Stephen A. Boyd

Stephen A. Boyd is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences within Michigan State University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. His research spans environmental chemistry and microbiology with a focus on soil systems.

His educational background includes a B.S. in Chemistry from Central Michigan University (1975), and M.S. and Ph.D. in Soil Chemistry from Purdue University (1978, 1980).

Dr. Boyd's research investigates organic contaminant movement in soil, microbial/catalytic degradation mechanisms, and remediation technologies for contaminated soils/sediments. His work features innovative approaches including chemically modified clays for contaminant sorption and degradation, mechanistic studies of toxicant interactions with natural/modified clays, and development of in-situ soil modification technologies. He extensively examines biodegradation of xenobiotics (particularly PCB reductive dechlorination) and bioavailability of soil-bound contaminants to degrading bacteria.

His 15 most recent publications reveal strong trends in clay-based contaminant immobilization, pharmaceutical/water pollutant interactions, dioxin chemistry, and nanomaterial applications for environmental remediation, with dominant fields being environmental chemistry, soil science, and contaminant toxicology.

• University Distinguished Professor (MSU, 2005)
• Jackson Award in Soil Science (SSSA, 2004)
• Highly Cited Researcher (Institute for Scientific Information, 2002)
• Distinguished Faculty Award (MSU, 2001)
• Soil Science Research Award (SSSA, 1999)

Dr. Boyd has secured significant research funding including a recent $750K USDA grant (2022) for PFAS mitigation research. His laboratory focuses on clay chemistry applications for environmental remediation, with notable breakthroughs in soil cleansing technologies and biochar applications. Current work emphasizes advanced contaminant degradation pathways and practical field applications of his soil modification technologies.