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James Elliot ’16, a process development scientist at New England Biolabs, Inc., considers himself very fortunate to have maintained some level of normalcy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic so far. Like everyone, his personal and work lives have been disrupted, but the nature of what he does has kept him busy at work.

Founded in the mid-1970s by scientists committed to developing innovative products for the life sciences, New England Biolabs is a recognized world leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of reagents for genomic research. It is considered an essential business in Massachusetts during this time.

“We are all working diligently to ensure that we stay safe while maintaining our business continuity in support of our many customers around the world,” James says. “When in the lab, my duties have shifted, like most of us at NEB, to working on high priority items, especially those relevant to COVID-19.”

While New England Biolabs’ products are available for research purposes only, James says the company has been supplying and supporting customers who are working diligently to develop better diagnostic tools and vaccines for the virus, giving him a huge sense of pride about where he’s working.

“I have learned that NEB has an unparalleled care for their employees and customers during this difficult time,” James says.

James studied biology at Salem State and later received a master of science degree at the University of Maine in Orono.

“I went into this field and studied what I did at SSU because I was fascinated by the problem solving associated with science,” James says. “One of my favorite parts of my graduate work was the development of a molecular diagnostic tool to test for an unrelated pathogen. So it is no secret that working at NEB has provided me personally with an interesting perspective to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

We are proud to call James one of our Viking Warriors who is making a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic!