The next time you need a cool drink, raise a glass of water in honor of Susan Richardson, a USC chemistry professor who recently won a top international prize for her research that makes that glass of water safer.
Richardson, the Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, received the Clarke Prize from the National Water Research Institute. As the world’s top prize in water research, it puts her in a rare company with some of the world’s top scientists.
“Dr. Richardson has fundamentally changed how the world understands drinking water chemistry,” the NWRI said in its announcement. “Her pioneering discoveries have revealed previously unknown contaminants, transformed our understanding of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), and provided the scientific foundation for protecting public health in an era of increasing water insecurity.”
NWRI also said it awarded the prize to Richardson “recognizing her extraordinary and enduring contributions to water science and humanity.”
Richardson takes seriously that dual responsibility to science and the people it benefits. As she puts it, billions of people rely on water disinfection to have drinkable water, but the treatment process can create byproducts that linger in the water and could affect human health. The first DBPs were not discovered until the 1970s. Today, nearly half of the known DBPs were discovered by Richardson’s lab.
“Billions of people drink treated water across the globe, and a lot is still unknown about these byproducts that are formed,” Richardson said. “We’ve been trying to uncover what are the other byproducts that nobody knows about.”
Her lab uses high resolution mass spectrometry to search for previously unknown chemical signatures in water. They also have worked on ways to accurately measure how much of a byproduct is present in water and have used this to examine the safety of both bottled water and tap water.
Richardson is quick to point out that most people do not need to worry much about their water. However, some water systems do fall short, and even the best ones can be improved.
“We have good water, but we can make it better,” Richardson said. Improvement begins with the science that identifies new challenges and also seeks solutions.
In addition to receiving the Clarke Prize, Richardson has received numerous other awards and recognitions. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and past president of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS). She serves as executive editor and associate editor for Environmental Science & Technology. She recently was named to the Analytical Scientist Power List, and received the 2026 South Carolina Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research and was named an ASMS Fellow (2026).
Over her career, she has published 230 articles, delivered more than 400 presentations and seminars and contributed to more than 200 other presentations. She has a PhD in Chemistry from Emory University and a BS in Chemistry & Mathematics from Georgia College & State University.