Independent scientific consulting
Senior scientists.
Direct engagement.
We help testing labs and manufacturers prove their products are safe and made right — meeting the strict standards regulators demand, and fixing things fast when an inspection or a test goes wrong. We work across cannabis, hemp, food, pharmaceuticals, and dietary supplements.
EmergencyFacing an FDA 483, a stop order, or an ISO 17025 accreditation suspension? We scope a response within 24–48 hours.
Get senior help →Broadcast segment: 9NEWS (KUSA-TV), Denver. Aired October 1, 2026. Reporter: Courtney Yuen.
In the news · 9NEWS Denver
Cofounder Dr. Tess Eidem wins a $3.7 million NIH grant to study the air cannabis workers breathe
Over the next five years, Tess’s research at CU Boulder will investigate airborne mold, allergens, and other hazards inside cannabis facilities, and how those exposures affect workers’ lungs. The goal: give cannabis workplaces the tools to evaluate their own air.
“If a workplace is unsafe for a cannabis worker, then the plants and the product that are also grown and produced in that same environment probably have problems too.”
On the air · Plants to Plants podcast
Cofounder Andrew Samann on cannabis rescheduling and GMP: the new normal
Andrew joins a panel of GMP practitioners to work through what rescheduling means for cannabis manufacturers: where GMP requirements begin, how food, supplement, and pharmaceutical GMP differ, whether EU-GMP is worth the effort, and how to prepare without overbuilding or overspending.
- 44:30 · EU-GMP vs. US GMP: which do you need?
- 53:15 · The number one GMP mistake
- 1:05:30 · How to avoid going too far with GMP
Plants to Plants: Cannabis Processing Talks, Episode 27. Released September 29, 2026. Host: Steve Fuhr. Running time 1 hr 11 min.
Why this firm exists
Most consulting firms grow by hiring junior staff under senior partners. The partners sell the engagement; the juniors execute it. By the time the work lands on a bench, the senior name that won the deal is two or three calls removed.
Intrepid Scientific exists to invert that model.
We are four principals — three PhDs and a pharmaceutical-trained quality professional — each with an established consulting practice and a public reputation in our fields. We chose each other after years of collaborating on shared engagements and expert-witness matters. We are now consolidating that work into a single firm so clients can engage four senior specialists under one contract, with one point of accountability, and no junior backfill.
The names on the wall deliver the work. Andrew runs the project. Kate, Julie, and Tess work the bench, the audit, or the deposition themselves. There is no junior associate inserted after the sale.
Cofounders
Vetted alignment, not assembled team. We picked each other.
Andrew Samann
B.S. Biochemistry (U-M)
GMP, regulatory, QMS. Former ICH Q7 lead auditor for SGS North America. Led ASTM D37.02 QMS Subcommittee for Cannabis. 100+ engagements across NA, SA, EU.
Kate Evans, PhD
Ph.D., analytical chemistry + microbiology
ANAB and A2LA lead assessor (ISO/IEC 17025). Technical Contact, ASTM D8493-23. Pharma analysis + cGMP.
Tess Eidem, PhD
Ph.D., Microbiology · food-safety certified (PCQI)
Cannabis bioaerosols, environmental monitoring, microbiology QC. Senior Research Associate, CU Boulder.
Julie Kowalski, PhD
Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry
A2LA ISO 17025 lead assessor. Co-Chair, AOAC CASP Pesticide Think Tank. Past President NACRW. GC/LC method development and validation.
Training
The people who do the work, teach it
Practitioner-taught training across four pillars — remote-first, hands-on, and graded on real competency. Bring your own SOPs, COAs, and validation data; leave with working artifacts.
AI for Compliance
Use AI for real quality work — governed, audit-ready, and safe with your data.
GMP & Quality Systems
Build a quality system that runs the floor, not a binder of unused SOPs.
ISO/IEC 17025
Get your lab and its analysts ready to pass — taught by a lead assessor.
Microbiology & Environmental Monitoring
Run your own environmental monitoring and trace failures to root cause.
Federal cannabis Schedule III
Preparing for Schedule III
Rescheduling moved state-medical marijuana to Schedule III, and the DEA has begun on-site inspections of registered operators — asking for SOPs, security plans, training records, and process narratives. Readiness now means documented, risk-based compliance.
Our free Risk Assessment Worksheet walks the method end to end: set your specifications (CQAs/CSAs), run an ICH Q9 risk assessment, prioritize controls, and record verification — the same pathway whether the regulator is the DEA, a new state market, the FDA, or the EU.
Talk to us
Send a note. Tell us a little about what you’re working on. We reply directly, from a senior member of the firm.