Wilfredo Ocasio serves as Senior Director, Food Safety Research, for Eurofins Advanced Microbiology. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Dairy and Food Science from Kansas State University and a Doctorate’s degree in Food Microbiology from the University of Illinois. His professional career includes 30+ years of experience in food safety research, validation of food processing and packaging equipment, HACCP program development and CGMP’s compliance.

He currently sits on the Executive Advisory Board for the Institute of Food Safety and Health, a branch of the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has also served as Chair/Co-Chair of the Acidified Foods and Beverage Professional Development Group of the International Association for Food Protection and has been an active member of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods which provides scientific advice and recommendations to the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Dr. Ocasio was the 2014 winner of the Darsh Wasan Food Safety Award sponsored by the Institute of Food Safety and Health for exemplary contributions to food safety in the realms of government, academia and industry.