Harnessing Photosynthesis to Build a Carbon Negative Bioeconomy
by Prof. Tom Richard, Director, Institutes of Energy & the Environment and Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Penn State University

Tom L. Richard is a professor of agricultural and biological engineering and the Director of Penn State’s Institutes for Energy and the Environment, where he coordinates a network of almost 500 faculty engaged in innovative interdisciplinary research and education on fossil and renewable energy, energy efficiency, water, climate, ecosystems and environmental health. His research and teaching focus on applications of fundamental engineering science to microbial and agricultural systems, developing market-based strategies for a more sustainable agriculture and the emerging bio-based economy. Dr. Richard currently directs the Northeast Regional Sun Grant Center for the USDA and is the deputy technical director for the DOE’s National Risk Assessment Partnership for geologic carbon sequestration. Tom is the author or co-author of over 300 research and technical publications, a Fellow of ASABE, and a Fellow and Past President of the Institute of Biological Engineering. He has a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley, and M.S. and PhD degrees from Cornell University.