Behind the Bench is a series spotlighting the Edacious team members whose work underpins how food quality is measured, interpreted, and communicated. It highlights the care, collaboration, and rigor behind the data long before insights reach the outside world.
At Edacious, “the bench” represents more than a physical space. It’s where science, data, and analysis come together. This series focuses on the people behind that work. Their expertise and decisions shape how food quality is seen, understood, and ultimately trusted.
The quality of our insights depends on the rigor behind the data. In this edition of Behind the Bench, we meet Nick Wilton, Ph.D., Quality Manager and Senior Research Scientist, one of our lab science team members who make that possible.
Nick describes his Edacious “superpower” simply as seeing the art in science. For him, building an analytical method feels like painting a masterpiece. It is a process that demands precision, creativity, and patience.
When asked to explain what Edacious does in five words or less, Nick says: “Helping farmers make healthier food.” It is a simple phrase that reflects the deeper purpose behind the lab work, ensuring that better practices can be measured, understood, and trusted.
One of the most common misconceptions about Nick’s role is that measurement is just an afterthought, something you do on the way to the “real” science. In reality, careful analysis is the work. For Nick, getting closer and closer to reality through analytical instrumentation is never finished, and over time it has become a deeply spiritual practice.
Outside the lab, Nick keeps his curiosity and creativity alive through rock and ice climbing, making art, traveling to festivals with friends and family, and experimenting with hands-on chemistry at home. At the core of it all is human connection, supporting the people around him and staying grounded in community.
You can learn more about Nick and connect with him on LinkedIn:
Nick D.M.Z. Wilton, Ph.D. | LinkedIn
