Leading AFBI scientist receives OBE

Date published: 10 February 2015

Professor Margaret Patterson of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) received her OBE at Buckingham Palace recently. Professor Patterson, from Carryduff, received the award in the 2014 Birthday Honours list for services to the agri-food industry, especially food safety and quality.

Professor Patterson, a food microbiologist in AFBI for over 30 years has gained an international reputation as an expert in food technologies for enhancing food safety and quality.  She works closely with industry and last year was named by The Science Council as one of the UK's top 100 practising scientists. She is currently President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, the first person from Northern Ireland to hold that position. She is a former President of the Society of Applied Microbiology and has been a member of the European Food Safety Authority’s Biohazard Working Group on Food Irradiation and was the Scientific Adviser to Safefood, the all-island food safety promotion body.

Professor Patterson was seconded to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna as a Food Safety Expert in 1995 and has served as a designated Expert Consultant in food microbiology for the IAEA, the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agricultural Organisation.  In these roles she completed 13 missions overseas, particularly in the Middle East, providing food safety training and expert advice.  More recently, Professor Patterson has helped develop collaborative research links between AFBI and Chinese research institutes.

Margaret, an Honorary Professor in Queen's University Belfast, is the author of more than 100 scientific papers, reports and book chapters and has made numerous scientific presentations in many countries.

On receiving the award, Professor Patterson said “I am absolutely delighted and I would like to acknowledge all the support and encouragement I have received from colleagues at AFBI over the years which has enabled me to accept a wide range of different work opportunities.”