Tom Richard is the director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, and a professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Penn State University. His Bioconversion Research Group applies fundamental engineering science to microbial ecosystems, developing innovative strategies for a more sustainable agriculture and the emerging bio-based economy. A particular emphasis is on microbial processes that occur in three-phase porous media, where solid, liquid, and gas phases all play critical roles.
Richard received his undergraduate degree in political economy of natural resources from University of California at Berkeley, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Cornell University, in agricultural engineering and biological engineering respectively.