Curtis Richardson

Curtis J. Richardson is a Research Professor of Resource Ecology and founding Director of the Duke University Wetland Center at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and a B.S. from the State University of New York. His research focuses on applied ecology in wetland systems, including nutrient dynamics, ecosystem restoration, climate change impacts, and nanomaterial ecotoxicology. He leads Duke's primary analytical lab for environmental sciences and has pioneered methods for quantifying carbon sequestration in peatlands. His work emphasizes developing predictive models for ecosystem management, with recent projects addressing wetland restoration success metrics, peatland GHG fluxes, and nanoparticle effects on freshwater ecosystems.

Dr. Richardson has secured grants from institutions like the National Science Foundation and Packard Foundation, funding projects such as carbon farming protocols in coastal pocosins and Indonesian peatland studies. His 200+ publications span methane emissions, wetland vegetation responses, and fire ecology. He is a Fellow of major scientific organizations and has held leadership roles in professional societies. His lab supports interdisciplinary research, integrating geophysics, microbiology, and engineering to address global environmental challenges. Ongoing work includes exploring drought impacts on nutrient limitation and leveraging low-impact fire regimes to enhance carbon preservation in peatlands.

• Education: Ph.D., University of Tennessee (1972); B.S., State University of New York (1966)
• Grants: Includes projects on peatland carbon sequestration, nanoparticle biogeochemistry, and tropical wetland mapping
• Labs/Teams: Directs the Duke Wetland Center and oversees the Nicholas School's analytical lab