Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Clinical Medicine, University of Leeds, UK, 2004
  • M.Sc., Analytical Chemistry, University of London, 1990
Professional Affiliations
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 1998
  • Member, The Royal Society of Chemistry (Chartered Chemist), 1994

Dr. Harris worked for 15 years in the UK's Pesticides Safety Directorate with her latter posts being Head of Pesticide Chemistry and Manager of the Human Health Group. During this time she developed in-depth background knowledge of pesticides, including physical and chemical properties, methods of analysis, metabolism, residues, and consumer risk assessment particularly relating to Directive 91/414. 

Dr. Harris was the chair of the physical and chemical properties and residues ECCO working group meetings from 1996 to 2001 and was involved in the drafting of many of the guidance documents relating to these areas of the Directive. She acted as the UK's senior scientific negotiator to the European Union on Maximum Residue Limits of pesticide residues during 1991-2.

Dr. Harris has been a leading force in the development of guidelines for dietary risk assessment in the EU. She is a sought after speaker with a strong international reputation, who has given papers on a range of subjects from dietary risk assessment, environmental contamination by persistent compounds, infant and child exposure to pesticide residues and risk perception. 

She was the scientific coordinator and chair of the joint EU/OECD initiative to develop minimum data requirements for establishing MRLs and import tolerances during 1998 — 1999. She also was a temporary adviser to the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues from 1999 — 2001. As a member of the UK's Pesticide Residues Committee (formerly the Working Party on Pesticide Residues) and the Sub-group on Future Priorities, Dr. Harris had primary responsibility for study design and implementation. She acted as Chair on a number of occasions in 1998 — 2000. 

Dr. Harris acts as a technical consultant in pesticides and human exposure to a number of international bodies including FAO, WHO, the European Commission and the UK's Food Standards Agency.  She was a member of the UK's Advisory Committee on Pesticides and the Committee on Toxicology of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT).  She has been a member of the Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) since November 2020.