Program Summary

Dr. Wesley Johnson (Chemical and Biological Controls), and Dr. Alex Lopes (Director, Office of Nonproliferation and Treaty Compliance), both from the Bureau of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce, will team up and join the biosafety and export control communities to discuss regulatory matters associated with our institutions’ compliance programs. 

The primary objectives are to ensure attendees:

1. Understand, from the regulators themselves, how the current regulatory climate affects fundamental research;
2. Identify emerging technologies that have or will have both a biosafety and export control oversight expectation (e.g., what is new since COVID?);
3. Understand the regulatory prospective on foundational and emerging technology;
4. Understand the current basic elements of biosafety and export control compliance programs; and
5. Identify best practices or potential ideas for developing critical overlaps between the institutions’ Biosafety and Export Control compliance programs.      

Through didactic presentations, Dr. Lopes and Johnson will summarized the regulatory prospective influencing standardized research practices and new technologies contributing to “fast moving” research.  In addition, program facilitators and faculty will facilitate opportunities for attendees to discuss their institutions’ programs, and participate in question and answer sessions.  The program will wrap-up with an opportunity for attendees to work with the speakers on ideas and best practices for improving our institutions’ programs.

Program Faculty Members:

Bill Greer, B.S., CPIA, LAT, Assistant Vice President for Research, Research Compliance, UM

Bill is the Assistant Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan (U-M), and has over 30 years of experience in research compliance oversight.  He joined U-M in 2016 where he manages the biosafety, animal care, controlled substance and autonomous vehicle compliance programs.  Prior to the U-M, he served as the Associate Director for Research Compliance at Penn State University where he managed the biosafety, animal care, and radiation compliance programs. Bill also served as Penn State’s IBC chair, IACUC vice chair, and the senior administrative representative on the isotope committee.  He received his Bachelor’s in Microbiology from Penn State University in 1985, and continues to serve the research compliance community through involvement, and by developing and administering compliance training programs.  In 2005, he organized and held the first IACUC Administrators’ Best Practices Meeting, and continues to hold at least three annual meetings.  In 2012, Bill held the first IBC Administrators Best Practice Meeting, which led to the establishment of the Biosafety Administrators Association (BSAA). 

Quinton Johnson, J.D. EcOP, Export Compliance Officer, UNC Chapel Hill

Quinton is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law. He began his career in research administration at VCU as a Senior Research Compliance Analyst, and later became the director of VCU’s export and trade sanctions compliance program. Quinton currently runs UNC Chapel Hill’s Export Program and is an active member of the Association of University Export Compliance Officers. He has presented at several conferences across the country including SRA International. Quinton is experienced in identifying gaps in regulatory compliance in the university setting, and creating compliance efficiencies through process improvement, cost-benefit analysis, systems testing, and improved communication. Previous to his time at UNC, Quinton taught Business Law at Forsyth Technical Community College, researched regulatory policy at George Washington University, and spent time at the law firm Tolin and Elam PLLC.

Wesley Johnson, B.S., Ph.D., Bureau of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce

Dr. Johnson is a microbiologist with the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S.

Department of Commerce. He holds a BS and PhD in marine science and has an extensive background in microbial ecology, molecular microbiology, functional genomics, and metagenomics.  He has served for seven years as a licensing officer and technical subject matter expert for the Chemical and Biological Controls Division of BIS, which implements the Export Administration Regulations for export of dual-use biological and chemical commodities and technologies.  Dr. Johnson also serves as the biological technical expert for the Department of Commerce for the Australia Group multilateral export control regime, with a primary focus on synthetic biology and emerging biotechnologies.

Alexander Lopes, M. ED., BSCSE, Bureau of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce

Alex Lopes is Director of the Office of Nonproliferation & Treaty Compliance (NPTC) at the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). NPTC is responsible for developing, administering and refining export controls on items that can be used to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and for the missiles to deliver them. NPTC is also responsible for administering U.S. unilateral export controls and international sanctions. In addition to export control responsibilities, NPTC administers U.S. industrial compliance with international arms control treaties (e.g., Chemical Weapons Convention) and represents U.S. industry and security perspectives in multilateral arms control deliberations (e.g., Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention).

Prior to assuming his current position in August 2008, Mr. Lopes was the Director, Deemed Exports and Electronics Division in the Office of National Security and Technology Transfer Controls. Before joining the Department of Commerce in 2002, Mr. Lopes was a high school physics teacher. This followed twenty-one years of service in the United States Navy devoted primarily to operational assignments aboard nuclear attack and fleet ballistic missile submarines and submarine support assignments ashore. Before retiring from the Navy in 1998, he served as Deputy Director for the Export Licensing Division of the Navy International Programs Office and as Strategic Policy Analyst for Nuclear Arms Controls Division of the Joint Staff. Mr. Lopes has a Master of Education Degree from George Mason University (2000) and a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy (1977).

Andrew Maksymowych, Ph.D., Associate Director, Biosafety Programs

Andrew has been at the University of Pennsylvania since 2006.  He is Penn’s Associate Director for Biological Safety Programs, Penn’s Institutional Biosafety Officer, IBC Administrator, and the Institutional Contact for Dual Use Research.  He sits on the Vice Provost’s for Research, Human Research Advisory Committee, the Human Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, and the Cadaver and Body Parts Oversight Committee.  Andrew obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Villanova University, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Bryn Mawr College.  He has more than 20 years of teaching and 35 years of research experience.  A major portion of which included oversight of research safety and compliance programs.  Prior to his journey at Penn, he held a faculty appointment at Thomas Jefferson University where his research focused on the analysis of structure-function relationships in proteins, including protein toxins that poison the human nervous system.  Most recently, the mechanism of action of botulinum neurotoxins.  Andrew attended his first Best Practice Meeting in 2015 and has since been continually involved with Biosafety Administrator’s Association.