Management Team

Florence Qiuxin Wu, Ph.D.
Chairwoman & Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Wu has over 20 years of academic and work experience with microbiology and mycology. She earned a doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee, United States, and a Master of Science degree from the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Wu was a principal investigator in a United States National Science Foundation research project. She had held positions as Laboratory Director, Mycology Collections Manager, Board Member, and Adjunct Professor at various institutions. In 2002, Dr. Wu co-founded AEMTEK INC. and served as the President and CEO of AEMTEK for nine years. She has been the Chairwoman and Chief Scientific Officer of AEMTEK since 2011. AEMTEK is an accredited laboratory based in San Francisco Bay Area and engages in analysis, consulting and research in environmental, food, water, and pharmaceutical product microbiology for multiple industries. Dr. Wu’s analytical experiences include detection and enumeration of microbial pathogens, fungal identification, microbial sampling techniques, food pathogen and spoilage, waterborne pathogens and indicator organisms, and other microbiological subjects. She has published numerous scientific papers and several book chapters and has given many lectures and presentations on various microbiology subjects on national and international conferences. Dr. Wu is an active member of several professional organizations. Dr. Wu was also awarded Woman-Owned Business of the Year in Fremont, California and Enterprising Woman of the Year 2009 by The National Association of Women Business Owners-Silicon Valley.

Jerry Oliveras
President

Mr. Oliveras has over 20 years of professional experience. He has worked in several environmental, food, and agricultural testing laboratories, and has experience in the fields of food and water microbiology, analytical chemistry, laboratory management, regulatory compliance, and chemical research. He is a recognized expert in food chemistry, microbiology, and technology with wide experience in troubleshooting industry problems. He has given numerous technical and media presentations and is qualified as an expert witness for litigation. Jerry has worked for the California Department of Food and Agriculture Center for Analytical Chemistry, and the Milk and Dairy Foods Safety Branch. He was formerly the Laboratory Director and President of a respected commercial food laboratory in San Francisco. Jerry earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Chemistry from The University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA) and completed postgraduate course work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at UOP as well. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including AOAC International, American Chemical Society, Institute of Food Technologists, American Association of Cereal Chemists, American Oil Chemists Society, and AXE (the professional chemistry fraternity). Jerry also has attended many workshops and short courses through AOAC International and the University of California Extension, among others, to enhance his knowledge and abilities.

Steven Huang, Ph.D.
Vice President & Director of Environmental Laboratory

Dr. Huang has a doctorate in plant pathology. He has over 20 years of academic and research experience in various areas of mycology, including plant pathogens, soil fungi, and fungal ecology and biodiversity. He was an associate professor at the Institute of Microbiology. Dr. Huang has been a visiting scholar at the International Mycological Institute (UK) and Duke University. He was a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Huang has published many papers on mycology and plant pathology. He specializes in microbial recovery, identification, and PCR and DNA sequencing techniques.

Feifei Han, Ph.D.
Director of Food Laboratory

Dr. Han earned her Ph.D. degree in Food Science at Louisiana State University, and B.S. degree in Food Science at the China Agricultural University. She has numerous experience in working with various food pathogens, such as Salmonella, Vibrio, Campylobacter, and Listeria. She has published thirteen peer-reviewed articles in internationally renowned journals, and has given many presentations at national conferences. Dr. Han is also an active member of many organizations, including the International Association for Food Protection, Institute of Food Technologists, and American Society for Microbiology.

Ayeaye Win
Quality Coordinator

Mrs. Win oversees all quality control practices and documentation for a wide range of testing methods and sample matrices. She has a B.S. degree in Microbiology from Arizona State University, and has over 10 years experience in microbiology testing and laboratory operation for the food, environmental and pharmaceutical industries. Her extensive bench work experiences include food and human pathogen testing, indicator detection and qualification, bio-burden, sterility tests, Legionella, ELISA, DNA and PCR, endotoxin, allergens, etc.

Melissa Hughes, M.S.
Director of Marketing, Sales & Training

Mrs. Hughes earned a Master of Science degree in Food Science from Texas Tech University, with an emphasis in food safety and microbiology. She has given many technical presentations, has written several conference abstracts, is published in the Journal of Food Protection, and has experience in food safety consumer outreach. Melissa is an active member of many organizations, including the International Association for Food Protection, Institute of Food Technologists, American Society for Microbiology, American Meat Science Association, and the Society for Applied Microbiology. Melissa is also a Certified ServSafe Instructor and Proctor with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Sharon Spencer
Customer Service Manager

Mrs. Spencer joined AEMTEK in 2004. She holds an Associate in Arts degree in liberal arts studies and has many years of experience in customer service, faculty support, and clerical services. Sharon is responsible for sample receiving, data reporting, and client communications. Sharon handles customer service issues and responds to inquires about project status. It is usually Sharon’s friendly voice you will hear when you call us.