• Thomas E. Hutchinson Faculty Award for dedication and excellence in teaching (2008)
• American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Elected to College of Fellows (2005)
• University of Virginia President and Visitors' Prize for Scientific Research, Life Sciences (1996)
• Department of Energy, Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program, Junior Faculty Award (1991)

Our research focuses on the application of chemical engineering principles to problems in microbial ecology. The aim is to develop a fundamental understanding of mechanisms underlying microbial behavior which will provide insights for future technological innovation.

Fundamental Studies of Bacterial Chemotaxis To increase their chances for survival, populations of motile bacteria are able to direct their migration toward chemicals which are beneficial and away from substances detrimental to their survival. This ability to sense and respond to chemical gradients is known as bacterial chemotaxis. A quantitative characterization of this transport phenomenon is critical for assessing its importance in microbial processes such as nitrogen fixation, the development of infection, and the growth of biofilms on medical implants and marine surfaces. Our approach involves a combination of experimental measurements, rigorous mathematical modeling and direct simulation of bacterial population dynamics at the cellular level.

Bioremediation of Hazardous Wastes Bioremediation technology exploits the natural degradative processes of microorganisms for the purpose of cleaning up chemical wastes. This technology is superior to more conventional treatment schemes because it results in a permanent solution in which the waste is chemically transformed instead of concentrated or contained. The effectiveness of in situ bioremediation can be limited by the accessibility of the contaminant to the bacteria which are degrading it. Chemotaxis is one mechanism which might be exploited to bring the contaminant and bacteria into close contact and thereby increase the overall effectiveness of bioremediation. Our research involves investigating microbial transport limitations on the overall rates of in situ biodegradation and strategies for overcoming these limitations. The Computational Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology was established to simulate remediation strategies and evaluate their effectiveness prior to implementation.

Selected Publications

Valdes-Parada, F. J., M. L. Porter, K. Narayanaswamy, R. M. Ford and B. D. Wood, “Upscaling Microbial Chemotaxis in Porous Media”, Adv. Wat. Resour., 32 (2009): 1413–1428.

Wang, M. and R. M. Ford, “Transverse Bacterial Migration Induced by Chemotaxis in a Column with Structured Physical Heterogeneity”, Environ. Sci. Technol., 43 (2009): 5921-5927.

Narayanaswamy, K., R. M. Ford, J. A. Smith, and E. J. Fernandez, “Surface association of motile bacteria and apparent tortuosity values in packed column experiments," Water Resour. Res., 45 (2009): W07411.

Kusy, K. and R. M. Ford, “Surface Association of Motile Bacteria at Granular Porous Media Interfaces,” Environ. Sci. Technol., 2009, 43 (10): 3712–3719.

Long, T. and R. M. Ford, “Enhanced Transverse Migration of Bacteria by Chemotaxis in a Porous T-Sensor,” Environ. Sci. Technol., 2009, 43 (5):1546–1552.

Wang, M. R. M. Ford and R.W. Harvey, “Coupled Effect of Chemotaxis and Growth on Microbial Distributions in Organic-Amended Aquifer Sediments: Observations from Laboratory and Field Studies,” Environ. Sci. Technol., 42:10 (2008), 3556–3562.

Lanning, L., R. M. Ford and T. Long, “Bacterial Chemotaxis Transverse to Axial Flow in a Microfluidic Channel,” Biotechnology & Bioengineering, 100:4 (2008) 653 - 663.

Kusy, K. and R. M. Ford, “Monte Carlo Simulations Derived from Direct Observations of Individual Bacteria Inform Macroscopic Migration Models at Granular Porous Media Interfaces,” Environmental Science & Technology, 41 (2007) 6403-6409.

Ford, R.M. and R.W. Harvey, “Role of chemotaxis in the transport of bacteria through porous media,” Advances in Water Resources, 30 (2007) 1608-1617.

Olson, M.S. R.M. Ford, J.A. Smith and E.J. Fernandez, “Mathematical modeling of chemotactic bacterial transport through a two-dimensional heterogeneous porous medium,” Bioremediation Journal, 10 (2006) 13-23.

Kohlmeier, S., T.H.M. Smits, R.M. Ford, C. Keel, H. Harms and L.Y. Wick, "Taking the fungal highway: mobilization of pollutant-degrading bacteria by fungi," Env. Sci. Tech, 39, 4640-6 (2005)

Olson, M.S., R.M. Ford, J.A. Smith, E.J. Fernandez, "Quantification of Bacterial Chemotaxis in Porous Media Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)," Env. Sci. Tech., 38 481-504 (2004) 481-504.

Chen, K.C., R.M. Ford, P.T. Cummings, "“Cell balance equation for chemotactic bacteria with a biphasic tumbling frequency," J. Math. Biol., 47 (1997) 518-46 (2003).

Jin, M., R.M. Ford, P.T. Cummings, " A numerical method for solving a scalar advection-dominated transport equation with concentration-dependent sources," Comp. Chem. Eng., 27 1405-19 (2003)

Vigeant, M.A.S., R.M. Ford, M. Wagner, L.K. Tamm, " Reversible and irreversible adhesion of motile E. coli bacteria analyzed by TIRAF microscopy," Appl. Env. Microbiol., 68 2794-2801 (2002). 68 2794-2801 (2002).

Lanning, L.M., R.M. Ford, "Glass Micromodel Study of Bacterial Dispersion in Spatially Periodic Porous Networks," Biotech. Bioeng., 78 556-66 (2002)

McClaine, J.W., R.M. Ford, "Characterizing the Adhesion of Motile and Nonmotile Escherichia coli to a Glass Surface Using a Parallel Plate Flow Chamber," Biotech. Bioeng., 78, 179-89 (2002).