Marcel Zwietering

Marcel Zwietering is a full Professor in Food Microbiology at Wageningen University, holding a chair since 2003. His work spans food safety management, quantitative microbiology, fermentation, and risk assessment.

• Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Wageningen University, 1993), focusing on microbial quality modeling
• Academic roles: Assistant/Associate Professor (1987-2003), Professor (2003-present)
• Industry experience: Danone (1998-2002), Unilever (1995 sabbatical)

His research emphasizes predictive microbial modeling, foodborne pathogen dynamics, and safety innovations. Key contributions include computational frameworks for Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, and Listeria risk analysis, as well as international standards development.

Publications: 253+ peer-reviewed papers, h-index 57 (Scopus 2025). Core works highlight applications of mathematical models to food safety, strain variability in pathogen resistance, and fermentation kinetics.

• Scientific Awards: Elmer Marth Educator Award (IAFP2019), Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award (IAFP2024), IAFP Europe Food Safety Award (2025)
• Leadership Roles: ILSI-Europe Microbiological Food Safety task force co-chair, ICMSF member (2005-present), chair since 2020
• Education Impact: Developed international distance learning programs (NTU Singapore), Food Safety MOOC with Toxicology section

Advisory services: Regular FAO/WHO expert (JEMRA), NVWA, Nutritional Institute, and industry consortia (IBM/Mars). Supervises 7 active PhD students and has examined 65+ PhD theses globally.