During his career but mostly since leaving the Canadian government and entering academia, he has been expert witness in 35 cases in all: 27 cases as expert witness for the plaintiff, 5 as defendant, 3 as government expert; 12 depositions, 22 settled, 3 pending. Two trial testimonies (E. coli illness case, Michigan; contaminated meat, Ontario). One case E. Todd survived a Daubert judgment as an expert witness in an appeal and the case was settled. Agents: E. coli O157:H7 (13), Salmonella (5), Campylobacter (3), Shigella (1), Bacillus cereus (1), Vibrio vulnificus (1), Yersinia enterocolitica (1), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1), ciguatera poisoning (1), hepatitis A virus (1), miscellaneous and unknown agents (7).
Dr. Todd attended the University of Glasgow as a student and staff member from 1958 to 1968. He was an assistant lecturer in the Department of Bacteriology from 1965 to 1968. There he taught courses and ran laboratories for students in the B.Sc. Bacteriology program. From 1968 to 2001, he was a research scientist at Health Canada responsible for contaminated foods research and methods for detecting pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Bacillus sp. and Clostridium botulinum.
In 2001, Dr. Todd was offered a position at Michigan State University as the Director of the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center. As the director, he developed and coordinated research initiatives, created a positive public image for the Center as a source of science-based information on food safety issues, and in conjunction with department chairs, he was responsible for the recruitment, development and evaluation of faculty appointed to the Center. He established a Faculty Advisory Committee to advise the Director on faculty issues including NFSTC By-Laws, Faculty Evaluation Committee for promotion and tenure, and a Faculty Space Committee for recommending space assignments and moves in the NFST Building. In addition, he generated multidisciplinary collaborations within and beyond the university. He was also Professor in Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing. Since leaving MSU, he teaches modules on pathogens and toxins on on-line Professional MS courses, as well as consulting for industry and being an expert witness in food poisoning cases. He has 229 peer-reviewed publications, many other publications, and talks at international meetings.
He has many research and contract connections around the world. These include Korea, Japan, China, Philippines; Lebanon, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait; Europe, as well as Canada and USA. He is active in editing manuscripts, writing papers, organizing symposia, and giving talks. In 2012 he was in Japan helping the government decide on standards for Listeria monocytogenes, in Guelph, Ontario to give a keynote speech on career in food safety, in Chicago to discuss improved hand hygiene practices with a sanitizing company; in Washington to receive the NSF International Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Council of Public Health Consultants run by NSF International. In 2014/15, he was a visiting professor at the American University of Beirut, teaching and doing research. He has been active in food safety research for over 50 years.
