ARLINGTON, Va. – FMI – The Food Industry Association has named Shelby Furman, Ph.D., as the association’s new director for food and product safety programs. In her role, Furman will be responsible for developing and implementing food and product safety programs as well as directing food protection activities and providing technical expertise for the FMI membership.

Shelby Furman

Specifically, she will work on issues related to chemical contaminants in food and packaging, with a focus on providing technical expertise for science-based policies to regulate these substances and support for FMI members regarding compliance. She will also lead FMI’s food safety efforts on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Closer to Zero program, which aims to reduce the levels of heavy metals in foods for infants and young children.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shelby to FMI’s food and product safety team,” said FMI chief science officer Dr. Hilary Thesmar, who also serves as senior vice president of FMI’s food & product safety programs. “Her extensive scientific academic background in combination with her experience in the private sector will bring a comprehensive perspective to our work in addressing chemical contaminants in the food supply. We look forward to the contributions she will bring to FMI’s food safety program as we support our members’ efforts to ensure the safety of the foods they produce and sell every day.”

Prior to joining FMI, Furman served as principal chemist for Advanced Polymer LLC, where she provided technical expertise on products, supported research and development of new products for auto care, marine care, and construction, and synthesized raw materials for scaling up into production. Before her private sector experience, she served in various academic roles, including post-doctoral research fellow at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and graduate research assistant at the University of Tennessee.

Furman received a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Longwood University.