Rate My Professor Susan Richardson

Susan D. Richardson is the Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina, a position she has held since 2014. She received a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Georgia College & State University in 1984 and a Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry from Emory University in 1989. Before joining the University of South Carolina, Richardson worked for 25 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Exposure Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia, advancing from Postdoctoral Research Associate to Research Chemist. Her research centers on environmental analytical chemistry, with a primary focus on disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water, including their identification, formation, occurrence, toxicity, and health effects. She develops advanced mass spectrometry methods to detect emerging contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), total organic fluorine, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and novel DBPs like halocyclopentadienes and iodo-acids. Notable contributions include discovering forcing factors of toxicity in U.S. drinking waters and impacts of algae on DBP levels.

Richardson’s influential publications include the biennial review “Water Analysis: Emerging Contaminants and Current Issues” in Analytical Chemistry (e.g., 2024, 2022), “Progressive Increase in Disinfection Byproducts and Mutagenicity from Source to Tap to Swimming Pool and Spa Water” (Environmental Science & Technology, 2016), “Identifying PFAS Hotspots in Surface Waters of South Carolina Using a New Optimized Total Organic Fluorine Method” (Water Research, 2024), and “Formation of Toxic Iodinated Disinfection By-Products from Compounds Used in Medical Imaging” (Environmental Science & Technology, 2011). She has earned prestigious honors such as election to the National Academy of Engineering (2024), Fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2019) and American Chemical Society (2016), the Herty Medal (2020), Southern Chemist Award (2020), and multiple U.S. EPA Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards. Richardson serves as Executive Editor of Environmental Science & Technology, was President of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2020–2022), and has delivered over 350 invited lectures worldwide. Her work has shaped water treatment practices and public health policies.