The Lab Man

Jimmy Muñoz oversees chemistry and biology laboratories at the Mount Vernon Campus.

June 3, 2010

Jimmy Munoz in lab coat stands with arms crossed in lab

By Mary Dempsey

On a typical morning, Jimmy Muñoz moves between four laboratories, preparing chemicals and equipment for classes in chemistry and biology.

He’s the laboratory supervisor at the Acheson Science Center on GW’s Mount Vernon Campus.

“I meet with the professors to see what experiments they’re planning and set up the chemicals, equipment and any other materials needed for the classes,” says Mr. Muñoz, who has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Once a class is underway, he stops in at intervals to ensure everything is running smoothly. He also checks the eye wash, safety shower and other emergency equipment.

According to Mr. Muñoz, the honors chemistry lab is the hardest to prepare for. “The experiments are usually very complex,” he says. “Some of the labs require more than 15 chemical solutions compared with a general chemistry lab that might require 10 chemicals at most.”

The solutions are housed in the building’s chemical storage room, where hundreds of chemicals are sorted and stored according to hazard class. One of Mr. Muñoz’s summer tasks is going through the inventory and removing chemicals and solutions that have expired. He will also reorganize lab spaces and check and calibrate instruments.

Mr. Muñoz joined GW in the summer of 2009 after working for the United States Pharmacopeia, the public authority that manages standards for drugs and health care products sold in the United States.

He is a bit of a rarity: a born-and-bred Washingtonian. “The only time I left was in the fall of 2002 when I did a two-month internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in New Mexico,” he says.

When he’s not at work, Mr. Muñoz is likely to be found indulging in one of his two passions: strength training and chess.

He’s been playing chess since elementary school and competed on his junior high and high school teams. He still plays regularly but only online.

“I enjoy the game because it trains my mind to focus, think and act quickly,” he says.