Andree George received his Ph.D. in soil and water sciences from the University of Florida, where his research was aimed at investigating mechanisms that allow the foodborne pathogen Salmonella to survive in tomato fruits. Upon completion of his graduate studies he completed a postdoc in food safety and human nutrition at the University of Florida before moving to his current position as an associate research microbiologist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Produce Safety Microbiology Unit, where he studies interactions between lettuce and E.coli.