Dr Christopher Baylis is a food microbiologist with over 21 years experience in food microbiology, including 8 years as a microbiologist in the food industry and 13 years spent in research, largely focussing on method development, evaluations and validations. He holds a First Class Honours Degree in Applied Biology (Biochemistry and Microbiology) and a PhD from the University of Birmingham for his thesis on the detection and characterisation of Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in foods, which was supported by an industrial fellowship award from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. He manages the Microbiology Methods Research Group at Campden BRI, which undertakes work on the development, evaluation and validation of microbiological methods. The group is internationally renowned for performing validations and is an expert laboratory for the Association of Official Analytical Chemists Research Institute (AOAC RI) and the European Validation scheme MicroVal. He was an active member of the MicroVal Working Parties which were set up to develop the MicroVal scheme in Europe an has been a member of BSI working group AW9 "Methods for the Microbiological of Foods and Animal Feeds" which produces and reviews standard microbiological methods in the UK and other European countries. In addition, he manages the Containment Level 3 Laboratory, which provides facilities to study Hazard Group 3 organisms such as E. coli O157 and other VTEC.

Contact details:

Dr Christopher Baylis
Manager Microbiological Methods Research Group
Campden BRI
Chipping Campden
Gloucestershire
GL55 6LD
Tel: +44(0)1386 842073 ( Direct line)
Fax: +44(0)1386 842100
E-mail: c.baylis@campden.co.uk