Professional Bio

Dr. Ricardo Simpson is currently Professor at the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, in Chile. He holds a Biochemical Engineering degree from P. Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, PUCV, (1980), MSc and a Doctorate in Food Science from Oregon State University (1990 and 1993).

Dr. Simpson has been a prolific scientist and a strong collaborator of the food industry, not only in Chile but also internationally (Unilever). His contributions are summarized in more than 300 conference presentations, more than 80 refereed publications (as author or co-author), and 4 books, thus advancing the understanding of many aspects of food engineering. He is one of the world leaders in thermal processing of foods, having helped established and improved food engineering programs at universities in Chile, Perú, Colombia, and Argentina. He has clearly made outstanding contributions to engineering programs in education, research, development, consulting, and technology transfer that have resulted in improved food production, quality of life, and education for people living in Chile and Latin America.

Dr. Simpson has specifically consolidated his expertise as one of the leaders in Latin America in the research area of thermal processing (commercial sterilization of low acid canned foods) in the last 10 years and has been widely recognized in the international field. He, together with Dr. Donald Holdsworth authored the 3erd Edition of the acclaimed book: Thermal Processing of Packaged Foods.