Timothy LaPara

Timothy LaPara is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on environmental microbiology, antibiotic resistance, and water treatment systems.

• Recent Projects:
• Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge (Legislative-Citizen Commission, 2022-2025)
• Minneapolis water treatment plant biofilter characterization (City of Minneapolis, 2022-2023)
• Bioprospecting for novel pharmaceuticals from wastewater (Legislative-Citizen Commission, 2024-2027)

Research Trends: Recent work emphasizes antibiotic resistance gene dynamics, pathogen suppression in water systems, and microbial community analysis in wastewater. Key subtopics include 16S rRNA gene sequencing, biofilm management, and surface water-groundwater comparisons.

Collaborations & Media: Co-investigator on EPA-funded projects. Provided expert commentary on water safety during the pandemic (e.g., "No, You Can't Catch Covid-19 From Tap Water", 2020).