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Expert has been formally trained in basic and food microbiology and has developed extensive expertise in this area. As a Expert, he has conducted numerous (applied microbiology) research projects that evaluated bacterial physiology under various conditions with respect to growth in foods (food microbiology, meat microbiology, dairy microbiology) and the environment (environmental microbiology). He has also devised methods to evaluate water pollution (water pollution microbiology). He has developed novel growth broths and mediums to culture microorganisms (microbiology medium, microbiology broth).

Expert also has a great deal of experience with molecular microbiology and has employed many molecular techniques in the study of microorganisms. Finally, I have also designed microbiology laboratories for clients.

Expert has developed a great deal of experience in genomics. For example, he currently leads a team of more than 25 international professors and researchers in the Salmonella Syst-OMICs consortium, a major $10 million dollar research project aimed at reducing the presence of Salmonella in foods. As part of this project, Expert and his team of sequenced the whole genomes of more than 3,000 Salmonella isolates representing more than 230 serotypes. He is also employing metagenomics to develop new methods to predict foodborne disease emergence, and to understand how foodborne pathogens survive in the human gastrointestinal tract.

He regularly conducts research on foodborne pathogenic microorganisms including Salmonella spp, Vibrio sp., Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, noroviruses, hepatitis A virus, rotaviruses, and adenoviruses. He has developed selective and differential bacterial culture media and has developed methods to control pathogenic bacteria using bacteriophages. Expert studies the effects of endotoxin on bacterial pathogenesis and conducts research to develop approaches to reduce bacterial contamination in foods. He has also identified a group of bacteriophage/plasmid hybrids called phage-like plasmids that carry and spread antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes.

Expert conducts research related to antimicrobial resistance on bacteria. He also develops new antimicrobials for use in foods.

A major area of expertise is rapid and confirmatory diagnostics for bacterial and viral pathogens. Expert has two patents related to bacterial detection. He also has experience in sample preparation, microbial isolation approaches, and concentration approaches. He has developed many different approaches to detect microorganisms including biochemical methods, bacteriophage-based methods, molecular methods, and genomic-based methods.

Expert has an extensive history of consulting in the area of food safety. Examples of previous and current consulting projects include: consulting on foodborne outbreak investigations and food contamination events; consulting on development and validation of rapid assays for detection of foodborne pathogens; consulting on development and implementation of genomics technologies for surveillance of foodborne diseases; design and development of food safety laboratories; Development and assessment of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plans; analysis of food samples for the presence of foodborne pathogens; phenotypic and genotypic characterization of foodborne pathogens; and molecular subtyping analysis to identify contamination sources in food production plants.