Membership Committee

The Membership Committee provides metrics on the membership, develops and implements programs for member recruitment and retention, and provides membership outreach and support in conjunction with the ABRF Executive Board, the Executive Director and the ABRF Membership Staff.

Activities

ABRF Quarterly Membership Orientation - Your Questions Answered

Join the Membership Committee for a quarterly overview of all that ABRF has to offer.

Next Orientation:

January 13, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CSSfJz1CQH-30OEdtl7V-Q

presented by:

Andrew Vinard
Director for Research Infrastructure Support
Office of the Vice Provost for Research | Tufts University

This interactive session will provide an overview of key features of ABRF membership, for new and experienced members alike, as well as the opportunity for you to ask questions and offer suggestions for how ABRF can help you address your challenges.

Topics include:

How to connect with colleagues in various technology areas through the Core Community
How can ABRF help you raise your professional profile?
What are the key skills you’d like to develop? How can ABRF help?
Are you meeting your career advancement goals?

ABRF Peer Mentoring Conversations

Join your ABRF colleagues to discuss shared questions, common challenges, or issues that you’re facing in your career or professional journey. The monthly ABRF Peer Mentoring conversations are scheduled for:

Third Tuesdays of the Month
2:00 – 3:00 pm ET
Register here.

Held monthly, these peer-to-peer mentoring discussions will be an opportunity to learn from one another and to identify new ideas or approaches to situations you may face within your roles.

Similar to an informal mentoring program, these small-group conversations are an opportunity to leverage the diverse experiences and abilities within the ABRF Community.

Possible topics for peer conversations include

Professional development options
Core facility career paths
Balancing cost recovery with the need to be cutting edge
Authorship and tracking publications
Training

The specific number and topics discussed during the Peer Mentoring Conversations will be determined by the participants. Everyone will have the opportunity to move among topics based on their interests and the value they receive from the discussions.

Register today and include any suggested topics you’d like to discuss with your ABRF peers. Capacity for this pilot Peer Mentoring Conversation session will be limited, so sign up today to save your seat.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.
We look forward to welcoming you to ABRF.

ABRF Member Resources & Testimonials

Membership Brochure - a brief overview of ABRF Membership

New Member Orientation - an overview of the resources available through ABRF

COMPASS - a year-long series to introduce the features of ABRF membership to new members

Membership Matters - updates for continuing ABRF members

Member Get a Member Program. Help educate your colleagues and encourage them to join the ABRF - and receive something back in return!
Hear from Your Colleagues - learn more about the value of participating in ABRF.

Questions or interest in joining an ABRF committee? Contact us!

Current Membership

Sara Bowen (Executive Board liaison) - Barrow Neurological Institute
Marcus Casperson, Mayo Clinic
Andrew Gorzalski, University of Nevada, Reno
Kevin Knudtson - University of Iowa
Ian Lightcap - University of Notre Dame
Anoja Perera (Chair) - Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Aaron Pitre - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Verna Simon - Mayo Clinic
Thayumanasamy Somasundaram - Florida State University
Sean Vargas - University of Texas at San Antonio
Andrew Vinard, Tufts University
Molly Zeller, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Membership History

Member Name	Organization	Details
Stephen A Bobin	Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School	Chair: 02/08 - 02/09 Member: 02/09 - 02/11 Member: 06/06 - 02/08
Dr Sridar V Chittur	SUNY Albany	Member: 02/09 - 03/12
Dr Michelle L. Cilia	USDA-ARS	Member: 03/11 - 03/13
Seth Crosby	WUStL	Member: 04/18 -
David Darr	UNC Lineberger Cancer Center	Member: 04/18 -
Michelle M Detwiler	Roswell Park Cancer Institute	Member: 08/11 - 03/12 EB liaison: 09/08 - 02/09
Lowell H Ericsson	AAA Laboratory	Member: 01/00 - 01/01
Rebecca P. Ettling	Medical Univ. of S. Carolina	Member: 07/02 - 09/03
Dr Audree V. Fowler	UCLA	Member: 01/00 - 01/01
Dr. David B. Friedman	ABRF	Member: 02/09 - 05/10 Ad hoc: 10/13 - 03/14 EB Liaison: 05/10 - 08/11
George S. Grills	Cornell University	Member: 06/06 - 02/11 EB Liaison: 03/13 - 04/14
Ms. Rebecca A. Halpin	J. Craig Venter Institute	Member: 11/03 - 02/06
Dr William G Hendrickson	Univ. of Illinois, Chicago	Member: 04/12 - 01/14
Dr. Leslie M. Hicks	Donald Danforth Plant Science Center	Chair: 02/11 - 03/12 Member: 03/12 - 03/13 Member: 02/09 - 02/11
Peter Hunziker	University of Zurich	Member: 01/00 - 01/01
Hana Konecna	Masaryk University, Czech Republic	Member: 07/02 - 02/08
Dr. Elke Kuster-Schock	McGill University, CIAN	Chair: 03/12 - 10/13 Member: 03/10 - 03/12 Ad hoc: 05/15 -
Mr Douglas J. Lamont	University of Dundee	Member: 02/11 - 12/13
Dr Marc M Lemaitre	Glen Research	Member: 01/00 - 01/01
Dr Kathryn S Lilley	University of Cambridge	Member: 02/08 - 01/10 EB Liaison: 03/05 - 02/08
Tom McHugh	University of Maryland School of Medicine	Member: 07/18 -
Dr. Ken I Mitchelhill	Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute	Member: 01/00 - 01/01
Claudius Mundoma	Florida State University	Member: 04/14 - 06/15 Co-Chair: 06/15 - 04/18 EB Liaison: 04/18 - 03/22
Dr. Ronald L. Niece	Research Resources & Technologies	Chair: 02/09 - 03/10 Chair: 04/02 - 12/04 Member: 12/04 - 02/09 Member: 03/10 - 10/13 Member: 04/19 - 05/23 Interim Chair: 10/13 - 04/14
Dr. Brett S Phinney	Proteomics Core UC Davis Genome Center	EB Liaison: 09/11 - 03/13
Margaret Robertson		Member: 07/02 - 01/03 Member: 10/13 - 01/14
Dr. Kathleen M Schegg	Univ of Nevada, Reno	Chair: 12/04 - 02/06 Member: 11/03 - 12/04 Member: 02/06 - 02/09
Peter A. Schweitzer	Cornell University	Chair: 02/06 - 05/07 Member: 05/07 - 05/10 Member: 11/03 - 02/06
Jack Simpson	US Pharmacopeia	EB Liaison: 02/09 - 04/10
Aaron Sin	Sigma-Aldrich Corp	Member: 05/12 - 09/14
Thayumanasamy Somasundaram	Florida State University	Member: 04/19 - 05/23
Dr. Daniel J Strydom	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Member: 01/00 - 01/01
Dr Derrick J Swinton	Lincoln University	Member: 03/10 - 03/13
Theodore W Thannhauser	USDA/Agricultural Research Service	Chair: 03/10 - 02/11 Member: 03/05 - 02/06 Ad hoc: 02/06 - 03/10 EB Liaison: 04/02 - 03/05
Dr. Satya P. Yadav	Cleveland Clinic Fndn Res Inst	Member: 01/00 - 01/01