Brian J. Teppen

Brian J. Teppen is a Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. His research focuses on molecular modeling of environmental systems, particularly soil minerals and aqueous species at colloid-solution interfaces. He maintains an active laboratory in the Plant and Soil Sciences Building at 1066 Bogue St., East Lansing, MI.

Dr. Teppen's research interests center on surface structures of environmentally relevant colloidal materials and adsorption mechanisms for gaseous and solution species interacting with solid phases in soils and sediments. His work explores the implications for geochemical transport and fate of contaminants, as well as anthropogenic modification of natural surfaces to optimize adsorbent behavior. He has developed both classical- and quantum-physics molecular models for aqueous solutions, chemical contaminants, and colloidal materials that control adsorption and chemical speciation in environmental systems.

His recent publications demonstrate consistent contributions to understanding molecular-scale mechanisms of contaminant interactions with clay minerals, particularly regarding pesticide sorption, cation exchange, and redox processes. Dr. Teppen's research has been instrumental in developing robust models for environmental colloids and predicting kinetic and thermodynamic information that may not be amenable to direct experimentation.

His professional affiliations include:

• American Chemical Society
• Clay Minerals Society
• Soil Science Society of America
• Phi Beta Kappa (since 1977)
• Sigma Pi Sigma (physics honor society, since 1977)
• Sigma Xi (scientific research society, since 1991)

Dr. Teppen has received significant research funding through multiple competitive grants from USDA National Research Initiative and NSF, including projects on geochemical controls of pesticide retention by soil clay minerals and mechanisms controlling the environmental fate of contaminants. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including Soil Chemistry (CSS 330), Environmental Soil Chemistry (CSS 355), Clay Mineralogy (CSS 825), and Soil Chemistry (CSS 850) at the graduate level.