Rate My Professor Kevin Sowers

Kevin R. Sowers, Ph.D., is an anaerobic microbiologist with over 30 years of experience in biomass conversion to methane and bioremediation. He serves as professor and associate chair in the Department of Marine Biotechnology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and as associate director of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET). Sowers earned his doctoral degree in anaerobic microbiology from Virginia Tech, where his research focused on the conversion of giant brown kelp to biomethane with support from the Gas Research Institute. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on the molecular biology of methanogenesis, funded by the Office of Naval Research. He joined the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute in 1991, advancing to his current positions at UMBC and IMET.

Sowers' research encompasses the biology of methanogenic Archaea, including regulatory pathways of gene transcription, mechanisms of archaeal survival in extreme environments such as desiccation resistance relevant to exobiology, and methanogenic conversion of biomass in land-based aquaculture systems. His work also addresses anaerobic conversion of organic wastes to biomethane and biological in situ remediation of organochlorines, with a focus on microbial reductive dehalogenation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated sediments, kinetics of dehalogenation, and bioprocess scale-up of microorganisms from extreme environments. Key publications include "Mesocosm studies on the efficacy of bioamended activated carbon for treating PCB-impacted sediment" (Payne et al., Environmental Science & Technology, 2017), "A comparative evaluation of anaerobic dechlorination of PCB 118 and Aroclor 1254 in sediment microcosms from three PCB-impacted environments" (Kaya et al., Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2017), "Nitrogen and carbon balance in a novel near-zero water exchange saline recirculating aquaculture system" (Yogev et al., Aquaculture, 2016), "Characterization of a microbial consortium that converts mariculture fish waste to biomethane" (Quinn et al., Aquaculture, 2016), and "Kinetics and threshold level of 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl dechlorination by an organohalide respiring bacterium" (Lombard et al., Environmental Science & Technology, 2014). His contributions have advanced understanding of microbial processes for environmental remediation and sustainable aquaculture waste management.