Claire Murphy

Claire Murphy is an Assistant Professor and Food Safety Extension Specialist at the Washington State University (WSU) School of Food Science, based at the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser. Her role combines 30% research and 70% extension activities, focusing on reducing foodborne pathogen contamination across the produce supply chain. She collaborates with stakeholders to develop extension programs addressing emerging food safety risks and conducts interdisciplinary research on pathogen ecology, predictive modeling, and digital agriculture.

Dr. Murphy holds a Ph.D. and MPH from Virginia Tech (2023), specializing in Food Science and Infectious Disease, along with an M.S. (2020) and B.S. (2018) in Food Science. Her research emphasizes field and laboratory experiments to address real-world challenges, such as pathogen survival on produce, postharvest technologies, and microbial source tracking in water systems.

Her extension work prioritizes identifying stakeholder needs, enhancing existing programs, and creating workshops to mitigate food safety risks. Recent research highlights include evaluating UV light systems for apple decontamination, studying Salmonella survival on packinghouse equipment, and analyzing microbial dynamics in agricultural soils and waterways.

Dr. Murphy is actively mentoring M.S. and Ph.D. students focused on science, education, and service. Her program bridges classical microbiology with advanced statistical tools and pedagogical approaches, reflecting her commitment to innovation in food safety.