Science & Security- Instructors

Program Instructors

Holly Bante

Holly A. Bante, PhD, MPH is the Associate Vice President for Research Security and Ethics in the Office of Research at the University of Cincinnati (UC) with oversight of export controls, research information security, conflicts of interest, and the classified research program. She is responsible for implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 requirements. Since 2019, Holly sits on the steering committee for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Forum on Conflicts of Interest and holds an adjunct assistant professor position in UC’s College of Medicine where she teaches responsible conduct of research (RCR) to graduate students and biomedical ethics to undergraduate students in the Medical Sciences program. She holds a Ph.D. in Bioethics from Saint Louis University.

Lisa Nichols

Dr. Lisa Nichols is Executive Director, Research Security at the University of Michigan with oversight of research security, research information security, export controls, and conflict of interest. She served as Principal Investigator on an NSF cooperative agreement to develop research security training for the U.S. research community, participated in the development of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 as a White House staff member, engages federal and institutional partners on research security as Co-Chair of the Federal Demonstration Partnership’s Research Security Subcommittee, and is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU)-Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Science and Security Working Group, Central Midwest Research Security Forum, and Big 10 Research Security working group. 
 
Dr. Nichols previously served as a Senior Director for Sponsored Research Programs and Research Security at the University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Director for Academic Engagement in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Director, Research and Regulatory Reform, with the Council on Governmental Relations, and Science Policy Analyst and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Mental Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Purdue University.

Clinton Schmidt

Clint Schmidt Executive Director, Research Security and Conflict of Interest at Penn State University. He oversees the institution’s Research Security Program and implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 requirements. Clint leads Penn State’s Conflict of Interest and Commitment program, which is responsible for research-related COI, Institutional COI, and Conflicts of Commitment. Clint earned a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from Boston University, and Juris Doctor from Temple University. Before joining Penn State, Clint worked in the legal field for several years, and prior to that worked in the IRB and IACUC office and the Sponsored Programs office at another institution.