IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group is pleased to welcome Dr. Paul Gerhardt as Vice President of Technical Services.
Dr. Gerhardt brings over 30 years of experience in applied research, food safety, process validation, and production operations. Before joining IEH, he served as Research Fellow, Preservation Technologies at JBT Process Technologies, where he led the development of both thermal and non-thermal food processing systems. Prior to that, he spent 18 years at The National Food Laboratory, directing the Aseptic and Food Safety/Research Microbiology business units.
Building on this extensive background, Dr. Gerhardt specializes in continuous thermal sterilization, aseptic processing, and a broad range of packaging sterilization technologies, including hydrogen peroxide (vapor and condensing), peracetic acid, electron beam, high-pressure processing, wet and dry heat, and hybrid peroxide+UV systems. His work with Clostridium botulinum involved developing surrogate organisms that support process validation and microbiological safety.
As an approved process authority by the California Almond Board, Dr. Gerhardt frequently collaborates with the FDA on regulatory matters. In his new role at IEH, he will provide expertise in regulatory compliance, microbiological risk assessment, process optimization, equipment design, product development, and in-plant operations.
