Dr. Bier is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she has directed the Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis since 1995.  Her current research interests focus on problems of security and emergency preparedness.  Dr. Bier is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Her areas of expertise are in risk analysis and decision analysis.  She recently arranged and hosted a one-day workshop on pandemic planning for small to medium-sized businesses and non-profit/community organizations.