Huntsville-based HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is expanding its leadership ranks.
The board of directors has named Richard Meyers, who currently serves as the president and science director, its new chief scientific officer and president emeritus. Neil Lamb, vice president for educational outreach, will serve as the new president of the institute. These executive changes go into effect on July 1.
According to the institute, momentum from recent growth and campus expansions has driven the need for an expanded executive team to manage the increased workload as well as maintain the company's vision and goals for success.
The institute, according to a release, has generated $3.2 billion in economic impact for the state of Alabama between 2006 and 2020, with an increase of $750 million from 2019 to 2020. The campus has more than 1,100 employees and 48 associate life science companies.
“Rick Myers and Neil Lamb have been critical to the success, innovation and growth we’ve seen since Lonnie McMillian and I first launched HudsonAlpha,” said Jim Hudson, HudsonAlpha co-founder and chairman of the board. “With Neil’s vision and work ethic leading the organization along with the innovative research led by Rick, we are truly poised to amplify our work as HudsonAlpha’s reach and impact continue to grow.”
Meyers has been with HudsonAlpha since 2008 and has served as president, science director and the M.A Loya chair in genomics since 2020. Meyers came to HudsonAlpha from Stanford University’s Human Genome Project where he led a team that was a major contributor to the project, an international research effort that sequenced the entire human genome. Under his leadership at HudsonAlpha, researchers apply genomic technology to uncover the causes of human disease and accelerate discoveries in plants and agriculture. As CSO, Myers will devote his focus to scientific discovery, achievement and momentum while providing strategic support and guidance to Lamb.
Lamb came to HudsonAlpha in 2006 and has led its education outreach team from conception. He has created teacher training and toolkits as well as student experiences, public enrichment and digital resources for science education. He has been a public ambassador for HudsonAlpha and an internal adviser for helping guide the institute’s growth. As president, he will drive the strategic vision and lead day-to-day operations for the organization.
