Allen Helm got into the biosafety field in 2009 when he was accepted into a biosafety postdoctoral fellowship administered by the Great Lake Regional Centers of Excellence at the University of Chicago. The following year he became a Biosafety Officer at the University, which is his current position. He is a Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP) with ABSA International (formerly American Biological Safety Association). He assists researchers with their biosafety needs, performs risk assessments, and serves on multiple Institutional Biosafety Committees.