Pre conference course F - The Biocontainment Challenge: BSL2 to BSL3 Upgrade Simulation Game - Instructors
EBSA course
Pre conference course F - The Biocontainment Challenge: BSL2 to BSL3 Upgrade Simulation Game
About the speakers
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Faye Litherland
Educational qualifications:
- BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering, Aston University
- Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council)
- Chartered Scientist (Science Council)
- Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
- NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
Current Position:
- Managing Director – Blue Sky Process Engineering Limited
- Consulting Process Engineer – Specialist in Biological Containment, GMP and Research Facility Design
Experience
Faye is an experienced process engineer specialising in biocontainment facility design and retrofit projects, including upgrades from BSL2 to BSL3 and BSL4. She has delivered complex retrofits where legacy infrastructure, operational continuity, and regulatory compliance posed significant challenges. Her work focuses on developing upgrade strategies that integrate architectural, HVAC, process, and clean utility modifications into constrained spaces, ensuring compliance with international biosafety standards.
She has chaired structured risk assessments (SWIFT, HAZOP) and advised on phased construction strategies to sustain partial operations during upgrades. Faye has overseen crisis scenarios involving commissioning delays and operational readiness challenges, translating technical risks into practical solutions for stakeholders.
Examples of her work include:
- Bavarian Nordic, Denmark – Led the upgrade of an existing vaccine manufacturing facility from BSL2 to BSL3, integrating retrofit and new-build components within strict timelines and regulatory requirements.
- Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand – Peer review and compliance strategy for a new BSL2/BSL3 laboratory and greenhouse complex.
- UK Health Security Agency, UK – Subject Matter Expert for contained utilities, contained drainage, and effluent decontamination systems in BSL3/BSL4 laboratories during a major site consolidation project.
- Institute of Animal Health, UK – Designed and integrated solid and liquid effluent treatment systems for BSL3 and BSL4 containment levels within a high security animal research facility.
Faye is also an experienced trainer and mentor, having designed and delivered technical courses and interactive workshops on containment design, risk assessment, and operational readiness. Her approach combines engineering rigour with practical solutions, making her well-equipped to guide participants through the complexities of BSL2 to BSL3 upgrades.
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Vibeke Halkjaer-Knudsen
Current Position
CEO and Owner, Vipsit LLC ApS.
Vipsit provides strategic and operational biorisk management support for high-containment laboratories and large-scale vaccine production facilities, diagnostic and research laboratories, animal- and plant facilities, with a focus on biosafety, biosecurity, and regulatory compliance across the full facility lifecycle, from early design and construction through commissioning and operational readiness.
Educational qualifications
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
M.Sc. in Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Experience
I am an internationally experienced senior subject matter expert in biosafety, biosecu-rity, and biorisk management, with more than 30 years of experience across public health institutes, national laboratories, vaccine production, and international advisory roles.
I have held senior leadership positions at Sandia National Laboratories, supporting the U.S. Department of State and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency on global biologi-cal threat reduction, outbreak preparedness, and high-containment laboratory pro-grams. In this context, I authored and reviewed policies, preparedness and contin-gency plans, and operational SOPs, translating threat and vulnerability analyses into practical governance documents and implementable procedures. My work included threat and vulnerability assessments, large-scale tabletop exercises, and capacity-building activities across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Previously, I served in senior management and biosafety leadership roles at Statens Serum Institut and as an independent consultant to governments, universities, and in-dustry. Across these roles, I have been responsible for establishing and maintaining biosafety, biosecurity, and emergency preparedness policies, developing management plans, and drafting and approving SOPs supporting GMP-compliant vaccine production and high-containment laboratory operations. This has included hands-on responsibility for the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of BSL-3 and enhanced containment facilities, as well as advising on ISO 35001-aligned biorisk management systems and delivering advanced training for biosafety officers, laboratory staff, engi-neers, and leadership.
Alongside my employed roles, I have continuously provided independent biosafety and biorisk management consulting for public and private organizations since 2006.
Other information
I am an active contributor to international biosafety and biosecurity initiatives and currently serve as a containment advisor within the WHO GAP IV Containment Advisory Group for polio eradication. I have contributed as author or reviewer to several international guidelines and standards related to biosafety, biosecurity, and laboratory design, including BMBL, NIH Design Requirements Manual, GAP III and IV, and CEN workshop agreements.
I am a long-standing member of both the European Biosafety Association and the American Biological Safety Association and regularly contribute as an instructor and invited speaker at international biosafety conferences and professional training courses.