RESEARCHERS >
RICHARD SPARLING, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology
University of Manitoba

Address:
University of Manitoba
414C Buller Building
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3T 2N2

Contact:
Phone: 204.474.8320
Fax: 204.474.7603
E-mail: Richard_Sparling@umanitoba.ca

Link to a website:
http://umanitoba.ca/science/microbiology/staff/sparling.html

Research Areas:
1) The study of the mechanism of uptake of mercury and production of methyl mercury by bacteria.
2) Optimization of bio-hydrogen, bio-ethanol and methane generation from organic waste product streams using anaerobic consortia and pure cultures.
3) Understanding the flux and molecular regulation of biofuels producing anaerobes using genomic and proteomic tools, with Clostridium thermocellum serving as major model system.
4) Bioprospecting for novel lignocellulose degrading biofuels producing anaerobes.

Dr. Richard Sparling co-leads the Genome Canada initiative on “Microbial Genomics for Biofuels and Co-products from Biorefining Processes”. He has developed a broad expertise in the investigation of anaerobic bacteria, especially methanogens, sulfate reducers, as well as biofuel (hydrogen and ethanol) producing fermentative organisms, from various environments. The major guiding principle underpinning most of the research projects in his laboratory is to understand the fundamental biochemical processes driving environmental phenomena of concern, or of interest, to the larger community.