5% of each doctoral class for all four years of her doctoral studies. She was also a molecular biophysics and biotechnology fellow for three years. She was included in Georgia Southern University’s Top 40 under 40 in 2018 and Georgia Tech’s 40 Under 40 class in 2020.
Kristin Garrett
Garrett manages a project portfolio that operationalizes the organization’s people and community strategic initiatives, including supporting the organization’s talent recruitment and retention, employee safety, communications, community engagement, and STEM programs. Prior to joining Southern Research in 2022, Garret served as a program director at Alsana, where she oversaw the operational aspect of assigned programs. She earned a master’s degree in public health from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in community health education from Berea College. Garrett is a member of the American Public Health Association and Rotaract Club of Birmingham.
LaVinia Ray
Ray joined Southern Research more than 20 years ago as a histologist and has been promoted to new levels of responsibility as she continued to gain new education and skills. She has received a number of certifications in subject matter ranging from laboratory management to pathology informatics, and she has been recognized on many occasions by peers for her contribution to the field of histotechnology. She is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Alabama. In 2020, she was a member of Southern Research’s inaugural class of the SOAR Leadership Development Program.
Lexie Lehmann
Lehmann supports senior leadership in driving the organization’s strategic plan and due diligence projects. She has a background in project management and strategic planning for innovative and mission-driven organizations. Before joining Southern Research, Lehmann led strategic projects and economic development at Ed Farm, a STEM education non-profit headquartered in Birmingham which is partnered with Apple’s Community Education Initiative. At Ed Farm, she also assisted with early program development for the Propel Center, a $50M initiative spearheaded by Apple and Southern Company to create a global campus for HBCU collaboration in Atlanta. A Massachusetts native, Lehmann moved to Birmingham through a Venture for America fellowship. She is a member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham and the Vulcan Park and Museum’s Junior Leadership Board. She has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Columbia University and is working toward a credential as a project management professional.
Lynn Rasmussen
Rasmussen joined Southern Research in 2004 and is the supervisor of the High-Throughput Screening Center. Her background in laboratory automation and infectious disease research has been instrumental in developing this capability at Southern Research. Her many experiences in research include pivotal work in recent years to find treatments for COVID-19. She has bachelor’s degrees in both chemistry and biology from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Hood College. Rasmussen is a member of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, and she chairs the Special Interest Group on Labware Leachables.
Marianne P. Nurre
Nurre is responsible for implementing best practices for compliance with accounting standards and financial regulations governing federal contractors and non-profit organizations. She is acting controller with full finance and accounting responsibilities. She supports operating divisions with financial analyses, budgeting, and strategic planning. She has more 35 years of experience in public corporate accounting and finance with the majority of her career focused in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining Southern Research, Nurre served as controller for Evonik Corp.’s Birmingham Laboratories business. Nurre received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Xavier University in Cincinnati and a master’s in business administration from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. She is also a licensed certified public accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and National Contracts Management Association.
Michael Hudson
Hudson manages CRO/CMO relationships for domestic and international clients. He is a pharmaceutical scientist with more than 35 years of experience in product development. He is an expert in formulation, scale up, and manufacturing of complex drug delivery systems. He has led teams that resulted in three marketed controlled-release products. His technical background includes polymeric microsphere and implantable drug delivery systems, and he is an inventor and co-inventor of patented technology in this field. Before joining Southern Research, Hudson was global head of manufacturing services for Evonik Corp., where he established a contract manufacturing business at the Birmingham Laboratory site. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Birmingham Southern College.
Monica Mason
Mason leads efforts among the in vivo lab operations, veterinary, pathology, bioanalytics and the central repository teams in support of studies in toxicology, infectious disease, cell immunology and cancer therapeutics research programs. She is an experienced multi-disciplinary leader with a 30-year career in drug development. Before joining Southern Research in 2019 as a quality assurance auditor, she was a program manager at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she was responsible for operational administration of the Phase 1 clinical trials program. She has a master’s degree in anatomic science and a bachelor’s degree in biology from UAB. She holds industry-specific board certifications and earned UAB graduate certificates from the Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning, Teaching and Biotechnology and Regulatory Affairs programs.
Mustafa Syed
Syed serves as chemical process engineer at the National Carbon Capture center, a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored facility. The National Carbon Capture center is an internationally known neutral test facility that evaluates carbon capture technologies from third-party developers, such as research organizations, universities, and engineering firms from around the world. As an engineer, Syed is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the gas analysis laboratory located in Wilsonville, AL. Syed began his career with Southern Research in 2021, and prior to joining the team, he worked as a process engineer for four years in the design, testing and development of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) reactors and other innovative emissions controls technologies for power-generating and manufacturing plants. Syed holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Mississippi State University, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.