Dr. Vanier is one of the original members of K-State’s National Agricultural Biosecurity Center (NABC) when it was created in 2003 and currently serves as Director.  She serves as Principal Investigator for several Center projects and directs activities of the Center including coordination of research teams, monitoring legislative and Federal agency activities, and development of relationships between NABC and state and federal agencies, industry groups, emergency management, law enforcement and the intelligence community.

In April of 2015 Dr. Vanier began an assignment as Director of Strategic Partnership Development for the National Bio- and Agrodefense Facility (NBAF) Program Executive Office.  Her duties included engaging internal and external stakeholders, including government entities, production agriculture, the animal health industry, and educational institutions in creating new partnerships to advance the NBAF mission.  At the end of her assignment in April 2019 she returned to NABC.

In addition to her duties at NABC, Dr. Vanier is also Associate Director of K-State’s Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI).  The BRI is a unique interdisciplinary research, education, and training facility with a focus on high consequence pathogens of humans, livestock, plants, and food.  The BRI operates at the BSL-2, BSL-3, 3-Ag, and 3-E levels and has the capability to perform research on field crops, livestock, insect vectors, and pilot-scale meat processing.