Dr. Scarborough's research focuses on the application of microbiomes (aka, microbial communities) to protect the natural environment and public health. He currently focuses on management of wastes from agricultural processes with the goal of harnessing microbiomes to convert renewable feedstocks to valuable products. This work aims to provide additional revenue for farmers while reducing water and air pollution. Dr. Scarborough's work encapsulates many scales, from studying the function of individual enzymes to implementing full-scale microbiome-based conversion platforms.
Dr. Scarborough earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he worked as part of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. He previously worked for a large environmental consulting company as a wastewater engineer and is a licensed professional engineer in Vermont. In addition to conducting environmental engineering research, Dr. Scarborough uses a teaching-as-research framework to assess teaching practices and develop learner-centered courses.