Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological  Engineering

Kenneth Reardon joined the department in 1988 after a year of postdoctoral research at the Universität Hannover as an Alexander Von Humboldt Fellow. He is Professor and Jud and Pat Harper Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and holds joint appointments in several other science and engineering programs at CSU, including Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology, and Biomedical Engineering. Reardon received his BS degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD from the California Institute of Technology, both in chemical engineering.  His research combines bioreactor analysis, systems biology (primarily proteomics), and applied microbiology and microbial ecology. His group’s current projects involve biosensors, the application of proteomics to microbiome analysis, and the analysis and engineering of bacteria and algae for the production of biofuels and other chemicals.  He is also interested in the interconnected challenges of food, energy, and water production (the food-energy-water nexus), which is becoming a major issue around the world. Reardon is the Director of the Sustainable Bioenergy Development Center and a co-Director of the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels. He is also the founder and Chief Technology Officer of OptiEnz Sensors, which is based on research from his laboratory. Reardon received the Faculty Excellence Award from the College of Engineering at CSU in 2009.