Ian Glasgow, PhD, President
As a young boy, Ian built a 35mm camera, landsailer, pinewood derby car and model airplane. He also watched his father, an enterprising engineer, run his own small company. In graduate school, Ian became fascinated with biology. He spent many years developing life science instrumentation at other companies before setting out on his own to build Next Advance from the ground up.
Ian believes motivating and encouraging his employees is time well spent. He wants everyone, including himself, to enjoy coming to work. Ian makes sure the company is financially stable and growing. His strategic vision is invaluable in moving Next Advance forward, whether he is taking on new projects, employees, or processes.
For Ian, there is no greater joy than knowing Next Advance products are being used for all kinds of noble causes, such as combating diseases, improving nutrition, developing biofuels and discovering more effective ways to deliver drugs.
Running his own business is a 24/7 operation, but when Ian manages to pull away from the office he enjoys relaxing with his family, reading science magazines and traveling the world.
Eric LaPier, Scientist
When Eric was a kid, he always loved to take things apart and put them back together. One of the things he loves best about his job at Next Advance is that he still gets to tinker. Eric does everything from developing assays to protocol development to validating production lots. He even invented the Quietek CO2 Induction System.
Much of Eric’s time is spent analyzing existing workflows and developing new ones, providing continuous improvements and helping bring products to market. Eric also understands the needs of the customer inside and out. He’s available for support, whether it’s about an invoice or how to get good RNA out of your samples.
On his off-days, Eric enjoys spending time with his family. When he isn’t fixing things around the house, he loves to go snowboarding, camping, hiking, and riding his four-wheeler.
Vandhana (a.k.a. Vanda) Chari, Senior Biologist
Vanda aspired to become a doctor, but it was difficult to achieve that goal due to societal norms in India. She quickly set her sights on becoming a researcher and never turned back. Vanda’s research experience spans the fields of neurological diseases, sickle cell disease, and cancer biology. She later moved into cellular and tissue engineering, where she found she could best contribute by developing products for other researchers.
For Vanda, there’s nothing more exciting than bringing new ideas to the table to develop products and improve existing ones. She also enjoys putting together communications materials that help customers better understand Next Advance products and how they can benefit from them. Working with colleagues who are experts in different fields of the manufacturing and production process has widened her knowledge base and keeps her brain firing on all cylinders.
Vanda is devoted to her family. Her children are aspiring engineers and Vanda has picked up pointers from them. She also enjoys hiking and is learning to play the violin.
Contact Our Team at Next Advance Headquarters
