Professor Dr. Richard Richardson

Biography

The Richardson Lab of Applied Microbiology studies microbial communities relevant to important environmental engineering problems. Their application areas include sustainable water and wastewater treatment, nutrient and greenhouse gas cycling, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), bioenergy, and environmental DNA monitoring tools. The lab employs techniques such as bioreactor design, applied microscopy, genomics (DNA), and transcriptomics (RNA) to achieve its goals. Key projects aim to develop appropriate technology for water and wastewater diagnostic biomarker detection assays that monitor microbial activities in complex environments. The lab is actively involved in exploring bioreactor designs for sustainable water treatment, collaborating with Cornell’s AguaClara Project Team and the NSF Convergence Accelerator-supported VersaWater team. They are also focused on developing eDNA analysis tools for the Great Lakes, supported by a New York Sea Grant award, to improve water quality testing and management, particularly for communities dealing with Aquatic Invasive Species and fecal pollution indicators.

Research Interests