Institutional Biosafety Committee Members

IBC Staff

IBC staff can assist with questions about IBC applications, meeting dates and operations, risk group classifications, research space inspections, or training.

Mr. Joshua Brown
Committee Secretary and Institutional Biosafety Officer
Phone: 49-41496
Email: brow1422@purdue.edu

Dee Odum
Environmental Technician
Phone: 49-47968
Email: codum@purdue.edu

Committee Members

Roster effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

Joshua C. Brown
Institutional Biological Safety Officer, Environmental Health and Safety, Purdue University, IBC Secretary and voting member
Email: brow1422@purdue.edu

John “Jay” R. Burgess, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Nutrition Sciences, Chair, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Purdue University, voting member
Email: burgessj@purdue.edu

Megan Ellis, MS, DVM
Clinical Veterinarian, Office of Research, Purdue University, voting member
Email: ellis68@purdue.edu

Steve Goodwin, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor, USDA/ARS Research Plant Pathologist, Botany and Plant Pathology, School of Agriculture, Purdue University, IBC Co-Chair and voting member
Email: sgoodwin@purdue.edu

Avtar K. Handa, Ph.D.
Professor, Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, School of Agriculture, Purdue University, alternate voting member
Email: ahanda@purdue.edu

Pramitha “Mita” Juristyarini, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of Research Safety, Environmental Health and Safety, Purdue University, voting member
Email: pjuristy@purdue.edu

Gregory T. Knipp, Ph.D.
Professor, Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, voting member
Email: gknipp@purdue.edu

Richard J. Kuhn, Ph.D.
Professor, Biological Sciences, Krenicki Family Director, Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, College of Science, Purdue University, IBC Chair and voting member
Email: kuhnr@purdue.edu

Donna Majewski
Community Member, voting member
Email: majewski.donna@gmail.com

Leslie Martin Conwell
Community Member, voting member
Email: lesliemartinconwell@gmail.com

Suresh K. Mittal, DVM, Ph.D.
Professor, Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, voting member
Email: mittal@purdue.edu

James L. Mohler, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President for Research, Office of Research, Purdue University, Responsible Official and ex-officio member
Email: jlmohler@purdue.edu

Jose E. Pietri, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, voting member
Email: jpietric@purdue.edu

Christopher A. Rice
Assistant Professor, Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, voting member
Email: carice@purdue.edu

Joshua Widhalm, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, alternate voting member
Email: jwidhalm@purdue.edu