The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees approval of medications, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other public health products. Long after instruments and assays are cleared for use, our teams continue to monitor their performance in the field. Field Quality Assurance Engineer Kris Hall, part of our Field Quality Team, helps ensure that our diagnostic products perform as expected in labs worldwide. Based out of our Austin office, Kris joined Luminex in 2010.
Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?
A: My team and I are responsible for ensuring that the products we have in the field for clinical diagnostics meet every standard established by the FDA. Our job is to analyze data and trends to identify potential problems with an instrument or assay that’s been cleared for use. If a potential situation is identified, it’s my job to investigate what’s going on, determine the root cause of it, and institute a correction.
Q: How did you get into this kind of work?
A: I originally started on the manufacturing side of Luminex, making almost all of our reagents. That gave me a more quality-focused view about what we put into our products and inspired me to learn more about the quality sector in general.
Q: What did you do before you came to Luminex?
A: I worked at other biotech companies around Austin, making pharmaceuticals, assays, and instruments. I was a veterinary technician for four years before that. My original plan was to become a veterinarian, but working as a vet tech changed my perspective. There’s a lot of heartbreak in that line of work… I decided it wasn’t the life for me.
Q: What drew you to Luminex?
A: When I first heard about Luminex, the company had begun making some waves in the biotech world. I also liked the idea of growing with a local startup company.
Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?
A: I would eliminate cancer. I believe we’re on the cusp of getting there, but the impact of eliminating it as a health threat can’t be understated. I’d also like to remedy Alzheimer’s disease, which I’ve seen firsthand through my family. The emotional toll it takes on the person suffering and their family is devastating. If we could prevent Alzheimer’s, that would be a very close second choice for me.
Q: If you weren’t a Quality Engineer at Luminex, where would you be?
A: I would be a professional Formula One race car driver. I’ve done some amateur racing, and I love the thrill of driving at the absolute limit of what a car is capable of. Everything has to work perfectly. If one thing goes wrong with one of the millions of parts, the car crashes at 200 miles per hour. It’s absolute precision of engineering and manufacturing all around.
Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?
A: I was state champion at bowling when I was in high school. My dad was a bowler, so I grew up going to the bowling alley from a very young age. He was an excellent coach. I have a couple of trophies buried away in boxes.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?
A: Going out to dinner. There are so many unique restaurants throughout Austin, so you can always go and find something new with almost any type of cuisine. My favorite food is Mexican, and since I’m from El Paso, I had access to the best Mexican food growing up. Trying to find the perfect enchilada is always on my mind, but I have yet to find that in Austin.
Also, my wife and I take our three-footed pit bull named Hobbes out whenever we can. When we got him from a local pit bull rescue, he was missing one of his back paws, so we had a prosthetic made and were surprised at how quickly he adapted to it. The first day we put it on him, he was running around like he’d always had it. It was incredible.
