Dr. Thakur`s research at NC State focuses on the molecular epidemiology of multi-drug resistant bacterial Salmonella and Campylobacter in the realms of pre-harvest food safety. His recent research focus has been studying the transmission of foodborne pathogens from food animals to fresh produce farms. Dr. Thakur is the core leader for the Emerging Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases at the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research. He is the chair of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Pre Harvest Food Safety professional development group (PDG), and serves on the Journal of Food Protection management committee.