Barry Goodell

Barry Goodell is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an Emeritus Faculty member. His research spans both environmental and biomedical domains, focusing on redox-cycling mechanisms in fungi. He investigates how brown rot fungi deconstruct lignocellulose for sustainable biofuels and how Cryptococcus neoformans employs similar chemistries to cause neurodegenerative diseases like cryptococcal meningitis.

• Education: PhD in Microbiology from Oregon State University (1983)

His work bridges Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, emphasizing non-enzymatic systems involving hydroxyl radicals (•OH) via chelator-mediated Fenton (CMF) reactions. Collaborations include UMass-Medical School and Virginia Tech. Key themes include:

• Wood decay mechanisms (brown rot, white rot)
• Redox cycling and lysosomal dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases
• Biomimetic processes for biorefinery applications