Lab Manager

Matthew Ulrich

Research Technician
147 Health and Human Development Building
University Park, PA  16802
814-863-2740
muu110@psu.edu

Shortly after earning a B.S. in Animal Behavior from Juniata College in 2002 I began teaching kayaking and inter-coastal ecology in Chincoteague, VA. I then moved back to the Philadelphia area to perform reproductive and neurobehavioral toxicology studies on rodents for a contract research lab. I Later joined an independent environmental testing lab to perform extractions for HPLC/MS and GC/MS analysis of wastewater and solid waste materials.

I relocated to the State College area in 2006 to be closer to my, now, wife and get away from the hustle of the city. I joined a small manufacturing company, specializing in salivary immunoassays, as a manufacturing technician and quickly progressed to become an R&D technician in charge of setting up a new laboratory and developing a salivary lateral flow device. After that project ended, I became their lead R&D and product and process improvement technician. In that position, I helped streamline the manufacturing, quality control, and testing facilities’ methodologies and worked to improve the reliability, accuracy, and precision of existing immunoassays. I also developed many new in house testing service assays and several new external assays still being sold on the market today.

In 2014, I joined Penn State University to earn a graduate certificate in applied statistics, help Dr. Engeland create the Stress and Immunity Lab, and be the lab manager. While here, I have used my lab experiences and immunoassay expertise to help establish an efficient, reputable, and highly reliable lab. I run many forms of immunoassays including ELISA, multiplex bead, and Meso Scale platform. In addition to testing standard biological fluids on these assays, I have also been working on development of protocols to test both saliva and wound fluid in both multiplex bead and Meso Scale platform. Currently, I am involved in testing for many research projects and hope to continue my services with the Stress and Immunity Lab for many years to come. Please feel free to contact me or the lab if either can be of any service.