Francis Butler

Professor Francis Butler is a Full Professor at University College Dublin's School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, where he has been since 1990. His academic roles include research leadership in food safety, food chain integrity, and microbial risk assessment. He leads the UCD Institute for Food and Health and the UCD Centre for Food Safety as a Principal Investigator.

Education: BE, Grad Dip University Teaching & Learning, MBA, and PhD from University College Dublin.

Research Focus: His work centers on food safety hazards, quantitative risk assessment, and next-generation sequencing for pathogen identification. Recent projects include Listeria monocytogenes growth modeling, norovirus in oysters, and hepatitis E in pork products. He has secured over €6 million in research grants, including EU-funded projects like FOODINTEGRITY and SIGMACHAIN.

Awards & Recognition: European Food Safety Authority Fellowship, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship, and UCD Teaching Grant. He coordinates international educational programs, including the UCD MSC Food Safety and Risk Analysis.

Professional Activities: Member of EFSA advisory committees, editorial boards (e.g., Microbial Risk Analysis), and international conference chairs. His work bridges academia, industry, and policy to enhance food safety standards globally.