Harold Schmitz

Harold Schmitz is presently Chief Science Officer for Mars, Incorporated. Prior to taking on this role in 2005, he held various positions within Mars in Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Fundamental Research, Analytical and Applied Sciences and Corporate Staff. In addition, he has been a Visiting Faculty member in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis since 1995. Prior to joining Mars in 1993, he was an USDA National Needs Research Fellow at North Carolina State University's Department of Food Science. Dr. Schmitz received his Master of Science degree in Food Science from the University of Illinois and his Doctoral degree in Food Science, with a minor in organic chemistry, from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Schmitz's research interests center around the agricultural, biomedical, clinical and engineering sciences related to food production and its influence on human and companion animal health. He has particular interests in the application of analytical sciences to these disciplines, with a special emphasis on understanding the metabolism and function of dietary carotenoids and flavonoids in the context of human health and nutrition. Dr Schmitz has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and invited book chapters that reflect this interest (see below for selected citations), and developed and Chaired several scientific symposia to discuss state of the art knowledge in the area of phytochemicals and health benefits. Dr. Schmitz is a member of Sigma Xi and Gamma Sigma Delta.

In addition to research, Dr Schmitz has a keen interest in enhancing the contributions that science can make to society and the environment, and he presently serves on the Executive Committee of the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable at The National Academies.