Dr. Richard Grosshans is the Bioeconomy Lead in IISD’s Water Program. He received his PhD in Biosystems Engineering and Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, where he was an NSERC IPGS Research Scholar. His current research crosses multiple disciplinary boundaries focused on integration of water, energy, and nutrient management with sustainable agriculture, bioproducts, and bioenergy. Richard’s expertise is in wetland systems, integrated watershed management, environmental engineering, biogeochemistry, nutrient management, water quality, bioremediation, eutrophication in aquatic systems, alternative energy, and bioproducts and bioenergy.

Richard is the lead research scientist on the award-winning and internationally recognized Lake Winnipeg Bioeconomy project and Netley-Libau Nutrient-Bioenergy project, which have contributed towards policies on nutrient and surface water management, wetland protection, GHG emission reductions and offsets, and reduction of phosphorus loading in Canada and internationally. This research explores innovative watershed-based bioeconomy approaches that generate environmental and economic benefits to address integrated issues of flooding and nutrient loading. Richard is affiliated with the Paludiculture research group in Germany, and is collaborating on water and nutrient retention projects in Canada and the US.

Richard’s work at IISD has included geographic analysis of water issues in Canada, watershed changes in Hungary, international policy influences to deforestation in the Amazon, EGS, and biomass energy in Europe and Africa. Prior to IISD, Richard worked as a research biologist for Ducks Unlimited Canada, examining long-term trends and human impacts in wetlands.