Dr. Hashsham’s research interests lie at the intersection of three closely related areas:
i) understanding how complex microbial communities work
ii) development of parallel detection tools
iii) development/evaluation of processes relevant to environmental biotechnology. For complex communities (e.g., in bioreactors, gut, or environment), he studies the abiotic and biotic factors that makes a microbial system stable or unstable with respect to function and community structure. As part of projects funded by NIH, EPA, and MEDC to develop parallel detection tools, his team has developed a low cost hand-held gene analyzer capable of quantifying genetic markers within 30 minutes. Projects related to development of processes relevant to environmental biotechnology encompass a number of activities ranging from studies focusing on chlorinated solvents, methanogenesis, and microbial corrosion. As part of the NIEHS Superfund Research Center, he is leading Project 4 focusing on remediation of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans
