Although our lab is known for it's research in predictive food microbiology and quantitative microbial risk assessment, this research is complimented by an active laboratory-based research program. We also have an ongoing interest in studying the effectiveness of handwashing, and quantifying cross-contamination between surfaces and foods. My lab is home to a team of graduate and undergraduate students who collected and test foods from Rutgers University dining halls every week using US Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual methods.
Our lab is unique in that rather than having food or in organismal focus, the focus is on the mathematical models. This means that the past 30 years we have conducted experiments on more than 20 different pathogens, pathogen surrogate or spoilage organisms including (in alphabetic order) Acinetobacter, Aspergillus, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacteriophage MS2, Candida, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Gluconobacter, Listeria innocua, Listeria monocytogenes, Penicillium, Pseudomonas, Saccharomyces, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Zygosaccharomyces.
Our work strives to advance our quantitative understanding of the behavior of microorganisms food systems, to inform science based food safety policy.
