Affiliation: Food and Drug Administration, USA

Dumitru Macarisin is a Senior Research Microbiologist in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), at College Park in Maryland, U.S. Dr. Macarisin is FDA subject matter expert for Listeria monocytogenes in and he also leads the Agency’s development and implementation of research projects related to microbial safety of fresh produce.

Dr. Macarisin earned his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry in 2003 and pursued further postdoctoral research in the Agricultural Research Organization -Volcani Center, Israel followed by an 8-year research tenure with the Agricultural Research Service-United States Department of Agriculture. He conducted extensive research in postharvest pathology and biocontrol, plant stress response, produce safety, and microbiology.

Dr. Macarisin came to the FDA in 2013 and his primary research interests are to identify the mechanisms of fresh produce contamination and environmental reservoirs of foodborne pathogens and develop mitigation strategies to improve good agricultural practices in the prevention of produce recalls and foodborne outbreaks. Dr. Macarisin represents the FDA nationally and internationally on critical food safety issues. He has been furnishing recommendations on preventive controls, environmental monitoring, and the improvements of quality controls to other governmental agencies and food industries.