Derek Baars

Background

About Derek Baars

I was awarded my Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan State University August 2013, though I've been working as a Regulatory Analyst for food labels since 2015, which has been stable and rewarding. While you might think these topics do not seem related, a saying in Regulatory is "You don't go to school for Regulatory". Which is to say that Regulatory knowledge comes from being taught by co-workers and researching the regulations yourself; being humbly taught, combined with doing my own research, was precisely what I was doing to earn an advanced degree. I've become deeply familiar with USDA regulations (and to an extent FDA regulations) for food labeling, and enjoyed seeing the results of my work there on the shelves of my local grocery stores. Due to my doctoral work investigating the active slip systems in high purity single crystal niobium, my engineering skills are essentially that of a metallurgist. I acquired those skills and many related skills because I prepared and examined my own samples: wrote software that helped me select each crystal orientation, mechanical and electropolishing, deformation using a materials testing machine, examined the samples' crystal orientations and slip traces using a scanning electron microscope and orientation imaging microscopy hardware/software. I am currently job hunting with a preference toward research and development in metallurgy. However, I did choose Materials Science because it teaches a broad knowledge of the electrical and mechanical properties of not only metals, but ceramics and polymers as well. I am a curious person that can work independently or with a team, and can educate myself and others on any Food Labeling Regulation or Materials Science problem using the relevant literature.