Research
Current Projects
High Density Bioreactor (HDBR)
The novel architecture/arrangement of the High Density Bioreactor (HDBR) allows researchers to grow very high density microbical cultures. Thus far the HDBR system has been used to successfully grow and study a wide variety of mixed community cultures:
- Algae and cyanobacteria
- Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification
- Heterotrophic bacteria within activated sludge
- Fermentation with yeast
Learn more about this project here.
Algal-based biotechnologies
Algal-based biotechnologies have the potential to provide many beneficial products and services for an increasingly populated and energy demanding planet. Algal biomass can be used as feedstock for biofuel production, supplement livestock feed, sequester carbon dioxide in our atmostphere, and be used to recover nutrients from waste streams. Two of the major challenges this biotechnology faces are difficulties in culturing high density algae biomass, which reduces the energy (read: cost) needed for dewatering prior to downstream processes, and fully understanding the interactions between organisms in natural ecosystems, which may help us to properly design the physical, chemical, and ecological components of built systems to maximize the stability of production and reduce/minimize the number of crashes that occur. My research focuses on addressing these challenges.
Learn more about this project here.
Ecology within freshwater streams
It would be difficult to overstate the number of ways that human activity impacts freshwater bodies. For example, urbanization is almost synonomous with increases in impervious surface cover, resulting in increased runoff decreases in watershed response time. Even seeminly benign activities, such as landscaping or farming can greatly increase nutrient fluxes into and through streams, rivers, and lakes resulting in eutrophication and the degradation of water quality downstream.
Learn more about this project here.
Enhanced Biological Phosphorous Removal (EBPR)
Enhanced biological phosphorous removal (EBPR) is a biotechnology used to remove excess or remaining P from municipal or industrial waste streams. This process takes advantage of a group of organisms called phosphate accumulating organisms (PAO), such as Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis. These interesting organisms are notable for being capable of accumulating/storing large amounts of phosphate within their cells.
Learn more about this project here.
R packages
Much of my work is done within the R programming language. Its open-source nature and abundance of packages and users makes it a powerful resource for a wide variety of fields and disciplines.
Learn more about this project here.