Susan Richardson, Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry at the University of South Carolina, has been named winner of the prestigious 2026 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research.
The South Carolina Academy of Science, which sponsors the award jointly with the governor’s office, notified Richardson of the honor in early March and will present her with the award at the Statehouse in August.
“Even before I joined the University of South Carolina, I was familiar with Susan Richardson’s groundbreaking work and the profound impact it has had on the field of water quality research,” says Chris Culbertson, dean of the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. “Her dedication to advancing the scientific understanding of contaminants that affect our water resources, developing new technologies for detecting these contaminants and working to communicate her research to the broader public exemplifies the innovation and public service that define the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. This national recognition is a well-deserved honor, and we are proud to celebrate her achievements and the distinction she brings to our university.”
Improving the safety of drinking water and the quality of our rivers and lakes is what drives me.
Richardson’s research focuses on improving the safety of drinking water, specifically new methods to measure contaminants inadvertently formed from the application of disinfectants in drinking water.
Before coming to USC in 2014, Richardson was a research chemist at the Environmental Protection Agency, where colleagues originally introduced her to the idea of researching the unintended consequences related to disinfection by-products.
Over the years, Richardson has amassed an impressive tally of awards and professional recognitions. Richardson was named to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024, earned the Southern Chemist Award from the American Chemical Society in 2020 and won the Walter J. Weber, Jr. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Frontier in Research Award in 2021.
But the novelty of each never grows stale.
“I am so incredibly honored to receive this award,” she says. “It’s our state’s highest scientific honor, and I am excited for the upcoming ceremony with the governor.”
As someone who has lived in the South her whole life, Richardson says the award feels more personal than other national awards and is especially meaningful to her.
“It is quite special because it is given by the governor of South Carolina,” she adds. “It feels like being ‘knighted’ by the governor.”
Thomas Hodges, former interim dean of the college, expresses recognition and gratitude, also, for Richardson’s dedication to bonding with her students at every level in ways only she can.
“She is deeply committed to mentoring students and novice scientists,” he says. “This recognition from the state of South Carolina is a fitting acknowledgement of a career defined by scientific excellence and meaningful impact.”
Across her prolific and celebrated career, Richardson never loses sight of her purpose, which is far larger than the labs, classrooms, publications, conferences and accolades that document it.
“Improving the safety of drinking water and the quality of our rivers and lakes is what drives me,” she says. “While it is important to publish our research in top journals, the most important thing to me is to make a difference.”
Wednesday’s ceremony also saw the Governor’s Award Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Scientific Research awarded to Melissa Nolan, associate professor of epidemiology in the Arnold School of Public Health and director of USC’s Institute for Infectious Disease Translational Research.