Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Contact Information

Email: evargas@emory.edu

Phone: 404-727-8083

Biography

Esmeralda Meyer is the leader of the IACUC Office, first as interim director in August 2021 and then as full-time director after April 1, 2022. She enjoys giving back to her professional communities, both related to animal care and use and to biosafety & biosecurity. Recently, she contributed to the review of a few AALAS training modules. She is also an experienced biological safety professional with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry at the bench and within environmental health and safety. She is skilled in biorisk management, epidemiology, public speaking, molecular biology, emergency response, the use of laboratory animals in research including non-human primates, emerging biotechnologies, biosafety, and Research Safety.

In 2018, Esmeralda earned her Juris Master focused on Compliance from Emory University School of Law. Esmeralda's professional background includes a medical degree from Universidad del Rosario – Colombia and a post-doctoral fellowship in the Malaria Program at the Emory Vaccine Center. She is a member of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) since 2015 and holds the following certifications: Registered Biosafety Professional, Certified Biological Safety Professional, and Biorisk Management (IFBA). In January 2024, Esmeralda became a Certified Professional in IACUC Administration sponsored by PRIMR.

Contact Information

Email: jadam12@emory.edu

Biography

Jon Adams is a Research Protocol Analyst who will be assisting with Site Inspections and PAMs. Jon has been with Emory for 26 years and before coming to the IACUC office was a lab manger in a research lab. He holds a BS in Chemistry and MS in Biochemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Contact Information

Email: jbgoldm@emory.edu

Phone: 404-727-3196

Biography

Jessica Goldman has been in ORA since 2006, serving in several roles over the years. Currently, she is a
Senior Research Protocol Analyst in the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Department. She is responsible for protocol reviews, providing administrative and operational support
to the principal investigators, the IACUC Committee and her colleagues. Jessica went to undergrad at
Emory University and holds a BA in Psychology.

Contact Information

Email: skaur@emory.edu 

Phone: tba

Biography

Surinder Gill (AKA Sohni Gill) is a Research Protocol Analyst in the Operations team. Sohni received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Punjab University in India before coming to the US. She also earned a Master of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Microbiology from Georgia State University. Sohni brings her skills and knowledge from the bench as a research specialist lead. Sohni has been at Emory University for 13 years.

Contact Information

Email:vleon3@emory.edu 

Phone: tba

Biography

Vidal Leon is a Research Protocol Analyst in the Operations team. Vidal received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology from California State University San Marcos. Vidal brings experience in Antibody development in rodent models, animal handling, and IACUC committee operations from 12 years as a Research Scientist with MilliporeSigma. Prior to joining the Emory IACUC, he was a Lead Research Specialist for a year at the Emory National Primate Research Center.

Contact Information

Email:ashifer@emory.edu

Phone: 470-586-1253

Biography

Ayalnesh Shiferaw is the newest member of the IACUC office. She provides administrative and operational support to the principal investigators and the IACUC Committee. Prior to joining the ORA, she was a Lead Research Specialist for several years at the Emory National Primate Research Center. Experience gained in those prior roles has been instrumental in assisting investigators to navigate their study protocols. 

Contact Information

Email: dweiss2@emory.edu

Biography

Daiana Weiss is a Research Integrity Manager in the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). In her role as a manager, she provides direct oversight of the Research Integrity unit of the IACUC office including supervision of all employees within the group. She has primary responsibility for completion of activities that fall under the general category of regulatory compliance, including but is not limited to semiannual site inspections and program reviews, investigation of noncompliance allegations and conduct of a post approval monitoring program (PAM).

Daiana has a M.D degree and has worked at Emory since 1998. Before joining the IACUC office, she worked as a scientist in the Department of Medicine.

Contact Information

Email: rmorant@emory.edu

Biography

Ruel Morant is a Research Administration Specialist and the newest member of the IACUC Office team. He is primarily responsible for training related matters for investigators and their teams, managing office communications, and providing assistance to other members of the IACUC Office and RCRA as a whole. Prior to this position, Ruel was a Year-Up Scholar, and studied for several years at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Currently, Ruel also volunteers regularly at AWARE Wildlife Center.