Please join the OVPR as we welcome Melanie Lucas, the new Director for Research Compliance. Melanie will provide leadership and oversight of all animal research activities and will be responsible for the facilitation and support of all research involving animals at UConn Health, UConn's main campus in Storrs, and regional campuses.
Melanie brings valuable experience from her previous position at Penn State, where she managed compliance programs involving lab animals, aquatic species, agricultural research in production-style environments, wildlife research, biosafety in research and teaching environments, controlled substances in research, and hemp research. Additionally, she has led numerous accreditation visits and regulatory inspections and chaired the Penn State Animal Issues Response Team, dealing with disaster planning and response management.
Melanie earned a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in environmental engineering, both from Penn State. Through her degrees, she conducted wildlife field studies, deep-sea hydrothermal vent research, and acid mine drainage remediation. She is a Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA), a member of multiple professional organizations, has presented at professional conferences, and contributes to national groups such as PRIMR and FDP.
We are excited to have Melanie join the team and look forward to the expertise and leadership she brings to UConn’s research community.
For more information, contact: Matt Engelhardt at matthew.engelhardt@uconn.edu