Biosafety & Compliance Leadership
for Research Institutions, Biotech,
and Government Labs.
Protecting people & keeping the science moving
From commissioning to compliance: 13+ years providing biosafety support for high-containment facilities, including engineering review, decontamination validation, program documentation, and training for scientific operations.
Good science needs good safety.
Sometimes the program just hasn't kept up.
I talk to a lot of teams where the research is moving fast and the safety infrastructure got left behind. Not because anyone dropped the ball, just because the priorities were somewhere else. Here's what that usually looks like.
The committee is slowing things down.
Protocols are sitting in review, researchers are frustrated, and the IBC feels more like a roadblock than a resource. Nobody has time to fix the process because everyone's busy doing everything else.
The regulations are hard to keep up with.
Human gene therapy guidelines shift, select agent requirements are dense, and the people managing your program haven't been through a CDC or USDA inspection before. It's a lot to figure out without someone who's done it.
The safety manual exists, but nobody's using it.
Training gets treated as a checkbox. Researchers do what they need to do to stay compliant on paper, but the actual culture in the lab doesn't match the documentation. And that gap is where risk lives.
There's no one dedicated to biosafety.
The person overseeing your program is also managing five other things. You need someone who's done this full-time, at facilities just as complex as yours, who can walk in and see what needs attention.
Compliance shouldn't stop science
Navigating IBC, IRB, and select agent regulations is complex. Missteps can lead to costly delays, safety incidents, or funding freezes.
Culture vs. Compliance
Your safety protocols exist on paper, but your researchers view them as obstacles rather than essential practices
Services
Program Audit & Gap Analysis
Find the gaps before an agency or incident does
Pre-inspection gap assessments for NIH, CDC, USDA, OSHA, and EPA requirements with prioritized corrective action plans tied to operational risk. Biosafety, chemical hygiene, and EHS program reviews that compare your written program to actual lab practice, and fix the delta. Third-party compliance audits that give leadership a defensible, documented picture of liability and a clear path to close findings
Biosafety Program Development
For new labs, new agents, or programs that need to mature beyond binders on a shelf
Audit-ready Biosafety and IBC programs built for BSL-2/BSL-3/BSL-4/ABSL facilities, aligned with NIH Guidelines, CDC BMBL, and USDA requirements. Vast experience with select agents and as a responsible official. Risk-based agent protocols and SOPs that satisfy regulators and make sense to bench scientists - no copy-paste templates
Lab Design & Biosafety Consultation
Where engineering controls meet daily science
High-containment biosafety support from commissioning to operations: HVAC review, BSC placement, decontamination validation, and workflow verification. Design review for new builds and renovations so you catch containment issues before concrete is poured. Speed up the commissioning and approval process
Training & Incident Response
Because programs fail when people aren't prepared
Role-specific training for high-containment operations - PIs, research staff, facilities, and EHS - with competency documentation. Incident response planning and post-event support, including root-cause analysis, reporting, and program updates that prevent recurrence. Tabletop exercises and drills for BSL-3 exposures, facility failures, and security events so your team knows what to do when alarms sound
This might be a good fit if...
I work with organizations where the biological risks are real and the regulatory stakes are high. If any of this sounds like your situation, I'm happy to talk it through.
Let's talk about itYour IBC needs oversight, or you just want a second set of eyes on your protocols
You're running human gene therapy trials and the review process is taking too long
You have high containment facilities and need help with risk assessments or select agent compliance
You're getting ready for a CDC or USDA inspection and want a third party to review and help you prepare
You want your researchers to actually understand the safety program, not just check the boxes
How We Get Started
Request a Proposal
Tell me about your lab, your agents, and your compliance challenge. I'll respond within 1-2 business day with clarifying questions and a scope outline.
Request a Proposal
Tell me about your lab, your agents, and your compliance challenge. I'll respond within 1-2 business day with clarifying questions and a scope outline.
On-Site Support Available
Many projects can be done 100% remote. For some projects like decontamination validation, facility walk-throughs, or hands-on training, I travel to your site. We'll determine what makes sense during scoping.
Where I've been
Sitero
Vice President, Research Compliance Services
Sitero
Vice President, Research Compliance Services
2022–2025
“Scaling compliance services with ethics at the center.”
Some of the other players in the industry were doing this rubber-stamping thing. Pay to play. That's not how we worked. I led IBC, IRB, and DSMB services, served as the Institutional Official for the IRB, chaired the Biosafety Advisory Board, and built a team of technical experts. We worked with clinical, agricultural, and academic clients, and the standard was always ethics and safety first.
USDA / NBAF
Deputy Director, then Science Advisor
USDA / NBAF
Deputy Director, then Science Advisor
2020–2022
“A brand-new $1.25B national defense facility, built from the ground up.”
NBAF was coming online with BSL-3, BSL-4, and large animal containment all at once. I oversaw more than 100 people across animal resources, biorisk management, and facilities engineering. I was the Responsible Official for the select agent program, I led working groups with government partners and contractors, and I stepped in as acting Director when that was needed. We kept full compliance across every containment level.
Merrick & Company
Associate Director, Biological Safety and Security
Merrick & Company
Associate Director, Biological Safety and Security
2018–2020
“Leading biorisk management and laboratory operations for high-containment stand-up projects.”
I served as Project Lead supporting laboratory operations on containment and integration of stand-up projects, with an emphasis on biorisk management, safety, health, environmental management, animal care and use, and security. I participated in high-level working groups and technical discussions with U.S. Government partners, managed multimillion-dollar budgets including cost projections and invoice review, and coordinated large groups of diverse technical experts — from subject matter experts and contracting staff to government partners and strategic planners. I also reviewed and edited management documents, training tools, SOPs, and program manuals to decrease risk and increase efficiency.
Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Director of Biosafety Programs / Responsible Official
Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Director of Biosafety Programs / Responsible Official
2017–2018
“A biosafety program covering BSL-2 all the way through ABSL-4.”
Texas Biomed needed unified leadership across a wide range of containment levels, and they were building new high-containment labs at the same time. I led the biosafety and biocontainment group, served as Responsible Official for select agents, reviewed the architectural and engineering designs for new maximum containment construction, and wrote the safety plans and SOPs.
Southern Research Institute
Biosafety Program Manager / Responsible Official
Southern Research Institute
Biosafety Program Manager / Responsible Official
2015–2017
“Running the select agent program and being the point person for federal inspections.”
I was the Responsible Official and the primary contact when CDC or USDA showed up for inspections. I chaired the IBC and several review panels, and I built out the safety plans, security plans, incident response plans, and personnel suitability processes. The goal was always to be ready before the regulators arrive, not after.
UCLA
Associate Biosafety Officer
UCLA
Associate Biosafety Officer
2014–2015
“4,000 researchers trained in two months.”
UCLA had hundreds of labs at different risk levels, and the IBC compliance training needed a complete overhaul. I built a new training module from scratch, and more than 4,000 researchers completed it in two months. I also put together the biosafety website, ran monthly hands-on training for groups of 50+, served on the IBC, and responded to emergency biological incidents when they came up.
NIH
Fellow, National Biocontainment and Biosafety Training Program
NIH
Fellow, National Biocontainment and Biosafety Training Program
2013–2014
“Where I learned every containment level from the inside.”
This is where it all started for me in biosafety. I did over 40 lab surveys across BSL-1, 2, 3, select agent areas, and animal facilities on the NIH campus. I trained on BSL-3 and BSL-4 validation, ran accident investigations, and reviewed pathogen and recombinant DNA registrations. It gave me hands-on experience at every level.
Trusted by researchers and institutions.
I highly recommend the services of Dr. Sarah Ziegler, Biosafety Professional. Sarah is a highly capable biosafety professional and can easily identify any potential weaknesses in laboratory practices and procedures. I worked with Sarah to provide biosafety support at Southern Research and Texas Biom...
I've had the privilege of partnering with Sarah (or Dr. Ziegler) in our consulting work and have consistently been impressed by her depth of biosafety expertise. Her command of biosafety principles and practices is exceptional, and she integrates that knowledge thoughtfully into each engagement. She...
“I highly recommend the services of Dr. Sarah Ziegler, Biosafety Professional. Sarah is a highly capable biosafety professional and can easily identify any potential weaknesses in laboratory practices and procedures. I worked with Sarah to provide biosafety support at Southern Research and Texas Biom...”
“I've had the privilege of partnering with Sarah (or Dr. Ziegler) in our consulting work and have consistently been impressed by her depth of biosafety expertise. Her command of biosafety principles and practices is exceptional, and she integrates that knowledge thoughtfully into each engagement. She...”
Sarah A. Ziegler, Ph.D.
I got into science because I was going to cure cancer. I was going to feed the world. That idealism led me to a Ph.D. at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where I spent years in BSL-3 labs researching chikungunya virus, working with mosquitoes and mice, trying to understand how to treat the disease.
Then I made a jump that changed everything. I moved into biosafety and realized that instead of working on one disease for my whole career, I could help all of the researchers at the institution. That was the moment it clicked.
Since then, I've worked my way through some of the most demanding biosafety environments in the country: the NIH, UCLA, Southern Research, Texas Biomed, and the USDA's National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, where I supervised over 100 people and served as Responsible Official at every containment level up to BSL-4.
What drives me hasn't changed. My passion is people. That's my leadership style, that's how I approach every engagement. When we're talking about worker safety, reviewing study protocols, or building compliance programs, it always comes back to that. I want to leave every program in a better place than where it started, with a team that can sustain it on their own.
Sarah A. Ziegler, Ph.D, RBP, SM(NRCM), CBSP
Biosafety & Research Compliance Consultant
I got into science because I was going to cure cancer. I was going to feed the world. That idealism led me to a Ph.D. at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where I spent years in BSL-3 labs researching chikungunya virus, working with mosquitoes and mice, trying to understand how to treat the disease.
Then I made a jump that changed everything. I moved into biosafety and realized that instead of working on one disease for my whole career, I could help all of the researchers at the institution. That was the moment it clicked.
Since then, I've worked my way through some of the most demanding biosafety environments in the country: the NIH, UCLA, Southern Research, Texas Biomed, and the USDA's National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, where I supervised over 100 people and served as Responsible Official at every containment level up to BSL-4.
What drives me hasn't changed. My passion is people. That's my leadership style, that's how I approach every engagement. When we're talking about worker safety, reviewing study protocols, or building compliance programs, it always comes back to that. I want to leave every program in a better place than where it started, with a team that can sustain it on their own.
Career Timeline
Education
Common Questions
Azelia Labs
Sarah’s consulting work is delivered through Azelia Labs, a biosafety and research-compliance practice serving research institutions, biotech companies, and government laboratories.
Get in touch
Let's talk about
your program.
I work with a small number of clients at a time. If you're building a biosafety program, fixing one, or just want to talk through what's going on, I'm happy to have that conversation. No pressure.
Manhattan, Kansas - Available for remote consulting and travel