Department Seminar Series - Dr. Harold May

Dr. May is an environmental microbiologist/microbial physiologist with 40 years of experience in industry, government labs, and academia. Common themes of his research and teaching are anaerobic microbiology, the study of microbial communities, and the development of new biotechnologies. His career path began with an interest in methanogenesis, still a favorite topic for Dr. May, and his PhD research with Dr. Greg Ferry at Virginia Tech (now emeritus at Penn State). Following postdoctoral research on nitrogen fixation with the US Department of Agriculture he became a research Scientist at Celgene Corporation where he led research teams of scientists and engineers on wastewater treatment and bioremediation projects. In 1994 he was able to transfer his research on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) biodegradation to the Medical University of South Carolina which was expanding into new programs with the College of Charleston and eventually the Hollings Marine Laboratory where his laboratory presently resides. Since then he has extensively researched the microbial reductive dechlorination of PCBs and other chlorinated compounds, developed a method to treat PCBs in sediment which is now being used commercially to treat PCBs in situ, initiated some of the first thermophilic microbial fuel cells, and developed some of the earliest microbial electrosynthesis systems aimed at converting CO₂ into higher value chemicals and fuels. In addition to his research, teaching and numerous committee duties, he is now the Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs within the College of Graduate Studies where he assists postdocs with their career development, including through a new initiative called Accelerate to Industry for those interested in that as a career path.