 Dr. Edward Sobek
Dr. Sobek serves the lab in the capacity of President and Technical Director. His responsibilities include laboratory planning, procurement of contracts, experimental design, and approval of all analytical methods and research performed in the lab. Dr. Sobek also serves as the final authority approving all Standard Operating Procedures and Quality Assurance Policies. All laboratory agents report to him.
Dr. Sobek has over 14 years experience in mycology and indoor air quality. He has a master’s degree in Plant Pathology from Iowa State University, where he studied Fusarium disease transmission in field crops. He received his doctorate degree from Texas Tech University where he studied the ecology of desert molds. Dr. Sobek is an active researcher. He holds the appointment of Senior Research Scientist with the University of Tennessee’s Center for Environmental Biotechnology and has developed and patented several mold detection technologies. He is a sought after speaker on the scientific circuit by educational and governmental organizations that are anxious to learn how to use DNA to detect mold in residential and commercial properties. He has also published a variety of scientific papers, white papers, and trade articles for the IAQ industry. Dr. Sobek has received over $170,000.00 in government grants, his most recent award being a phase I SBIR from the USDA to reduce emissions of formaldehyde in particle and MDF board used in construction and furniture.
Dr. Sobek is also an Adjunct Faculty Member with the Plant Sciences Department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He teaches two courses entitled: Certified Mold Inspector, and Mold in the Home, School and Workplace. Both courses are geared toward using DNA methods to identify mold contamination issues, including report writing, investigation, and laboratory results interpretation.
Dr. Sobek founded the Outreach Program at Assured Biotechnology Corporation, where he and his staff educate elementary students concerning the importance of healthy indoor environments. A more advanced form of the program allows local high school classes to visit the lab on field trips to have hands-on experience with biotechnology and DNA assays for environmental microbiology.
He is an active member of the following organizations: the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and is serving his 4th term on the Technical Advisory Panel for laboratory accreditation and his 4th term on the Environmental Microbiology Task Force. He serves as a member for both the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and ASTM International where he is on the D22.08 subcommittee that works on the standardization of methods and guidelines for sampling and analysis of mold; International Society of Indoor Air Quality (ISIAQ); he is also a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the American and British Mycological Societies (MSA and BMS, respectively).
 Lyn Pope
Lyn Pope is the Lab Manager and Quality Assurance Officer at AssuredBio. During her time here, she assisted in the validation of laboratory methods. This included developing the quality assurance program, the chemical and biological safety plans, and the standard operating procedures. Lyn is a graduate from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor in Science in the field of Microbiology and a Bachelor in Art in the field of Sociology. Prior to joining the team at AssuredBio, she was employed by Saks Incorporated as a manager in Human Resources. Lyn enjoys spending her free time outdoors, camping with her family and friends.  Merissa McGraw
Merissa McGraw is the Senior DNA Analyst at AssuredBio. She specialized in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Tennessee and is in charge of ensuring all DNA analyses are run properly and in a timely manner. This includes all ERMI, Legionella and species ID samples sent into AssuredBio. When Merissa is not tinkering around in the lab you can find her hiking, skiing, mountain biking, or out on the lake depending on the season. Jing Wu  Jing is the Molecular Biology Analyst at AssuredBio. Her responsibilities include performing DNA analyses for Fungi and Bacteria. She has a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture, with major emphasis in Ornamental Plant, from Beijing Forest University in China. Prior to joining the team at AssuredBio, she was a Chemist in Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She likes swimming, jogging, dancing and spending time with her kids and family. 
Matthew Dinse Matthew Dinse is a lab technician at Assured Bio. He has a degree in Information Technology and Design. He enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and spending time with his fiance' (to be married march 2011). He has an insatiable hunger for learning about all kinds of technology, and is very grateful Assured Bio helps feed it.
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