The newly occupied Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building (NRB) is a state-of-the-art facility for WashU School of Medicine researchers, with many amenities and a team of dedicated staff. As of late March, Alicia Hubert has joined the NRB team as the newly appointed program manager and NRB operations liaison to research labs and green lab manager.
Alicia began her career at WashU as a research technician in the biology department before becoming the first sustainability coordinator at the School of Medicine. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, her position shifted to include equipment planning for the NRB, in addition to leading the sustainability program at WUSM. Shifting titles again into the Program Manager and NRB Operations Liaison, Alicia will continue equipment planning and updating, facilitate the replacement of inefficient lab equipment, and serve as a liaison between labs and WashU School of Medicine Operations & Facilities Management Department (OFMD) leadership.
David Lott, executive director of research facilities for the Fort Neuroscience Research Building states, “I am thrilled to welcome Alicia to my team. She played a crucial role in our recent move-in to Fort Labs, so it was an obvious choice to bring her on board in this new role. Alicia is highly organized, has extensive experience with all the labs, and has developed strong relationships with the researchers here. We will be relying on her expertise to conduct audits of lab space utilization, address lab-specific concerns, and assist department leadership with their recruitment space needs.”
Under her new title, Alicia will be providing a more hands-on approach to incorporating sustainability into the culture and daily operations of the newly occupied NRB labs, and supporting lab members through operational challenges. Alicia hopes that the Green Lab program in the NRB will become a model for other buildings on campus. Lott states, “Fort Labs researchers will directly benefit from the continuity of our staff from planning through occupancy. It will allow them to have greater focus on their research, knowing that Alicia will be there to support them with her expertise.”